An analysis on the speech styles used by the main characters in Thomas Hardy's 'The Woodlanders'

Language is a universal human property. It is said to be a means of communication. Through language, people can express their feelings, emotions, and thoughts to others. As Lehmann ( 1983: 1) states that language provide the means for us to take our place in society, to express our wants and convey information, to learn about the people and the world around us. Language can be used orally and literally. Language that is used literally is the written language. This statement is confirmed by Kennedy (1991: 1) who says that literature is about all that is written. Poem, play, short story, and novel are parts of literature. In this thesis, the writer focuses her analysis on novel. "A novel is a book length story in prose, whose author tries to create the sense that, while we read, we experience actual life (Kennedy, 1991: 180). In a novel, there are many characters with various social backgrounds, that results in a various language styles. Based on this fact, the writer of this thesis wants to analyze the main characters' language as found in Thomas Hardy's 'The Woodlanders'. In this study, the writer. focuses her analysis on: ( 1) the kind of speech styles used by the main characters in the novel, and considering the influence of social factors in the main characters' choice of speech styles, the writer analyzes (2) the social factors determining the main characters to use a certain speech styles. The theories underlying this thesis are the theory of speech styles, such as frozen style, formal style, consultative style, casual style, and intimate style; and the social factors that play an important role in determining the using of a certain speech style, namely the participants, the setting, the topic, and the social dimension of the participants, namely solidarity - social distance, status, formality of the situation, and the refferential and affective function of the interaction. Using the content analysis, the writer tries to identify and analyse the main characters' language through their dialogues. After analysing the content of the novel, the writer finds out that the main characters use formal to intimate style. The use of a certain speech styles is different based on the relationships that exist among them. There are six relationships in the novel: boss and employee, use formal and consultative style; friends, use casual style; strangers, use formal style; doctor and patient, use formal and consultative style; lovers, use intimate style; and husband and wife, use casual and intimate style. Those relationship can be concluded as social factors, and it is supported by the setting, and the topic of the interaction