Illocutionary Acts In "Spider-man: No Way Home (2021)"

ILLOCUTIONARY ACTS IN "SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021)"

 

Khaerunisa Setia Wahidin

1English Department, Faculty of Letter, Pamulang University, South Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to classify the types of illocutionary acts in the movie entitled Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). The writer used qualitative approach as the method in analysing the data. In collecting the data, the writer watched the movie for a couple times and marked the dialogue which can be classified as illocutionary acts. The writer used Searle's classification of illocutionary acts as the grand theory of the research; representative, directive, commissive, expressive and declarative. The speech act theory views language as more of an activity than a means of communication and expression.  This idea is frequently applied in the study of language philosophy. It is carried out as an act of speaking or as an act of refraining from speaking. The illocutionary utterance carries some weight. It is adept in using particular tenors, attitudes, sentiments, or emotions. Illocutionary utterance always contains the speaker's or listeners' intended meaning. Nowadays, it is frequently used as a tone of warning. The result of this research is the writer found 20 data such as 4 assertives, 4 commissives, 4 declaratives, 4 directives, and 4 expressive. 

Keywords: Illocutionary Acts; Speech Acts; Pragmatics, Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

1.      INTRODUCTION

 

         The branch that consists of speech acts and its type is called pragmatics. Pragmatics is a sub-knowledge of linguistics. Yule (2017) explains that pragmatics is the study of "invisible" meaning, or how a hearer recognizes what is meant by the speaker even when the speaker does not explicitly say it. From that explanation it can be concluded that pragmatics is the study of certain meanings that the meaning itself follows the context.

         In the daily human life, communication can be said as the important roles. In doing the communication, we use our language. Language is one of many ways to deliver a message or information as well as to express human's notion or feelings. The notion could be in form of demanding, commanding, denying, asserting, and treating. Humans do not just say something, at the same time they take action through their words when they are expressing their notion, this term is called a speech act. Yule (2017), defines a speech act as the action performed by a speaker along with an utterance. It means, it needs a context as part of communication in order to understand the meaning of the speaker's utterance. According to Abdulla (2012), one speaker's able to perform 3 acts when deploying utterance.

         As stated by Austin (1962), illocutionary acts is the act of doing something. Then followed by Searle (1979), there are 5 kinds of illocutionary acts, they are assertive, directive, commissive, declarative, and expressive. We can find them anywhere, one of them are movie.

        

         The writer interested in Marvel Cinematic Universe, in result, the writer chose Spider-Man: No Way Home. Spider-Man: No Way Home is third sequel of Spider-Man Marvel Cinematic Universe version which the main character, Peter Parker is portrayed by Tom Holland. The plot is taken after Spider-Man defeated the villain in earlier movie, named Mysterio. Mysterio created manipulated footage where Spider-Man plotted, where he initiated drones to attack people in London. In end of the footage, Mysterio revealed Spider-Man's true identity to public which before the event, his identity was remain hidden.

2.      LITERATURE REVIEW

         This section contains several experts' definition that related to writer's research. This section will explain the definition of pragmatics, speech acts, and illocutionary acts.

2.1.   Pragmatics

 

         Pragmatics is one aspect study to discuss about the meaning of one context in single utterance. Yule (2017), explains that pragmatics is the study of "invisible" meaning, or how a hearer recognizes what is meant by the speaker even when the speaker does not say it explicitly. From that explanation, it can be concluded that pragmatics is study of certain meanings that the meaning itself is following the context.

2.2. Speech Acts

         Humans do not just say something, in the moment they take action through their words when they are expressing their notion or ideas, this term known as speech acts. According to Yule (2017) a speech acts is an action performed by a speaker along with an utterance. It means, it requires a context as part of communication in order to understand the meaning of the speaker's utterance.

         Following to Abdulla (2012) one speaker could perform 3 acts when deploying an utterance, they are called locutionary acts that refers to act of saying something with particular reference, the illocutionary act that refers to the act that performed when saying something, and perlocutionary act is the result of saying something

2.2.1. Illocutionary Acts

         The act that performed when the speaker saying something called Illocutionary acts. Austin (1962) exerts illocutionary acts is the act of doing something. Then Searle (1979), there are 5 types of illocutionary acts, they are assertive, directives, commissive, declarative, and expressive. each definition of the types will be explained in the findings.

        

3.      METHODS

         The descriptive qualitative was chosen for this study as the method in analysing the research's objective to explain each kind of speech acts and illocutionary acts along with its function in the dialogue. The data in this study was gained from the occurred in the movie. The writer used Searle's illocutionary acts identification. The instrument of this research is observation.

         The procedure of collecting data is first, the writer watches several times the movie, next the writer marks dialogue or sentences that able to be identified as illocutionary acts. The writer also captures the subtitle to strengthen the prove of data analysis. Last, the writer analyses it using Searle and Austin illocutionary acts theory.

4.      RESULTS 

• Following to the result analysis, there are 20 utterances of illocutionary acts. each type of illocutionary acts contains 4 utterances. There are 4 utterances of assertives, 4 utterances of directives, 4 utterances of declaratives, 4 utterances of commissive, 4 utterances of expressive. The types of illocutionary acts as explained can be seen from the data below:
• Table 1. Results of the study

Assertives

• As stated by Yule (2017) assertive is an act about speaker's commitment believe about something the truth or not. The utterance can be in the form of fact, assertion, conclusion, and swearing. When using this illocutionary act, the speaker makes words suitable with the world.

        

Datum 1

 

 

capture1-png-62f8dbbca1aeea42025ae453.png

 

Picture 1.1 J. Jonah Jameson utterance (min 01.47)

Excerpt 1:

J. Jonah Jameson: "I'll tell you what I call him, public enemy number one!"

Analysis:

From the explanation above, Jonah's utterance considered as concluding assertive illocutionary act. J. Jonah Jameson, as the news anchor, could lead public opinion how to see someone in some news. In this case, his conclusion led public see Spider-Man as public enemy because in the earlier movie, the villain manipulated world which he made a footage where the Spider-Man initiated all the drones to launched attack. As Yule's definition, Jonah's utterance considered as assertive illocutionary act because he concluded that Spider-Man is the real number one public enemy.

 

Datum 2

 

capture2-png-62f8dbec08a8b51fb0089a93.png

 

 Picture 1.2 Peter Parker's utterance (min 05.09)

Excerpt 2:

Peter Parker: "Maybe it's not a big deal."

Analysis:

Peter Parker's utterance classified as concluding assertive illocutionary act because after his identity was revealed by the villain in earlier movie and by the J. Jonah Jameson, he suddenly became hottest news in Queens, New York. Yet, he felt that this incident is something small. The utterance that displayed can be considered as assertive illocutionary act because it is consists concluding utterance.

 

Datum 3

 

capture3-png-62f8dc8b08a8b5277d181ce4.png

Picture 1.3 J. Jonah Jameson's utterance (min 05.20)

 Excerpt 3:

J. Jonah Jameson: "... aka the web-headed war criminal."

Analysis:

Following Yule's explanation about assertive illocutionary acts, Jonah's utterance when he brough the news about Spider-Man. He swears the Spider-Man as web-headed war criminal because in the earlier movie, Spider-man involved in big fight against his enemy and can be considered as war. Jonah also referred "Web-headed" because Spider-Man who take spider as his superpower along with its appearance and web is something related to a spider. However, this utterance can be identified as assertive swearing illocutionary act because Jonah swore to Spider-Man's self as war criminal.

Datum 4

 

capture4-png-62f8dcc708a8b553cd03e072.png

Picture 1.4 Pedestrian's utterance (min 09.07) 

Excerpt 4:

Pedestrian: "Murderer! Mysterio forever!"

Analysis: 

As the result of Mysterio manipulated footage, many people believed on him instead Spider-Man. Following the news that brought by J. Jonah Jameson, people saw Spider-Man as murderer. In the scene above, the pedestrian swearing to Spider-Man as murder, and he believed on Mysterio forever. As from that explanation, the pedestrian utterance can be concluded as swearing assertive illocutionary acts.

  

6.      CONCLUSION

 

         The aim of this study is to categorize the types of illocutionary acts that used by the characters in the Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) movie. The characters' utterances fall into one of five types of illocutionary acts as a result. Those types are: assertive, declarative, commissive, expressive, and directive. This shows how the various illocutionary behaviors carried out by the characters help viewers in better understanding their position and feelings while engaging with other characters in the film. They make the movie more realistic for the audience who watches it. From the analysis of the illocutionary acts occurs in the Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) movie, there are 20 datum of illocutionary acts which is uttered by the mentioned characters in findings. Those types are: four data of assertive, four data of declarative, four data of commissive, four data of expressive, and four data of directive. In addition, the writer put all the captured data in findings and analyzed all of them.

         The researchers would like to make some recommendations for the readers based on the research findings of this study regarding the characters' use of illocutionary act in the movie Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). This study is expected to help readers or scholars have a better knowledge of illocutionary acts. The expectation is that other researchers would do similar study with various films to examine additional speech act components including locutionary act and perlocutionary act. The outcome of this study is also anticipated to serve as a reference point for the study of speech acts.

REFERENCES

 

Abdulla, H. I. (2012). Locutionary, Illocutionary and Perlocutioary Acts Between Modern linguistics and Traditional Arabic Linguistics. 5.

Austin, J. L. (1975). How to Do Things with Words; Second Edition. Cambridge: Hardvard University Press.

Endah Dwi Ratnasari, E. E. (2016). The Illocutionary acts in the Novel "And The Mountains Echoed" By Khaled Hosseini. Jurnal KATA.

Riza, S. I. (2016). The Development of Documentary Film Learning Media to Improve Student Learning Enthusiastic of Vocational Senior High School PGRI 1 Sentolo Grade X on Accounting Trading Company. Yogyakarta: Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta.

Scarle, J. R. (1979). Expression and Meaning: Studies in Theory of Speech Acts. London: Cambridge University Press.

Yule, G. (2017). The Study of Language. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Ramayanti, D & Leni, M. (2018). The Analysis Of Types Illocutionary Acts In "Tangled" Movie. Padang: Universitas Negeri Padang.