AN ANALYSIS OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE ON THE LYRICS OF WESTLIFE’S SELECTED SONGS

Keywords: Analysis, Figurative Language, lyrics, and Westlife songs. Figurative language is a collection of poetic devise which provoke imagery, or making of mental pictures. There are some categories in figurative language those have been made by some experts. Figurative language usually uses to make a lyric of song more interesting and unique. The formulations of the research problem were: 1) What kinds of figurative language used in selected lyrics of Westlife songs?, 2) What are the general meanings of lyrics on the Westlife’s selected songs?, 3) What are the messages in every Westlife’s selected song’s lyrics? The purpose of this study were to: 1) To know the kinds of figurative language used in selected lyrics of Westlife song, 2) To know the general meaning of lyrics on the Westlife’s selected songs, 3) To know the messages of lyrics on the Westlife’s selected songs.This research is designed to identify some figurative language by understanding the general meaning when they are used in the lyrics of songs. The technique of descriptive analysis offered to analyze data by reading the data, then identifying the figurative language used in the lyrics of song. After identifying some figurative language the researcher categorizes them into some kinds of figurative languages. Then, the researcher studies the general meaning of figurative language by identifying the lexical meaning and contextual meaning of the four selected the lyrics of song. Based on research finding, the writer found some figurative languages in the Westlife’s selected songs. We can know that most of figurative language which used in lyrics of Westlife’s selected songs is “Hyperbole” that has a great exaggeration used to emphasize a point, and is used for expressive or comic effect. For example, in lyric “I’m holding a fortune” and “That heaven has given to me” that give impossible to do by human being but the using figure (hyperbole) to make the lyric more interesting to listen. In determining the meaning we have to know what to say of the authors. Pateda (2001: 81) explains that the meaning of language is also a variety when viewed from different point of view. From the researcher point of view, the meaning contained from the example above is that heaven has given to me. In the semantic meaning of the above can be classified into the connotative meaning. Each lyric is written certainly does have a message directed to the listener and the readers. The message is directed with the intention that they get the impression after listening and reading the lyric. Based on the theory, “message is things to be conveyed to the listener and the reader by the singer through his songs”. So, the message contained in Westlife’s lyrics indirectly conveyed to the listener and the reader through the lyrics they wrote. We can find the message of the lyrics after we know the meaning contained. The lyrics of Westlife’s selected songs try to tell us about human social life which contained about love, sadness, happiness, spirit and others. In lyrics of Westlife’s selected songs that contain figurative language is helpful in understanding the song. The existence of figurative language is not to complicate the understanding of lyrics but to simplify and to clear the understanding of lyrics. Song is very suitable for the English Learner who wants to improve their English skills in analyze lyrics that contain figurative language. From the explanation above can be concluded that in analyze lyrics besides find figurative language in lyrics, we can also understand the meaning of song that contain figurative language, and message of the song