Claim of Fact Used in The Opinion Section of Tempo Magazines

ABSTRACT

Claim as the proposition or as the writer is trying to prove has to be supported by material used to convince that the claim is sound. It is a specific term refers to the way of how the writer proves his idea. It covers three principal kinds of claim namely claim of fact, of value, and of policy. Claim of fact is chosen as it asserts the condition that has existed, exists or will exist and is based on facts or data that the audience will accept as being objectively verifiable. Therefore, this research is important to study because in writing argumentation it depends on the capability of readers to comprehend the idea or the transferred intellectual presentation. The intended point of view is failed when the presentation is not systematic or well organized.

The analysis of this study focuses on claim of fact; the research elaborates the finding on the basis of the claim’s introductory and supporting details. The claim analysis is limited to the text found in the tempo magazines publication from 5 th June to July 2nd 2007. The research design employed is descriptive qualitative analyzing the type of introductory paragraph and method of claim defends.

The finding shows that the methods used by the writers of argumentative article on Tempo magazines in introducing their claims of fact are funnel and turn about. The first type of introductory is mostly found. Meanwhile, the turn about is used one of the article. None of the article used the method of dramatic entrance and relevant quotation in introducing the claim of fact. The way the writer’s defense their claims of facts are as following: first the writer mostly states explicitly what the writer is trying to prove which strengthen the claim defending and mostly the writer uses relational claim of fact, only one data that uses predictive claim of fact and none of the article used historical claim of fact. Second Most of the writers define the terms that might be ambiguous although there is another article that mentions ambiguous terms that still need to be defined.

Third, all of the writers use sufficient, accurate, recent, and typical evidence in the form of facts, interpretation and opinion. All the articles use facts. Only one uses facts, interpretation and opinion. More than half of data show the tendency of using facts and opinion than other types of evidence. Only one article does not use one’s opinion. Half of the articles use interpretation as evidence. Only one articles uses opinion as the main evidence employed. Fourth, the writer has made clear when conclusion about the data are inferences or interpretation, not facts. Fifth, the writer had shown using all patterns in ordering of the evidence. One uses chronological order of time order and spatial order. Two use topical order. None use climatic order in ordering of the evidence

Based on the finding of the study, this research is suggested to be useful to English reading and writing lecturers and also to further researchers. To English reading and writing lecturers, the analysis on argumentative articles in Tempo magazines has fruitful outcomes. Student can be trained to respond critically the writer’s argument in reading and in writing classes; it can be adopt to be more critical readers and thinkers. Finally, by this thesis the researcher hopes that in the next research, there will be more students who are interested in analyzing essays writing using another perspective.