Language style in the strategies of closing conversation used by the main character of “The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants” movie

ABSTRACT

This study investigates about the language styles which are involved in the strategies of closing conversation used by the main character of The Sisterhood of Traveling Pants movie using Kirszner and Mandell (1978) and Coppock’s theory. Language style is the way people to manipulate and control people in interaction. In the same way, the use of language style is bringing the message that usually conveyed in words and done with voices. In other terms language style is the way people use the language in communication, in written or oral language. While the closing strategies are the utterances which are used by the speaker to stop (end) the conversation as a sign to the hearer that their conversation is moving to end.

Coppock’s recognized the strategies of politeness in conversation closing as cooperation that should be done in closing conversation to avoid miscommunication in ending conversation, to combat the positive face threat, and to save face that the writer classified into three types: Positive Face-Saving Strategies, Combined Positive and Negative Politeness, and Solidarity Strategies.

This research aims at answering the problem how the strategies of closing conversation are used by the main character. This kind of research was conducted using qualitative method. The data are in the form of transcribed utterances uttered by Lenna Kaligaris, Bridget Vreeland, Carmen Lowell and Tibby Rollins to close the conversation.

After the data were collected, they were analyzed into three types of strategies of closing conversation. The researcher found that the strategies of closing conversation used by the main character of Language Style in the Strategies of Closing Conversation Used by the main character of The Sisterhood of Traveling Plants movie are: (1.) Positive Face Saving strategies in the form of positive comment, excuse and imperative to end, (2.) Combined positive and negative politeness in the form of blame, goal and summary, and (3.) Solidarity strategies in the form of plan, general wish and mentioning the name.