THE MASS MEDIA’S LANGUAGE STYLES: ITS POWER AND APPROPRIATENESS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SYSTEMIC FUNCTIONAL LINGUISTICS

The role of mass media is inevitably significant for people’s everyday life. As one of mass media, newspaper is very effective not only in informing the readers but also in influencing their principles and belief regarding to certain issues. However, texts published in newspapers potentially goes unsuitable for the targeted readers making its significance in informing and influencing less optimal. Accordingly, it is necessary to research the language styles of newspapers to optimize its power of significance in influencing the potential or targeted readers. This is a descriptive analysis study employing systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in analyzing the language styles of texts published by two popular mass media; The Jakarta Post and National Geographic. The analysis tools underpinned by SFL used in this study are the lexical system of congruency, lexicogrammar of complex-simplex clauses, conjunctive relations, and complexity of verbal and nominal groups of the news. The results show that (1) the targeted readers of the news are adult; (2) the use of incongruent lexis, internal conjunction, simple clause, complex group both verbal and nominal, and generic participant are more frequently employed; accordingly (3) written style is employed more often than spoken style. The findings drive to the conclusions that most of the news’ language styles go appropriate to the targeted readers. It means that its power to inform and influence the readers goes optimal. However, the linguistic techniques need improving in order the texts sound more intelligible to the targeted readers.

To Be A Diplomat, Why Not? (A Case Study on the Students’ Enthusiasm towards Model United Nations: An Innovative Teaching Method in the 21st Century)

Model United Nations (MUN) as a teaching method is being developed to be implemented in many schools in many countries to acquire the demands of living in international community. High schools in Indonesia started practicing it in 2010. As this is quite new, its practicality is still frequently rare and quite complicated to do. Therefore, this study aimed at researching the students’ enthusiasm towards model united nations as a path to know whether this kind of teaching method is acceptable for them. The subjects of the research were 40 students of PondokPesantren Modern Darul Mursyid, Tapanuli Selatan, North Sumatera who joined the school’s English club. This is a qualitative research designed in a case study employing three instruments in collecting the data; interview, observation, and documentation. The interview showed that the students were enthusiastic to implement MUN, curious to know further, and engaged with all of the activities. The observation showed that the students were active, consistent and discipline in following all the activities. While the documentation showed that their success in implementing this kind of teaching method was equipped by their sufficient background of English language mastery. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the students’ enthusiasm towards MUN was sophisticatedly high and their capacity to follow the teaching method was satisfying. These findings imply its possibility to be implemented in the class. The suggestion is addressed for teachers to simplify the procedures to make its practicality more tangible to do.

Figurative Language in Song Lyric “Red” by Taylor Swift

Observing the figurative language in a song lyric entitled “Red” by Taylor Swift, this study aims at (1) finding out kinds of figurative language and (2) analyzing the appropriate intent of figurative language Taylor Swift’s song. This study uses a song from the fourth Taylor Swift's album called Red. This study employs qualitative methods in data collection. After collecting the data, it encompasses that simile and hyperbole are dominantly found. It also reveals that figurative language used in this song is to deliver her deepest feeling. The use of figurative language in this song is very dominant which can provide knowledge to the reader to know the type of figurative language

The Students’ Needs in Learning Research Methodology in Linguistics

This study aims at investigating the students’ needs analysis in learning Research in Linguistics at a university in Indonesia. Its main focus is on the students’ academic needs including difficulties of the materials, learning methods, styles and goals, level of understanding on linguistic research issues, course planning, instructional materials and practices, and evaluation. Using descriptive analytical method, a set of questionnaires was employed in Likert-scale formula. It encompassed samples of 105 learners of English Letter’s study program of the university. To validate the finding of the questionnaire, semi-structured interview to the lecturers and the students were also conducted. It results in that the leaners need; 1) the suitability of the materials composition for learners’ need; 2) using group discussion method in learning activity; 3) a step-by-step process to support practical experience in collecting and analyzing data; 4) Overtly relating components of an academic journal article to the elements of developing a research project. The study ends with a recommendation for composing course materials of Research in Linguistics suited with the afore-mentioned findings

PENERAPAN STORY TELLING UNTUK MENANAMKAN NILAI KEARIFAN LOKAL

Derasnya arus globalisasi dipicu oleh lingkungan dengan aktifitas yang sangat padat bisa memicu anak- anak kehilangan kesempatan untuk mengenal nilai-nilai kearifan lokal. Kegiatan pengabdian pada masyarakat oleh dosen dan mahasiswa jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Pamulang bertujuan untuk menanamkan nilai-nilai kearifan lokal melalui teknik bercerita bagi peserta didik Taman Baca Masyarakat (TBM) Kolong Jembatan Ciputat. Kegiatan pengabdian ini juga bertujuan untuk memberikan pengetahuan dan meningkatkan literasi berbahasa Inggris. Sasaran pengabdian ini adalah 52 anak anak yang tinggal di sekitar kolong jembatan tersebut. Cerita rakyat yang diangkat adalah Asal-Usul Cikaputrian dan Asal-Usul Gunung Pinang yang sarat akan nilai-nilai kemanusiaan. Selain kegiatan bercerita, kegiatan lainnya seperti berdiskusi, permainan dan hiburan edukatif diberikan untuk memberikan wawasan bagi peserta dalam situasi yang menyenangkan. Melalui teknik bercerita, para peserta memiliki pengalaman kegiatan yang menarik dan berguna dalam membentuk karakter yang positif seperti menghormati orang tua, peduli terhadap sesama masyarakat, dan memiliki akhlak yang terpuji sesuai dengan nilai moral yang ada dalam cerita

ENGLISH FOR INFORMATICS ENGINEERING: NEEDS ANALYSIS

English for Vocational School is a key to bridging non-English major students’ needs including Informatics Engineering students of a private university in South Tangerang, Indonesia. Accordingly, it is important to conduct a needs-analysis study as a way to find the source of information to designing proper English materials. To actualize it, a set of questionnaire was distributed to 35 students of Informatics Engineering Study Program to investigate their necessities, lacks, and desire in learning English for vocational purpose. The data were analysed quantitatively to figure out majority choices to each item questioned. Semi-structured interview to both the lecturers and the students were also conducted to explore reasons for each finding. The result showed that the students were expected to be proficient at using English for daily communication which will be useful for their future working-community because most of the students thought that they were not fluent yet and found difficulties especially in grammar mastery. Accordingly, they expected that instructional process be directed to learning English related to Informatics Engineering without ignoring daily communication topics. These overall findings are a milestone to designing a set of English learning materials for the third semester students of Informatics Engineering Students of the university

THE YOUNG LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION TOWARDS ENGLISH INSTRUCTIONAL PRACTICES USING VIRTUAL PLATFORMS

The popularity of virtual-learning platforms as an alternative for instructional practices during the pandemic is rocketing yet students’ perceptions to the implementation are not optimally gauged especially to young learners. This study explores the students’ perception towards learning English using two popular virtual platforms during Covid-19 pandemic. This is a case study involving 30 students in their third-year study at a private primary-school primary school in Tangerang City, Banten. Interviewing and observing all students respectively were conducted to obtain the data needed. Using descriptive analysis, it was found that the students showed negative perceptions towards the online-based learning process. Not only the media but also the whole learning process was negatively impacted. This is a voice that highlights the issue of recent education is facing. Further studies are therefore suggested to delve into effective and feasible solutions to eradicate the negative perception because the best time to return to classroom-situated instructions remains arguable for no-exact tim

Using critical discourse analysis to explore an authentic teaching material: A focus on language and power

Many EFL students show anxiety when speaking English in Indonesia. Therefore, when it comes to pedagogical context, critical discourse analysis (CDA) has a significant role to explore linguistics unit, socio-cultural context, and ideology of the text learners need to understand. This study aims at analysing the relation of language and power behind a text entitled ‘Driving Age, Increasing’ and making use of it to pedagogical context. The chosen text is an authentic material adopted from ‘Debatabase’, a book on building argumentative skills. By using Fairclough’s model (1989), the text was examined through three steps of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), namely description, interpretation, and explanation. Then, the analysis is interrelated with the nature of discussion text taught to the learners. The result of the analysis shows that the text is dominated by material, verbal, and relational processes, formal, complex, repetitive, evidence-based, multi-perspective, and over-wording dictions underpinned in an institutionalized social activity and unspecialized semantic domain. Further, the relationship between the author and the readers indicates there is equality in power shown by the provided equal analytical perspectives and evidence-based arguments to both conflicting parties toward the issue. As it fits the nature of discussion text, the paper ends with recommendations for EFL teachers to make use of CDA in raising learners’ language awareness

Pelatihan Debat Parlementer Untuk Meningkatkan Motivasi Santri Dalam Berbicara Bahasa Inggris

The significnce of speaking in English has triggered education practitioners to organize an English program as done by Madrasah Aliyah Nurul Qur’an. However, observation result reveals that students of the school face some difficulties in speaking English such as limited arrange of vocabulary, mispronouncing, and self confidence. Accordingly, a team from English Literature Study Program of Universitas Pamulang initiated to conduct a community service to improve the students’ speaking skill by using parliamentary debate with the following steps: (1) presenting the students a set of materials about parliamentary debate; (2) grouping the students, (3)some groups act as affirmative group and the others as opposition; (4) motivating and sharing some tips to be proficient in English. The afore-mentioned steps are meant to brace the students to be more confident and motivated in speaking English