AN ANALYSIS OF LANGUAGE CHOICE USED

BY
STUDENTS OF ENGLISH DEPARTMENT OF MUSAMUS UNIVERSITY OF
MERAUKE

BY
ROFIATUL ISLAMIYAH
NPM 2010 88 203 044

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION FACULTY
MUSAMUS UNIVERSITY
MERAUKE
2015

CHAPTER I

A. Background Of The Research

Sociolinguistic is the study of the way language is affected by differences in social class,
region, sex, etc. Sociolinguistic is the study of how people use language in their everyday lives.
Sociolinguistics looks at how identities are manifested through the words we use and how,
through language, we (intentionally or unintentionally) create, maintain, and disrupt relationships
with others. Sociolinguistics is concerned with language in social and cultural context, especially
how people with different social identities (e.g. gender, age, race, ethnicity, class) speak and how
their speech changes in different situations. Some of the issues addressed are how features of
dialects (ways of pronouncing words, choice of words, patterns of words) cluster together to
form personal styles of speech; why people from different communities or cultures can
misunderstand what is meant, said and done based on the different ways they use language.
Sociolinguistics encompasses a range of methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative.
Sociolinguistics is that part of linguistics which is concerned with language as a social
and cultural phenomenon. It investigates the field of language and society & has close
connections with the social sciences, especially social psychology, anthropology, human
geography and sociology (P.Trudgill, 1974:32)
Sociolinguistics is that branch of linguistics which studies just those properties of
language and languages which REQUIRE reference to social, including contextual, factors in
their explanation (Wm. Downes, 1984:15)
The sociolinguists aim is to move towards a theory which provides a motivated account
of the way language is used in a community, and of the choices people make when they use
language (Janet Holmes, 1992:16)

Language is the system of communication in speech and writing that is used by people of
particular country or area. Language is the system of words or signs that people use to express
thoughts and feelings to each other.
According Keraf in Smarapradhipa (2005:1), providing two language understanding. The
first notion of language as stated means of communication between members of the public in the
form of a symbol of the sound produced by means of said human. Second, language is a
communication system that uses symbols vocal (speech sound) which are arbitrary.
According to Santoso (1990:1), language is a series of sound produced by said means of a
conscious human being.
Another definition, language is a system of symbols that are meaningful and articulate
sound (generated by said tool) which are arbitrary and conventional, which is used as a means of
communicating by a group of human beings to give birth to feelings and thoughts (Wibowo,
2001:3).
The term Language Choice refers to an individual who can speak more than one
language. Thus, their Language Choice is the language that they choose to use the majority or the
time. Essentially, a person's choice language is known as their primary language.
Talk about the language choice, the first thing that comes to mind us
is the "whole language" that exist in a community, or in person. We imagine the people who
master two or three languages and must choose one language when he talks. There are three
types of choice of languages that can be known in the study of sociolinguistics. First of code
(code switching), mixed code (mixing code) and the variation of the same language (whitin the
language variation).
Age is a biological fact that characteristics implicated in various social organizations and
various regulations, such as the rules of school age, driving licenses, voting rights in elections,
military service, juvenile justice, or special treatment in the elderly. Speech is also one of the

characteristics that can reveal the age assessment and distinguish one age group to the other age
groups.
Age is the factor that is most easily observed from the relationship between language and
age. In Indonesian language we know that there are a lot of vocabulary used slang language is
sometimes not understood by parents. We can also feel the difference the group diction
childhood with adolescents when they speak.
So researcher thinks, the students should know about language choice because ages
distinguish language. When we speak to older people or lecturer we should use polite language.
We know the students in modern era almost cannot to distinguish when they talk to friends,
parents, lecture or teacher. They use same language like talk to friends or to younger.
Based on the above theories, this paper will analyze language choice in English
Department of Musamus University of Merauke, because the students almost use slang language
to lecture. They assume the lectures is friends so they use same language when they talk to
friends.

B. Statement of the Research

Based on the background of the research above, language choice in English Department
of Musamus University of Merauke.
C. Objective of the Research

Based on the statement of the research the purpose is to find the language choice in
English Department of Musamus University of Merauke.
D. Benefit of The Research
1. This research aims to know the language choice in English Department of Musamus
University of Merauke.
2. This research can give the knowledge about language choice for the students.
3. Delivery to the reader good ways for talk to friend, parents, lecturer or teacher and society.