Argumentative characteristics of Indonesian-English debaters in Indonesian Varsities English Debate (IVED) 2009

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes the characteristics of people argumentation in debate. Debate may be used by individual to reach a decision in his own mind, or it may be used by an individual or a group seeking to secure a decision others. To make a good argumentation, there five characteristics which should be fulfilled by the debaters or speaker, those are 1) an argumentation should introduce and explore the issue and case, 2) an argumentation should offer reasons and supports for the reason, 3) an argumentation should refute opposing argument, 4) if an opponent does have a valid point, concede the point, 5) the conclusion should logically follow from the argument. If the debaters or speakers can follow these characteristics, automatically the speaker can defend their argument and convince others. The purposes of this research are to describe the characteristics of argumentation Indonesian debaters and the consistency of each speaker in running their role of each speaker in the debate.

This research uses the descriptive qualitative method. The data are taken from the debate competition in the Indonesian varsities English debate (IVED) 2009 which was conducted in Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta. The data come from the great groups, the affirmative team is from Soedirman University and the negative team is State University of Malang under the title THBT (This House Believe That) social networking website should be free from politic.

The findings show that the 1st affirmative speaker does not give clear indication of defining the case and weak arguments. Moreover, the 2nd affirmative speaker also does not give reliable refutation, but, he or she gives the strong reason. To make all the argumentations stronger, the 3rd affirmative speaker gives general refutation and conclusion. In the negative team, the 1st negative speaker has the same perspective of the case with the 1st affirmative speaker, but 1st negative speaker gives clear definition of the term. The 2nd negative speaker also gives reliable refutation and strong reason, moreover the 3rd negative speaker gives general refutation and weak conclusion.

There is still much linguistic uniqueness in the debate. This research focuses on the characteristics of argumentation made by each speaker. For the next researchers, they can concern in other language expressions, such as the function of argumentation in the hierarchy institution (Goodwin and Goodwin) or types of argumentation provided by each speaker in the debate (Marie & Jeanne theory,2004).