The Speech Act Analysis of Commissive Utterances in Zootopia Movie

Ichsanira Purwandari
English Education Study Program of PGRI University Yogyakarta
Ichsanira5595@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This research aims at analizing speech act form on commissive utterances

in zootopia movie, and find the speaker’s intention by saying that utterance. The
type of this research is descriptive qualitative research. The object of this study is
commissive utterance in Zootopia movie. The data were collected by using three
steps, first the writer read the movie manuscript, then the writer selected the
commissive utterances in Zootopia movie by underlined the dialogues which
contain commissive utterances then collected them, after that classified the
utterances according to the speech act. The last step is analize the speaker’s
intention by saying it. The collected data were analized by using speech act theory
by J.L. Austin. The results were classifications of the commissive utterances into
locution, illocution, and perlocution, also the explanation about the speaker’s
intention by saying commissive utterances in Zootopia movie.
Keywords : commissive utterance, speech act

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

One of the important points in the study of language is language function.

The function of language relates with the speaker’s intention and the listener’s
response during communication. It can be found on the dialogue of movie.

Movie is a kind of entertainment that easily can be found in this world.

Communications always occur in movie. It happens among the characters on the
movie. The purpose of communication is to say utterance and it will be accepted
by the listener. During communication, we can find some speech act.
 On a movie, it can be found some utterances used in the theory of speech
acts that commit a speaker to a course of action. These include promises, threats,
and vows. It is called commissive. Commissive verbs are illustrated by agree, ask,
offer, refuse, swear, all with following infinitive. They are prospective and
concerned with the speaker’s commitment to the future action.

The writer finds phenomena dealing with commissive utterances in the

Zootopia movie. In this script, the writer finds some conversation in commissive
utterances with its situational context.

This research focuses on the commissive utterances that used on Zootopia

movie. The writer will analyse the utterances in the movie’s dialogue based on
speech act theory by J.L. Austin.

1.2 Previous Research

To prove the originality of this study, the writer presents the previous
studies that have been conducted :

1. The research has written by Muslihatun Nidak entitled “A Pragmatic

Analysis Of Commissive Utterance In The Wizard Of Oz Movie Manuscript’’.
She explained the forms of commissive utterances in The Wizard of Oz movie
and showed the implicatures.

As the result, conventional implicature which implies promise is the most

speaker used addressee towards the hearer. The politeness pattern of commissive
utterances found in The Wizard of Oz movie manuscript, there are four types of
politeness strategy; those are bald on record pattern, positive politeness, negative
politeness, and the data in off-record pattern . Commissive utterances in positive
politeness pattern are the most speaker used addresses towards the hearer.

Benefit that the writer got from that research is know more about
commissive utterance and its implicature. It also give the writer more reference.
 2. The research has done by Sovia Rahmawati. She conducted a research
entitled “A Pragmatic Analysis Of Commissive Utterances On Toy Story Movie
Manuscript And Its Subtitle’’. The research aims at classifying the variations of
form of commissive utterances, describing the equivalence of the implicature of
commissive utterances, and describing the equivalence of the politeness pattern of
commissive utterances in the Toy Story movie manuscipt and its subtitled.

The research of the study shows that the variations of form of commissive
utterances are: declarative, imperative, and interrogative. While the sentences
form variations there are: simple sentence is subtitled into simple sentence, simple
sentence into compound, complex sentence into complex sentence, complex
sentence into simple sentence, compound sentence into compound and simple
sentence into imperative. The implicatures of commissive utterance found are
conventional and conversational. The conventional implicature contains promise,
offering, warning, threatening, volunteering, swearing and refusing. The
conversational implicature contains promise, offering, warning, threatening,
swearing and refusing. The politeness pattern is divided into four kinds, they are:
bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off record strategy.

Benefit that the writer can get from that previous research are give more
knowledge about the method of collecting data and analize the commissive
utterances.

1.3. Motivation

The writer motivation on writing this research is study about pragmatics,

especially the speech act theory by J. L. Austin. The writer choose Zootopia
movie as an object because that movie is easy to analize and consist a lot of
utterances.
 1.4. Research Benefit

1. The research can be useful as a reference for the next research.

2. It can help to improve the reader’s knowledge about pragmatics,

utterances, and speech act

3. Give a contribution on linguistics field, especially in study of

pragmatics

2. Research Method

The type of this research is descriptive qualitative. The data were collected
by read the movie script of Zootopia movie and marked the utterances that consist
commissive utterances. After that the writer classified that utterances according to
the speech act, then analized the speaker’s intention by saying that commissive
utterances. Qualitative research method is a procedure of research which results
the data in words form and it does not form numerical as the result because the
data will be in the form of descriptions or written form as the result of qualitative
research.

The writer used that method because in this research, the writer described
any information by gathering the commissive utterances that were uttered by the
characters in Zootopia movie.

3. Discussion

3.1 Commissive Utterances

All utterances which are said by a speaker have meaning in its form. It
also has certain function in human communication. Sometimes, people deliver
utterances with intended meaning because what speaker says may be different
with what is intended by a speaker in his or her utterance. It is important for us to
be able to interprete what the speaker means in his words or sentences in order to
get the aims in the communication. Commissives is kind of utterance that commit
the speaker to some future action such as promise, vow, offer, contract, and
threaten.

3.2 Speech Act

According to the speech act theory by J. L. Austin we can do something by

saying some words. There are three types of speech act :

1. Locutionary act ( the act of saying something )

The speaker’s intention on saying utterance that consist speech act is want to
tell information.

2. Illocutionary act ( the act of doing something)

The speaker’s intention on saying that utterance is want something be done by

the listener.

3. Perlocutionary act ( the act of affecting someone )

Utterance that consist perlocutionary act is kind of utterance that affect to

someone.

3.3 Data Analysis

This part will explain the analysis of the data that the writer got from
Zootopia movie. The data are commissive utterances that have said by Judy
Hopps, the main character of this movie. Form of the data will be classification of
speech act based on J. L. Austin’s theory and elaboration of the speaker’s
intention by saying that utterances. The form of commissive utterance will be
typed on bold.

1. And I can make the world a better place, I am going to be a police

officer!
Utterance (1) was indicated as locutionary act. Judy Hopps inform to her
friends that she wants to be a police officer. According to her utterance, it
categorized as commissive utterance because she said what she wants to
do in the future.

2. Oh... [enthusiasm picks up again] Then I guess I'll have to be the first
one because I am gonna make the world a better place!

Utterance (2) classified into perlocutionary act because Judy Hopps wants
to affect her friends, that when she become a police officer, she will make
the world be a better place.

Her intention by saying that commissive utterance is make a promise to

her friends that she will be a good police officer, and able to make the
world be a better place.

3. I won't let you down. [quietly] This has been my dream since I was a
kid.

Utterance (3) is form of perlocutionary act. Judy Hopps wants her friend to
believe that she will not make any mistake as a police officer. According
to commissive utterance, her intention is promise to her friend that she will
be good because that job was her dream since she was a kid.

4. Judy Hopps: A hundred tickets, I'm not gonna write a hundred

tickets. I'm gonna write two-hundred tickets! Before noon!

Utterance (4) is form of locutionary act because by saying that utterance,

she wants to give an information about how many tickets she will write
and her deadline. According to the commissive utterance, her intention is
commit to herself that she will write two hundred tickets before noon.
5. Oh thank you so much, I'd appreciate that more than you can
imagine, it'd be such an - [Judy sees Yax's rear end, showing that he's
completely naked; she covers her eyes] OHHHH, you are naked!

Utterance (5) is the form of perlocution, because she wants to affect Yax’s
to believe her that she will appreciate his help, so he will not regret after
help Judy. The intention of that commissive utterance is a commitment
and promise that she will appreciate Yax’s help.

6. Yep. So, uh, you just open the door and tell us what you know, and
we will tell you what we know. Okay?

Utterance (6) is the form of illocution, because by saying that utterance,

Judy wants Mr. Manchas to open the door and tell her everything he
knows about the case. It also form of perlocution because she wants to
affect Mr. Manchas to believe her that she is on the same side.

According to the commissive utterance, her intention by saying that

utterance is inform what she will do and make a promise to Mr. Manchas
that she will tell him everything she knows.

7. See? That's the beauty of complacency, Jude. If you don't try anything
new, you'll never fail!

Utterance (7) is the form of perlocution act because when saying that
utterance Stuart Hopps want to affect Judy’s mind to give up on chasing
her dreams and believe that it is impossible for a rabbit be a police officer.

8. Good one. Yeah. Just call me if you ever need anything, okay?
You've always got a friend at City Hall, Judy. Alright. Bye-bye!

Utterance (8) the Bellwether’s intention on saying that utterance is let Judy
call her if Judy need some helps from the City Hall. So, one day Judy will
call her.
 9. Sorry, what I said was "NOOOO!" She will not be giving you that
badge. [Chief Bogo grunts irritate-ply] Look, you gave her a... a clown
vest, a three-wheeled joke-mobile, and two days to solve a case you guys
haven't cracked in two weeks?

Utterance (9) is the form of illocution because by saying that utterance

Nick Wilde wants to protect Judy and prohibit her to give her badge to
Chef Bogo.

10. I, Nicholas Wilde, promise to be brave, loyal, helpful and

trustworthy!

Utterance (10) is the form of commissive utterance that contain

perlocution because when saying that utterance, Nick’s intention is want to
make the people believe that he is a brave, loyal, and trustworthy fox.

4. Result

After take several examples from commissive utterance that have been
said by the characters on Zootopia movie and conducted an analysis on
commissive utterances that found on Zootopia movie, the writer can conclude that
every utterance have aims. According to pragmatic, especially speech act theory
by J. L. Austin, people can do something with saying some words. It shown from
the speech act analysis that an utterance unfortunately can have a different
meaning.

The sample of the commissive utterances that have taken from Zootopia
movie also have special intention. The speaker saying that utterances in order to
promise and say what she will do in the future.
5. References

Austin, J.L.1962. How to Do Things with Words. New York: Oxford University

Press.

Hatmini, Anis Tri. 2008. A Pragmatic Analysis of Commissive Utterances in

English Translation of Prophetic Tradition Related by “Bukhori”.
Surakarta: Muhammadiyah University

Wray, Allison. 1998. Project in Lingustics. New York: Oxford University Press.

Yule, George.1996. Pragmatics. Oxford :University press.