Slang Words Clueless

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ADELINA SEKAR PUTRI
Student Number: 164214044
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA
YOGYAKARTA
2020
A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF SLANG USED

BY CHER HOROWITZ IN THE MOVIE CLUELESS
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ADELINA SEKAR PUTRI
Student Number: 164214044
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS
UNIVERSITAS SANATA DHARMA
YOGYAKARTA
2020
II
Don’t Get Stressed,

Do Your Best,
Forget the Rest.
VII
This thesis is dedicated
to myself
and
my parents
VIII
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
All praises be to Allah SWT, the Almighty and Merciful, the Great Creator
and the Lord of the Universe, who has mysteriously guided the writer in completing
the process of writing this thesis.
My deepest gratitude goes to my thesis advisors Dr. Fr. B. Alip, M.Pd., M.A.
and Anna Fitriati, S.Pd., M.Hum., and my preliminary thesis lecturer Arina Isti'anah,
S.Pd., M.Hum. Their valuable guidance and advise have helped me patch this
research. Their suggestions and instructions have served as the major contribution
towards the completion of my thesis especially during the dark days of the pandemic
quarantine life. I am thankful for their patience in allowing me to take my time to
complete this thesis and make it possible for me to graduate in time.
I would like to express my sincerest gratitude towards my parents and my
family for the endless support and prayers. I would not be where I am today without
their love, advice, encouragement and understanding throughout every stages and
obstacles of my education.
Lastly, I would like to also thank all my friends whose names could not all be
mentioned. They have been there in every stages of the way and for the endless boost
during my indolence. I am forever grateful for their existence in my life. They have
been such a blessing to me.
Sincerely,
Adelina Sekar Putri
IX
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE...............................................................................................................ii
APPROVAL PAGE....................................................................................................iii
ACCEPTANCE PAGE..............................................................................................iv
STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY...........................................................................v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH...................................................................................vi
MOTTO......................................................................................................................vii
DEDICATION PAGE..............................................................................................viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................x
LIST OF ABBREVIATION.....................................................................................xii
LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................xiii
ABSTRACT..............................................................................................................xiv
ABSTRAK...................................................................................................................xv
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION...............................................................................1
A. Background of the Study......................................................................................1
B. Problem Formulation...........................................................................................5
C. Objectives of the Study........................................................................................5
D. Definition of Terms..............................................................................................5
CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE...........................................................7

A. Review of Related Studies...................................................................................7
B. Review of Related Theories...............................................................................10
1. Sociolinguistics............................................................................................11
2. Literal and Contextual Meaning...................................................................12
3. Language Variation......................................................................................12
4. Slang.............................................................................................................14
a. Social Factors.........................................................................................15
b. Social Dimension...................................................................................16
5. Functions of Slang........................................................................................17
C. Theoretical Framework......................................................................................19
X
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY.........................................................................21

A. Object of the Study..........................................................................................21
B. Approach of the Study.....................................................................................22
C. Method of the Study........................................................................................23
1. Data Collection..........................................................................................23
2. Data Analysis.............................................................................................24
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS.............................28

A. The Contextual Meaning of Slang Words Uttered by Cher Horowitz............30
1. Contextual Meaning of Newly Created Slang Words in Clueless.............31
2. Contextual Meaning of Newly Interpreted Slang Words in Clueless.......37
B. The Function of Slang Words Uttered by Cher Horowitz in Clueless Movie.43
1. Pursuit of Self-identity...............................................................................44
2. Emotive Feeling of Slang Users................................................................49
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION.................................................................................55
REFERENCES...........................................................................................................58
APPENDIX.................................................................................................................60
XI
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
NCS : Newly Created Slang

NIS : Newly Interpreted
Slang PSI : Pursuit of
Self-identity
EF : Emotive Feeling of Slang
User AP : Achieving Politeness
XII
LIST OF TABLES
No. Table Page
1 Table 1 – Display of Contextual Meaning Analysis 26

2 Table 2 – Display of Function for Using Slang Words 27
3 Table 3 – The Summary of Slang Words Uttered by Cher Horowitz 28
4 Table 4 – Contextual Meaning of Newly Created Slang in Clueless 31
5 Table 5 – Contextual Meaning of Newly Interpreted Slang in Clueless 37
6 Table 6 – Function for Using Slang Words by Cher Horowitz 44
XIII
ABSTRACT
PUTRI, ADELINA SEKAR (2020). A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF

SLANG USED BY CHER HOROWITZ IN THE MOVIE CLUELESS.
Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Universitas Sanata
Dharma.
Language is a tool to express feeling and emotion. It is also a system of
communication among individuals. Many forms of languages are found in the
society, it can be informal or formal languages. Slang is an informal style of speech
used by the member of a certain community, commonly by teenagers. Slang consists
of words or phrases that are used instead of more everyday terms among younger
speakers and other groups with special interest. The understanding of meaning of the
slang words is needed to maintain smooth communication with others. Slang language
is used in many forms of media, such as in Amy Heckerling’s romantic comedy film
called Clueless.
This research focused only to analyze the slang words uttered by the main
character, Cher Horowitz. There were two problems formulated in this research. The
first problem was to determine the contextual meaning of the slang words uttered by
Cher Horowitz. While the second problem was to identify the function of the slang
words found in the movie Clueless.
The data of this research were examined using sociolinguistics approach in
terms of analyzing the slang words. To collect the data, the researcher used
population study method. However, the researcher only chose the slang words uttered
by Cher Horowitz with the total number of 29 instead of overall slang words found in
the movie. The data of this research were collected by watching and reading the
movie screenplay as well as following the movie script. After the slang words were
gathered, they were analyzed using the theory of social factors by Holmes (2013) and
the function of using slang words are determined by using Zhou & Fan’s theory
(2013).
The result showed the social factors affecting the different contextual meaning
of slang word is based on the social relation of participant, setting (social context of
interaction), and the topic of discussion. This study also found that slang words are
mainly used between participants who have intimate relationship. In addition, the
usage of slang words in general is not randomly chosen but there are social functions
to it such as pursuit of self-identity and emotive feelings of the slang users.
Keywords: language, slang and sociolinguistics
XIV
ABSTRAK
PUTRI, ADELINA SEKAR (2020). A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF

SLANG USED BY CHER HOROWITZ IN THE MOVIE CLUELESS.
Yogyakarta: Departemen Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Bahasa adalah alat untuk mengekspresikan perasaan dan emosi. Ini juga
merupakan sistem komunikasi antar individu. Banyak bentuk bahasa ditemukan di
masyarakat, bisa bahasa informal atau formal. Slang adalah gaya bicara informal
yang digunakan oleh anggota komunitas tertentu, umumnya oleh remaja. Slang
mengandung kata atau frasa yang digunakan alih-alih istilah sehari-hari di antara
penutur yang lebih muda dan kelompok lain dengan minat khusus. Pemahaman
makna kata slang diperlukan untuk menjaga komunikasi yang lancar dengan orang
lain. Bahasa slang digunakan dalam banyak bentuk media, yaitu seperti dalam film
komedi romantis Amy Heckerling berjudul Clueless.
Penelitian ini difokuskan hanya untuk menganalisis kata-kata slang yang
diucapkan oleh karakter utama, Cher Horowitz. Ada dua masalah yang dirumuskan
dalam penelitian ini. Masalah pertama adalah menentukan makna kontektual dari
kata- kata slang yang diucapkan oleh Cher Horowitz. Sedangkan masalah kedua
adalah mengidentifikasi fungsi kata-kata slang yang ditemukan dalam film Clueless.
Data penelitian ini diperiksa dengan menggunakan pendekatan sosiolinguistik
dalam hal menganalisis kata-kata slang. Untuk mengumpulkan data, peneliti
menggunakan metode studi populasi. Namun, peneliti hanya memilih kata-kata slang
yang diucapkan oleh Cher Horowitz dengan jumlah total 29 bukannya kata-kata slang
keseluruhan yang ditemukan dalam film. Data penelitian ini dikumpulkan dengan
menonton dan membaca skenario film serta mengikuti naskah film. Setelah kata-kata
slang dikumpulkan, mereka dianalisis menggunakan teori faktor sosial oleh Holmes
(2013) dan fungsi menggunakan kata-kata slang ditentukan dengan menggunakan
teori Zhou & Fan (2013).
Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa faktor sosial yang mempengaruhi
perbedaan makna kontekstual kata slang didasarkan pada hubungan sosial partisipan,
latar (konteks sosial interaksi), dan topik diskusi. Penelitian ini juga menemukan
bahwa kata-kata slang terutama digunakan antara partisipan yang memiliki hubungan
intim. Selain itu, penggunaan kata-kata slang secara umum tidak dipilih secara acak
tetapi ada fungsi sosial untuk itu seperti mengejar identitas diri dan perasaan emotif
dari pengguna slang.
Kata kunci: bahasa, slang dan sosiolinguistik
XV
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Humans are social beings. Therefore, humans need others to interact. The
interaction between human beings requires communication called language. The use
of language allows individuals to communicate openly and to make sure it is easily
understood by others. On the other hand, as they are communicating, they also
establish and maintain a social relationship with each other.
Language is a tool that can be used to express the culture of the users. To be
exact, language can deliver ideas more accurately and helps to bind the good
relationship between users with the society. User of language can earn and transmit
either knowledge or ideas to others. This is supported by Chaturvedi’s definition of
language, which is
a tool to communicate, feel, elaborate and express thoughts, feelings and

actions. Language surround us defines our personality, determines our social
behavior, supports our societal system, indicates out thoughts and feelings
and provides us a platform to share our ideas, co-operate and refine our
development process (Chaturvedi, 2014).
Therefore, as Chaturvedi mentions in the above quotation, language and society are
related to one another. Generally, the term used for the study of the relationship
between language and society is called sociolinguistics. In addition, Trudgill (2000)
mentions that through a social point of view there are two aspects of language
behavior
1
which are very significant. The first is how language functions in establishing a social
relationship; and secondly the role of language to convey information about the
speaker. Both aspects of linguistics behaviors are reflections of a close inter-
relationship between language and society (p. 2).
Language is thus a product of active human consciousness working in well-
defined social groups. Society and language are easily identified by each other and
are quite interdependent. Each society builds its own language according to its
specific requirements and language in return affect society and paves the way for
change in future society. Change in language is often marked by change and
development of the social and cultural atmosphere in which language changes appear
slowly but surely (Chaturvedi, 2014). However, according to Trudgill, there are two
aspects in which language behavior is important through a social point of view. The
first is the function of language in establishing social relationships, and the second is
the role played by language in conveying information about the speaker (2000, p. 2).
In the study of language, it can be seen there are various languages in
society. Nevertheless, there is an idealized variety of language which exists for most
people as the accepted version of the official language in their community, this is
called standard language. According to Yule, like Standard English, the version is
believed to be used widely in the mass media and is taught in most schools. It is
clearly associated with education and broadcasting in public contexts (2006, p. 194).
On the other hand, there is also Non-standard which is used in situations other than
the formal situation and usually spoken by the uneducated of the society, one of them
is slang.
The status of slang being an informal language is mainly used by teenagers to
establish group identity and exclude outsiders. Slang is the diction that results from
the game among the young and lively of playing with words and renaming things and
actions; some invent new words or mutilate or misapply the old, for the pleasure of
novelty, and others catch up such words for the pleasure of being in the fashion (Zhou
& Fan, 2013, p. 2210). Slang describes words or phrases that are used instead of more
everyday terms among younger speakers and other groups with special interest.
According to Eble (1996) there are some general effects of using slang that
distinguish it from other types of vocabulary such as slang identifies members of a
group, slang changes the level of discourse in the direction of informality, and slang
opposes established authority.
During this modern era, slang language keeps involving within youngster
conversation and has made its way to numerous forms of media. The television, cell
phone, internet and daily conversation are some of the media where youngster used
slang language. Movie becomes one of the most effective media that keeps offering
the newest slang language, it is used to acknowledge and learn slang language. By
watching movies and through the storyline of it, the viewers are able to gain many
advantages such as in the form of entertainment, information, knowledge and most
probably life lessons. The story of a movie is categorized into two parts: the dialogues
and the narration. Movie is a complex form of art; it is due to the language used as the
main element to convey the messages to the audience. However, some expressions
are difficult to transfer into another language because they are peculiar to that
language.
The viewers who are not familiar with slang expressions will find it difficult to
extract the information, the message and even just to enjoy the movie itself.
Slang expressions are widely used in many artworks, such as songs and
movies. As mentioned before that the status of slang being an informal language
mainly used by teenagers, it is without a doubt that slang can be found in many teen
movie genres. The understanding of meaning of the slang word is needed to maintain
smooth communication with others, especially in a movie the meaning of the slang
word is needed in order to understand the context of the conversation.
Clueless becomes one of the movies which use slang expressions instead of
everyday language in order to express teenage life during the ’90s. Clueless centers
Cher Horowitz and her best friend Dionne, two of the most popular sophomores in
their school. They play matchmakers for two of their teachers, which eventually
succeeded. Inspired by her success, Cher takes under her wings a clueless transfer
student named Tai. The three of them become the best of friends. While trying to find
Tai a boyfriend, Cher attempts to find one of her own. However, she undertakes a
rocky road to maturity till she finally finds her perfect one. Besides its popularity
among the teenager in that era, the researcher chose “Clueless” as the object of the
study as it contains a significant number of slang words in the script.

B. Problem Formulation
There are two problems that are formulated in this study as follows:
1. What are the contextual meanings of slang words used by Cher Horowitz in
the movie Clueless?
2. What are the functions of the slang words used by Cher Horowitz in the movie?
C. Objectives of the Study
This study is conducted in order to answer the two problems mentioned
previously in the problem formulation. The first step is to analyze the slang words
used by Cher Horowitz in the movie Clueless. After the slang words are gathered the
first problem is to identify the contextual meanings of slang words used in the movie
by paying attention to the social factors. Lastly, the researcher examines the functions
of using slang words by watching the movie and identifying the slang words
supported by the script.
D. Definition of Terms
In order to determine the findings of this research related to slang words found
in the movie Clueless, the writer would like to point out few definitions such as
sociolinguistics and slang in this research.
This study applies Holmes’ theory of sociolinguistics (2013, p. 2).
Sociolinguistics is defined as a study related with the relationship of language and

society. Based on Holmes’ theory it concerned with identifying the social functions of
language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning.
Slang is an ever-changing set of colloquial words and phrases that the
speakers use to establish or reinforce social identity or cohesiveness within a group or
with a trend or fashion in society at large (Eble, 1996). In addition, in its earliest
occurrences in the eighteenth century, slang itself referred to the specialized
vocabulary of the underworld group. Meanwhile, another definition of slang is by
Walter (2004), he defines slang as words used in very informal conversation,
unsuitable for the formal situation.

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
In this chapter, there are three parts explained by the researcher. The first is
review of related studies. In this specific part, the researcher discusses similar studies
that are done by other researchers. The second part contains a review of related
theories, these are the theories that will be used to discuss this study. Lastly, in the
theoretical framework, the researcher explains the contribution of each theory and
review in solving the problems of the study.
A. Review of Related Studies
The first related study reviewed in this chapter is by Rizky (2018) entitled
“The Functions of Slang Word by the Main and Minor Characters in Mad about
Millie Vol. 1 and Deadpool vs Old Man Logan Comic Books”. In her thesis, she
analyzed the contextual meaning of slang words and their functions in Mad About
Millie Vol. 1 and Deadpool vs Old Man Logan Comic Books by using sociolinguistic
approach. The two comic books were related to younger speakers in the society with a
completely different theme, which is humor and superhero. However, the researcher
only analyzed and collected the slang words used by the main and minor characters in
each of the comic books. In order to analyze the contextual meaning, first, the
researcher determined the meaning from the social factor analyzed from Holmes
(2013). The social factor refered to the topic of the conversation and the participants
involved in it. The participants
7
were classified into two which are characters with intimate relationships and
characters with a formal relationship. While the topics of the conversation found in
the Mad about Millie Vol. 1 comic book are photo schedule, asking for taking to
home and packing, appearance, getting annoyed, the enjoyment of music, startled
moment, giving a compliment, making a promise and dancing. The second problem
of the study was to find the function of slang words in the two comic books, which
are achieving politeness and emotive feeling.
While comparing Rizky’s study and this study, the writer found some
similarities and differences. The first similarity of both studies layed on the use of
sociolinguistic approach to solve the problem formulations. In addition, both studies
focused on finding the contextual meaning and their function of slang words. Apart
from that, the difference lies on the object of the study. Rizky’s study used two
different comic books as her object while this study used movie as its object.
In the second study by Pratama, entitled “A Study of Meanings and Functions
of Long Beach Slang in Freedom Writers Movie” (2015), her research covered slang,
especially long beach slang. The researcher analyzed the slang formation processes of
the word and phase. The researcher also analyzed the function of slang words based
on Freedom Writers movie. In her study, she found many slangs that are categorized
into word level and phrase level. In word levels, the slang words are homey, yo, pops,
nigga, dawgs, dealio, peanuts, gals, cool smoke, and ma. On the other hand, in
phrase-level there are homeboy, juvenile hall, Ghetto-ass, punk-ass, white boy,
dumbass, PO, Little Cambodia, The Ghetto, Wonder Bread Land, South of the
Border or Little Tijuana,

slanty-eyed bitch, Black Panthers, jump somebody in, Rum and Coke, Sparkling
Cider, Little midget-ass punks, homegirl and hook-up. In Freedom Writers movie,
these slang words are used particularly to show Afro-American’s individuality and to
signal their group membership. Slangs were also created and influenced by historical
culture.
The similarity between Pratama’s study and this study is seen from the
objectives. Both studies have the same problem related with meaning and function of
slang words. In comparison to Pratama’s study, this study is different in a way of the
type of slang found from the object. Pratama focused more on the long beach slang
while this study aims to analyze all the slang words uttered by the main character of
the movie.
The third related study is a journal article conducted by Yuliana (2015). Her
study focused on the “Analysis of American Slang in Movie Laugh of Loud” and by
the end of her study, she aimed to classify slang word found in Laugh of Loud (LOL)
movie based on the characteristic using Andersson and Trudgill theory. In her
research, Yuliana used a qualitative descriptive method in which later on she divided
the slang word into four categories: the neutral syntactic level, typical of informal
situation, typical of spoken language and creative. From those categories, she found
35 words and phrases in total.
The journal article by Yuliana have some similarities with this study. The
similarities can be found in the type of object analyzed by both researchers, which are
movies. In addition, both studies centered their research on slang words found in
movies. However, there are differences between the two studies. First is the theory
used
10
by the researcher to give deeper understanding of the analysis. Second difference was
seen on the objectives of the study, Yuliana’s article aimed to analyze the
characteristic of slang words while on the other hand this study aims to determine the
function of using slang words.
The last similar study is a journal article by Rachmijati (2015) entitled “An
Analysis of the Slang Language used in the movie Juno”. It is a descriptive analysis
of how slang language is used among youngsters in the movie “Juno”. This specific
movie is a 2007 comedy-drama directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo
Cody. By the end of this study after analyzing the slangs mentioned in the movie,
Rachmijati concluded that slangs are closely related to crude; rude; and sexual
matters, therefore slang languages can only be used among close friends, relatives,
and acquaintances.
Rachmijati journal article contains some similarities and differences with
this study. Both studies have the same objectives of finding out the meaning of slang
words of the movie. While the difference lies on the title of the movie as the object of
study as well as the number of characters used to analyze the slang words. This study
only focuses on the main character which is Cher Horowitz while Rachmijati analyze
the slang words uttered by all characters included in the movie.
B. Review of Related Theories
There are four theories explained by the researcher in this chapter. These
theories are needed to help the researcher conduct this research. The first theory
explained is the theory of sociolinguistics, secondly the theory of literal and
contextual
11
meaning, then the theory of language variation, followed by the theory of slang, and
lastly the theory of the functions of slang.
1. Sociolinguistics
According to Wardhaugh (2010), sociolinguistics is concerned with
investigating the relationship between language and society with the goal being a
better understanding of the structure of language and of how languages function in
communication; the equivalent goal in the sociology of language is trying to discover
how social structure can be understood through the study of language (Wardhaugh,
2010). In addition Trudgill (2000) examines that in sociolinguistic, there is a close
inter-relationship between language and society. The role of language in conveying
speaker’s information has a meaning that people from different social and
geographical backgrounds are using different kinds of language.
Based on Holmes (2013), there are three social factors that become the basic
components in sociolinguistics explanation relating with the reason why people speak
differently and why they do not speak in the same way all the time. Those social
factors are participants, the setting or social context of the interaction, and the topic.
The participant has a function to see who is speaking and whom they are speaking to.
While in the setting or social context of the interaction people will find out where the
interaction takes place and on what occasion. Lastly, in the topic, people are able to
see what they are talking about.

12
2. Literal and Contextual Meaning
Recanati (2004) states that there are two level of interpretations onto
explaining meaning. The first is bottom level, this focuses on “what is said” which
stops in the literal meaning of the utterance, whereas the top level focuses on “what is
implied” this goes deep in it as it is to seek the implication of a word (p. 6).
According to Recanati, literal meaning is context-independent while contextual
meaning is context-dependent. Based on the statement, it can be concluded that
context plays an important role in defining meaning of a sentence.
Contextual meaning is the meaning of a lexeme or a word that depends on the
context. Pateda (2010) states that “contextual meaning or situational meaning appear
as a result of the relationship between speech and context” (p. 116). Meaning of a
word or sentences consider the relationship between speech and context. However,
context has several forms. The first form is person context, this include something
related to gender, position, age, social background of both speaker and listener.
Context of language means whether the language used is in accordance with the rules.
Context of object means what has become the object of conversation. Context of
mood includes the mood of the participants of conversation. Context of place is the
setting of place in which the conversation occurs.
3. Language Variation
According to Holmes’ theory (2013) the language we use in everyday
communication is remarkably varied. Variety is a sociolinguistic term referring to

13
language in context. The term variety is used by sociolinguists to refer to any set of
linguistic forms which patterns according to social factors. It is a broad term which
includes different accents, different linguistic styles, different dialects and different
languages which contrast with each other for social reasons (p. 6). Wardhaugh stated
that “in the use of language there is variation across speakers, such as reflections of
different ways that people speak in different regions or social groups, but also
variation within the speech of a single speaker. No one speaks the same way all the
time, and people constantly exploit variation within languages they speak for a wide
variety of purposes” (2015, p. 6). One factor effecting people to use variety of
language is social dialect.
The term dialect can also be used to describe differences in speech associated
with various social groups or classes. The definition of social dialect by Holmes
(2001) is the language that reflects the grouping of people based on social class and
economic class. In addition, a person’s dialect reflects his social background.
According to Wardhaugh, factors such as occupation, place of residence, education,
racial, cultural background, caste and religion appear to be related fairly directed to
how people speak. Social dialect originates among social groups and are related to a
variety of factors, the principal ones apparently being social class, religion, and race
or ethnicity (2015, p. 43). Social dialect is also correlated with other language
variations such as slang, jargon, and argot.

14
4. Slang
Slang is one of the language varieties found in everyday communication.
Slang is the informal language used between people in the same social group in
certain situations that begin to be used in a widespread way. “Slang describes words
or phrases that are used instead of everyday terms among younger speakers and other
groups with special interest” (Yule, 2006). Partridge mentions it is the diction that
results from the young playing with words and renaming things and actions; it can
appear like brand new word, or mutilate or misapply the old, for the pleasure of
novelty and other catch up such words for the pleasure of being in fashion (p. 2).
Slang contains many obscene and offensive words and phrases. It also has many
expressions that are acceptable in informal communication or situation. Slang is a
unique phenomenon that attracts society's attentions in this modern world.
Slang is commonly used by teenagers. It is used verbally and in writing such
as in social media and online messaging. Slang is not used merely as a means of self-
expression, it connotes personality, its coinage and circulation come rather from the
wish of the individual to distinguish himself by oddity (Partridge, p. 4). Slang has
many purposes such as persuading, unifying, separating, provoking, secrecy, and
identity. Using a language particular to your social group and time is part of
developing self- esteem, confidence and a sense of identity and belonging. Teenagers
are trying to find their way in the adult world and often feel most comfortable with
their peers. Having their own language helps them bond with other teens and build
confidence. Slang is an
15
aspect of social life and a symbol of group identity during a limited period of as early
as adolescence and it can grow old rather rapidly.
People in a society may speak some varieties of language in accordance with
different social situation they meet. When they speak, they should understand well
about the situation around. Slang changes its identity along with who the participants
are. Factors such as one’s educational, economic or social position, and even in
relation to the location and generation take great measure affecting what slang is to
one person but to another is different. Social factors become the basic component in
sociolinguistic explanations of why people speak differently based on the situation,
and why people don’t all speak the same way all of the time.
a. Social Factors
Holmes proposed a theory consists of the social factors relevant in accounting
for the particular variety used, in this case that variety refers to slang. In any situation,
linguistic choices generally indicate people’s awareness of the influence of one or
more of the social factors (2013, p. 9), which are broken down into:
i. The participant
Participant is person or individual involving in a speech event, it consists
of addresser, addressee and audience. Addresser is the speaker who
pronounces the utterance. On the other hand, addressee is a hearer who
receives the utterance. While audience is the large amount of hearer who
may contributed the specification of speech event.

16
ii. Setting
Setting refers to the social context of interaction between participants
which refers to the place of where an event or conversation takes place.
iii. Topic
The main organizing principle of a discussion between participants. It offers an occasion
for speaking or writing and a focus which governs the subject matter of the conversation.
b. Social Dimension
Holmes (2001) states when a member of community chooses to use language
variety, the speaker not only considers the domain of conversation but also the social
dimension of the participant involved. Social dimension has the function as an
indicator of the difference in social status between the speakers, and it is considered
as indicator of a situation in which language is used. In other words, social dimension
is the reflection of the purpose, topic, manner and mood of language used.
The social dimension includes social distance scale taking account that will be
a pattern of linguistic interaction. Social distance scale becomes an indicator of how
well someone knows the other, it become a relevant factor in linguistic choices. The
function of in-group language becomes a variety that used to signal the shared
identity of certain participants. It is used to show group difference, existence or
solidarity between the group members. In-group language also covers the use of
certain languages as the choices in the relation to social factors and social
dimension of
17
communication. The solidarity between speakers is measure based on the
relationship, an intimate relationship means there is high solidarity between the
speakers while distance relationship is when the speakers have low solidarity with
each other.
5. Functions of Slang
According to a theory by Zhou and Fan (2013), there are three interpersonal
functions of slang which to be exact the functions related to relationship or
communication between people. These functions are pursuit of self-identity, emotive
feeling of the slang users, and achieving politeness (p. 2212).
The first function is pursuit of self-identity. Slang is considered as the
symbol for dividing the professional groups in society, it is because different slang is
used within different social and professional groups. If somebody uses the words and
expressions within a certain social group, the person will blend with the group
members from mentality. An American scholar, P. Roberts once mentioned the
reason people constantly use slang is that they tend to show they are one of the
qualified members among a certain distinct group. For example, in a situation where a
student utters a sentence containing the special college slang, that student intends to
show that he is belonging to the inside of the teenager group (Zhou & Fan, 2013).
The second is emotive feeling of the slang users. Generally, the emotive
function exposes the speaker’s attitude towards the subject. It is one of the powerful
uses of language because it is so important in changing the emotional status of the
audience for or against someone or something. Psychologically, slang helps people

18
express their strong feeling such as group identification. When people use slang, they
want to show them against reality and set them free psychologically. Slang is not only
used for stressing group identity, but also for the psychological need for expressing
emotion, which is one of the basic functions of language as well (Zhou & Fan, 2013).
According to Zhou & Fan (2013) the third function is achieving politeness.
Three factors are affecting the manner of speaking or writing in communication
which are occasions (formal or informal), the addressee (age, gender, occupation, the
degree of familiarity) and the content of the conversation. The use of slang is
controlled by those three factors mentioned before. Either the use of slang in
unsuitable occasions or the use of slang not to the correct addressee may ruin the
relationship with the interlocutors. For example, when a young reporter is doing an
interview with the Indonesian President, but the reporter uses informal language
rather than formal language in a formal situation. This is considered as ruining the
relationship and rather disrespecting the addressee. Therefore, the suitable use of
slang effects a certain atmosphere and in maintaining social contacts. Slang is used to
maintain intimacy between the speaker and the people close to them.
Slang is frequently used in informal occasions and is of importance in serving
the phatic function. The phatic function in slang contributes in maintaining our
positive face. Phatic functions can be found in greetings, farewells, comments on
weather, etc. As with politeness in general, greetings can be analyzed within the
framework of theories of ‘face’. When making proper slangy greetings, friendly
atmosphere may be achieved for proceeding conversation with slangy greetings such
as “how’s it going?,
19
what’s up?, what’s happening”. These slangy greetings are used to give the speaker’s
intention in establishing a good relation and non-threatening atmosphere (Zhou &
Fan, 2013).
C. Theoretical Framework
In this section of the study, the writer discusses the importance of the theories
that will be used to give deeper understanding as well as answer the two problems
formulated. The two problem formulations created are “What are the contextual
meanings of slang words used by Cher Horowitz in the movie Clueless?” and “What
are the functions of the slang words used by Cher Horowitz in the movie?”
This study focuses on the analysis of slang words and the function by using
the sociolinguistic approach. The theory of sociolinguistics is a significant factor in
this study in giving deeper understanding related to language and society. This is
needed to help answer the first problem formulation related with finding out the
contextual meaning of the slang words used by Cher. Moreover, the theory of
sociolinguistics by Holmes (2013) consists of three social factors that contribute in
concluding the suitable meaning of the slang words. The social factors by Holmes are
participants, setting or social context of interaction and the topic. This is needed to
determine the difference in the way people talk and get the suitable meaning of the
slang words in The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and
Unconventional English (2013) as some slang words have more than one meaning in
the dictionary.
20
Once the contextual meaning of the slang words is found, the writer moves to
the second problem formulation. The theory of functions of slang by Zhou & Fan is
needed to answer the last problem formulation regarding the function of slang words
used by Cher Horowitz in the movie “Clueless”. The contextual meaning and the
theory of function is used together to strengthen the understating of the function of
the slang word usage. According to a theory by Zhou and Fan (2013), there are three
interpersonal functions of slang which to be exact the functions related to relationship
or communication between people. These functions are pursuit of self-identity,
emotive feeling of the slang users, and achieving politeness.

CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
The method of how the analysis was conducted is divided into three parts in
this chapter. First is the object of the study, this includes the object, or the data used
in the study. Second is the approach of the study, this represents the approaches used
to analyze the data that the researcher has collected. Third is the method of the study,
this shows the steps taken by the researcher to collect and analyze the data.
A. Object of the Study
The object of this study is the slang words used by Cher Horowitz in the
movie Clueless. The slang words are analyzed by watching the movie and the
identification is supported by the script. The researcher obtained the movie script
from www.imsdb.com, this specific website is chosen because it provides a complete
script
including the setting of place in the movie.
Clueless is an American high school romantic comedy film written and
directed by Amy Heckerling. It made the first debut in theaters on 19th July 1995 and
became a major box-office hit. The storyline is based on Jane Austen’s 1815 novel
“Emma”, with a modern-day setting of Beverly Hills. In a website review, Hunter
stated “Alicia Silverstone plays rich, spoiled, sweet-natured Cher, our guide into a
world where self- assured but likable brats try to makeover those with less-refines
tastes while struggling

21
22
down the always-rocky road to maturity” (Hunter, 2019). Clueless centers Cher
Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone), an attractive, wealthy and popular high school student.
At this time, slang expression is often used in Western movies such as in
Hollywood movies. Slang is used most heavily in movies related with adolescence
most often targeted at teenage audience. The writer chooses this movie as the object
of the study because this romance comedy genre movie became popular among
teenager at that time and possibly till now. Apart from that this movie also contain
large amount
of slang expression in it.
B. Approach of the Study
In order to examine the problem formulation in this study, which are related
to the meaning of the slang words and the reasons behind using those slang words,
this study applied sociolinguistic approach in analyzing the object of the study.
Sociolinguistic approach is used to give a deeper understanding and in solving the
two problems formulated concerning the slang words found among the main
characters in the movie Clueless.
Sociolinguistics is one of the linguistic fields which concerns with language
in social and cultural context, especially how people with different identities (e.g
gender, race, class, and age) speak as well as how their speech changes in different
situations. The statement previously is supported by Holmes’ theory in which the
expert explains why people speak differently in different social contexts and relating
the social functions of language to convey social meaning. The way people use
23
language in different social contexts provide a wealth of information about the way
language works, as well as the relationship in a community (p. 1). Thus, the focus of
this study will be on how an individual speaker uses slang language in the everyday
conversation. Therefore, through sociolinguistic approach and Holmes basic social
factors of social relationship between participants, setting of place and topic of
conversation can help the researcher to determine the contextual meaning of slang
words and its functions in Clueless movie based on the social factors.
C. Method of the Study
This part of the study is divided into two smaller sections, those which are
data collection and data analysis. Data collection covers how the writer collected the
data for this study while data analysis explains the steps taken by the writer to analyze
the data of this study.
1. Data Collection
In this study, the researcher analyzed the slang words used by Cher Horowitz
in Clueless movie. Slang expressions were obtained through conversation during
events and activities. Since the setting of Clueless is mainly at Bronson Alcott High
School and around Beverly Hills area, so the major subjects in this study were high
school students, parents, and teachers. The researcher collected the data of this
research by watching the movie, focusing on the English subtitles as well as
comparing it with the printed script. The researcher obtained the movie script from
www.imsdb.com. This
24
specific website is chosen because it provides a complete script including the setting
of place in the movie.
In this study, the researcher focused on the discussions of contextual meaning
and functions of slang words and the researcher aimed to analyze the slang words
factually. Moreover, the meaning and functions are determined by the factors
supporting the appearance of the slang words or in other hand what triggered Cher to
use the slang. Since the duration of the movie is 1 hour 34 minutes and there are a lot
of slang words that appeared, the researcher decided to only analyze those uttered by
Cher Horowitz. Under this circumstance, purposive sampling strategy was applied in
this study. Polite and Hungler (1999) define population as the totality of all subjects
that conform to a set of specifications, comprising the entire group of persons that is
of interest to the researcher and to whom the research results can be generalized (p.
232). In this case, the data being sampled for this research comes from a movie titled
Clueless. However, the researcher only chose the slang words uttered by Cher
Horowitz instead of overall slang words found in the movie. In other words, the
sample was not randomly chosen.
2. Data Analysis
The writer explained the slang expressions using primary and secondary
sources to define the meaning and functions of slang. The primary source is the
movie Clueless while the secondary source is the script of the movie as the
identification of
25
the slang words is supported by the movie as well. The script is needed for re-
checking the slang words and help to avoid any grammatical mistakes.
The researcher used qualitative research while conducting this study. Creswell
(2014) defines qualitative research as an approach for exploring and understanding
the meaning individuals or groups ascribe to a social or human problem. In relation to
the data, understanding the meaning refers to examine and analyze the slang words by
Cher. The process of research involves the researcher in making interpretation of the
meaning of the data, emerging questions, and procedures, and collecting the data
(Creswell, p. 32). By using qualitative research, the researcher is allowed to interpret,
give meaning and represent the findings from the natural setting of a certain social
phenomenon. Therefore, the researcher is attempting to make sense of the contextual
meaning and functions of slang words used by Cher Horowitz in the Clueless movie.
In order to answer the first problem, first the writer watched the movie while
at the same time read the script of the movie as well. However, the writer only
focused on Cher Horowitz conversation as this study only analyzed the slang words
uttered by her. The second thing that the writer did was to group all the slang words
which were uttered by the main character, Cher Horowitz. There are 29 slang words
found and the writer analyzed all of them. The researcher tried to relate the theories
by Eble (1996) and Partridge (1970) to decide whether the words collected previously
were considered slang. The next step was to explain the context of the dialogue by
briefly described the things happened in the dialogue. The contextual meaning of the
slang words then analyzed as the writer used the theory by Holmes (2013) of social
factors which are the

26
topic of conversation, the setting of place and the social relation of participants
involved in the conversation. A screen shoot of every slang uttered by Cher was also
taken in order to analyze it based on the social factors. Those slang words were later
categorized into a table and put together with the social factors, the table is shown
below:
Table 1. Display of Contextual Meaning Analysis

Data Utterance Slang Social Setting Topic Contextual
Code words Relation Meaning
02/NCS/ CHER: Dee, Audi Intimate High Couple Out of here
N/03:51 I’m Audi. school arguing
DIONNE: Bye.
21/NIS/ ELTON:Alright As if Intimate Elton’s Flirting No way

Int/41:06 ! You know, I car
don't get you
Cher. I mean,
you flirt with me
all year.
CHER: As if! I
have been tryng
to get you
together with
Tai.
In addition, the analysis of the slang words, the data were labeled with a
code. An example can be seen such as 02/NCS/03:51. Based on the previous coding,
the 01 refers to the data number and the number goes on for the next couple of data,
NCS is the shorten form of newly created slang while NIS stands for newly
interpreted slang, followed by part of speech and lastly 03:51 is the time of
occurrence of the slang word in the conversation.

27
Despite using Holmes’ theory, the meaning of slang words is also analyzed
through The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional
English (2013) based on the topic of conversation. This is to determine the right
meaning of a slang word as in the dictionary of slang it is common to find a word
with numerous given meanings. Then the final step is to find the function of those
slang words analyzed using Zhou & Fan (2013) theory. The theory consists of three
functions which are pursuit of self-identity, emotive feeling of slang users and
achieving politeness. In order to identify the function, each slang word is analyzed
based on the social factors mostly social relation of participants and the topic of the
conversation. Moreover, the function is also identified through the intonation used by
Cher as she uttered the slang words shown in the screenplay.
Table 2. Display of Function for Using Slang words
Data Code Slang word Contextual meaning Reason

PSI EF AP
02/NCS/N/03:51 Audi Out of here ✓ - -
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
This chapter presents the research findings and the data analysis of the two
problems. In this study there are two main discussions which will be explained
further by the researcher. The first problem is about the contextual meaning which is
analyzed based on the social factors of the slang words uttered by Cher Horowitz.
The second is the functions of using the slang word.
Table 3. The Summary of Slang Words Uttered by Cher Horowitz

Newly Created Slang Newly Interpreted Slang
Jeepin’ Buzz
Audi Groovy
Haul ass Sucky
Couch commando Heifer
Surfing the crimson wave Classic
Busy pants-dropping What’s up
Lawsuit waiting to happen Cameo
Doobie Baked
Loadies Go bump
Monet Whatever
Ralphing As if
Killer
Dope
Buggin’
Bonehead
Barneys
Ralphing
Ditz
28
29
Based table 3, it can be seen there are two types of slang words in the movie
Clueless namely newly interpreted and newly created slang. Newly interpreted is
when the word exists and already has a meaning in standard language, however it has
a new meaning in the movie based on the social factors. Newly created slang applies
to the word which does not exist in standard language before. Newly interpreted has
higher frequency rather than newly created, with 18 slang words with the examples
such as killer, as if, dope and ditz. On the other hand, newly created has the frequency
of 11 slang words uttered by Cher Horowitz in the movie. Examples of newly created
slang words are busy pants-dropping, lawsuit waiting to happen, and monet.
Partridge (1970) mentions that slang is an informal language used by various
group in certain situations (p. 5). In addition, according to Eble (1996) slang is an
ever changing set of colloquial words and phrases that speakers use to establish or
reinforce social identity or cohesiveness within a group or with a trend or fashion in
society at large (p. 11). Slang is different than standard language as slang is restricted
language that can be used and understood by certain community only. With the help
of Eble (1996) and Partridge (1970) explanations, the researchers conducted the study
and found 29 words uttered by Cher Horowitz and those words are considered as
slang words.
As the slang words are identified, the researcher came across two categories that
make a word is identified as a slang word. Those are newly interpreted and newly
created slang words. Newly interpreted is when the word exists and already has a
30
meaning in standard language, however it has a new meaning in the movie based on
the social factors. Just like explained by Zhou & Fan “slang is the diction that results
from the game among the young and lively of playing with words and renaming
things and actions; some invent new words, or mutilate or misapply the old, for the
pleasure of novelty, and others catch up such words for the pleasure of being in the
fashion” (2013). An example of it is the slang word go bump, in the standard
language its meaning is to hit somebody/something by accident. However, based on
the social factors, the contextual meaning is to talk to people. In other word, go bump
has a new meaning in a community of teenagers which also used it to establish social
identity with a trend in society at large.
Besides the newly interpreted, certain communities also have some words that
are newly created which is considered as slang word. Newly created slang applies to
the word which does not exist in standard language before. One of the examples is the
slang word doobie, which is not part of the standard language, but certain community
understood it by the meaning marijuana.
A. The Contextual Meanings of Slang Words Uttered by Cher Horowitz
The 1995 film, Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling is a film
that perfectly defined ‘90s teen culture. It is an American high school romantic
comedy film with airhead teenage characters, obsession with outlandish fashion, and
satirical tropes. Clueless is filled with 90’s Californian slang which is still used by
teens from time to time.

31
The table below shows some examples of the slang words uttered by Cher
Horowitz. However, there will be two different tables which are categorized based on
the types, newly created slang and newly interpreted slang.
1. Contextual Meaning of Newly Created Slang Words in Clueless
Table 4. Contextual Meaning of Newly Created Slang in Clueless

Data Code Slang Social Setting Topic Contextual
words Relation Meaning
01/NCS/V/ Jeepin’ Intimate High Cheating Cheating by
03:33 school having
vehicular sex
in a jeep
02/NCS/N/ Audi Intimate High Couple Out of here
03:51 school arguing
03/NCS/V/ Haul ass Distant Classroom Debate to move very
04:48 about quickly to a
refuge in different
America place
07/NCS/N/ Couch Intimate Living Fighting One who has
08:42 commando room over TV complete
remote control over a
television
remote
control
device from a
couch.
09/NCS/V/ Surfing the Distant Classroom Tardiness Menstruation
14:14 crimson
wave
32
01/NCS/V/03:33
MURRAY: Where you been all weekend? What's up? You been jeepin' around
behind my back?
DIONNE: Jeepin'?
CHER: Jeepin'.
MURRAY: Jeepin', jeepin'.
DIONNE: No, but speaking of vehicular sex, perhaps you can explain to me
how this cheap K-mart hair extension got into the back seat of your car.
The above conversation happened when Cher and Dionne are on their way to
first period but halfway they are stopped by Murray who is Dionne’s boyfriend. The
couple gets into an argument because apparently Dionne has been ignoring Murray’s
pages all weekend and he is angry by it. Resulting in Dionne being accused cheating
by Murray cheating behind his back. Moreover, the dialogue takes place in front of
their high school and there are many other students who witness the couple’s
argument. The relationship between Cher and Murray is intimate this is because
Murray is Dionne boyfriend and Dionne is Cher’s best friend. In addition, the three of
them often hang out and go to parties together which make them close friends.
Jeepin’ is a slang word that is newly created. It is not part of the standard
language, but a certain community understood its meaning. The slang word jeepin’
refers to cheating by having vehicular sex, in a jeep. This contextual meaning is also
supported by Dionne’s next statement as she said “No, but speaking of vehicular
sex..”. Dionne’s statement above confirms that her boyfriend accuses her of cheating
by having vehicular sex specifically having sex in a jeep because she has been
ignoring his pages all weekend.

33
02/NCS/N/03:51
CHER: Dee, I'm audi.

DIONNE: Bye.
The conversation above is between Cher and Dionne. They are best friends,
resulting in their social relationship being intimate. They belong to the same social
group as both come from a wealthy family in Beverly Hills and they go to the same
school. Their close relationship can be seen through how they are each other’s partner
in crime to do everything, how they always call each other whenever anything
happens in life, how they have their own handshake, and how they unintentionally
match their outfits. Previously they were walking to class when Murray who is
Dionne’s boyfriend approached them and asked Dionne why she did not answer any
of his pages. Cher who has no interest in joining the couple arguing with each other
eventually tells Dionne that she is audi.
Audi is considered as a newly created word as it could not be found in the
standard language. However, the word audi is also considered a slang word since it is
understood by some people and certain community in certain situation. The slang
word audi is a newly created word because it does not exist in the standard language.
Based on The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional
English, audi means to leave (2018, p. 9), while the meaning in the movie is out of
here. Slang eventually decided to leave the scene as if she stays there, she is just
wasting her time. At the end of the dialogue, Dionne replied by saying “bye”.
34
03/NCS/V/04:48
MR HALL: Should all oppressed people be allowed refuge in America?

Amber will take the con position. Cher will be pro. Cher, two minutes.
CHER: So, OK, like right now, for example, the Haitians need to come to
America. But some people are all "What about the strain on our resources?"
But it's like, when I had this garden party for my father's birthday right? I
said
R.S.V.P. because it was a sit-down dinner. But people came that like, did not
R.S.V.P. so I was like, totally buggin'. I had to haul ass to the kitchen,
redistribute the food, squish in extra place settings, but by the end of the day it
was like, the more the merrier! And so, if the government could just get to the
kitchen, rearrange some things, we could certainly party with the Haitians.
And in conclusion, may I please remind you that it does not say R.S.V.P. on
the Statue of Liberty?
The context of conversation between Cher and the rest of her classmates as well
as Mr. Hall as the teacher in the debate class concerning the topic of allowing refuge
in America. In the debate class her status as a pro to the topic leads her to giving a
supporting example in her life when she had a garden party for her dad’s birthday. Cher
ends her debate statement by giving her pro opinion that the Haitians should feel free
to come to America. The relationship between Cher and Mr. Hall is only as student and
teacher, they only interact when needed and only regarding to educational matters, thus
it is concluded that there is distance between them.
The slang word haul ass when broken down into two parts turns out to be the
combination of the word haul with the dictionary meaning of to pull
something/somebody with a lot of effort while the word ass has the meaning of the
part of the body that you sit on/ your bottom. However, in the movie Clueless the
slang word haul ass has a contextual meaning which is obtained from the context of
the conversation. Cher uses the slang word to refer to the last-minute effort she has to
make
35
in order to control the unexpected situation in her father’s birthday party. The
contextual meaning of haul ass is to move very quickly to a different place; this refers
to her effort to go to the kitchen in order to prepare everything for the unexpected
guests or non R.S.V.P guests and to maintain everything under control.
07/NCS/N/08:42
JOSH: Hahaha, you're funny.

(Josh changes the channel from Beavis and Butthead to the News)
CHER: Hey! God, you just got here and already you're playing couch
Commando!
JOSH: Hey! In some parts of the Universe, maybe not in Contempo Casual,
but in some parts, it's considered cool to know what's going on in the world.
The dialogue above is a conversation between Cher and her stepbrother, Josh.
Previously they are having a little chat while snacking in the kitchen when eventually
make their way together to the living room to watch tv. The relationship between the
two of them is considered intimate despite the fact they have different mothers.
Furthermore, Josh spends most of his time in Cher’s house which built intimacy of
brother and sister relationship without them realizing.
Couch commando is a newly created slang which cannot be found in the
dictionary. It is formed by a process called flippant. According to Allan & Burridge,
flippant means that slang language is made by two words or more in which the words
composed not collated with the denotative meaning. As couch commando is broken
down into two parts; couch refers to a long comfortable seat for two or more people
to sit on while commando refers to command meaning an order given to a person.
Therefore, as the both of them sit in the living room watching tv together Josh can
36
freely change to news channel and in fact Cher was watching cartoon first. Based on
the context of the conversation, Cher intention of saying the slang word is to refer to
Josh who has the audacity to change the TV channel as pleases or in other words its
meaning is one who has complete control over a television remote control device
from a couch.
09/NCS/V/14:14
MR HALL: Well, if Mr. Berkenstock has no political messages to include in

his speech, I'll go on. Cher Horowitz, two tardies.
CHER: I object! Do you recall the dates of these alleged
tardies? (Cher in lawyer mode. Legendary!)
MR HALL: One was last Monday!
CHER: Mr. Hall, I was surfing the crimson wave, I had to haul ass to the
ladies'.
MR HALL: I assume your referring to women's troubles, and so I'll let that
one slide.
The participants involve in the above conversation are Cher Horowitz and Mr.
Hall. Their social relation is distant given the circumstance of their relationship as
student and teacher. The two participants involve in a conversation discussing Cher’s
tardies in Mr. Hall’s class. Based on Mr. Hall’s statement, Cher has two tardies but in
a lawyer mode she replied with I object. Her uncertainty of the alleged tardies leads
her to question Mr. Hall in mentioning the dates. Mr. Hall said that last Monday Cher
came late to his class, but it was directly denied by her making excuses that she has to
go to the bathroom.
Cher excuse for her tardies to Mr. Hall class by mentioning the slang word
surfing the crimson wave. Coleman (2014) mentions the context usually enables us
37
to interpret the meanings and connotations of individual terms (p. 5). In addition of
saying the slang word Cher also mentions the ladies’ afterwards which refers to the
women restroom. This gives Mr. Hall the idea to interpret the meaning of surfing
crimson wave as Cher being on her period. The word crimson has a meaning of a
dark red color. Based on the context of the conversation, surfing the crimson wave
refers to menstruation as in addition Cher also mentions that she has to go to the
washroom which makes her late to go to class.
2. Contextual Meaning of Newly Interpreted Slang Words in Clueless
Table 5. Contextual Meaning of Newly Interpreted Slang in Clueless

Data Code Slang Social Setting Topic Contextual
words Relation Meaning
04/NIS/N/06:23 Buzz Distant Classroom Report card Rumor
distribution
05/NIS/V/07:08 Choked Intimate School Unsatisfied To perform
hallway with report a task
card grades poorly,
especially
when one is
expected to
do well
06/NIS/Adj/07:41 Groovy Intimate Home Geometry Excellent
score
08/NIS/Adj/13:03 Classic Intimate Teacher’s Love letter To be
lounge for Miss. expected
Geist
11/NIS/Adj/17:35 Sucky Distant School Offering Awful
garden coffee
38
04/NIS/N/06:23
MR HALL: And with that in mind, I'm going to distribute you report cards.
Now, is there a Christian Stobich in this class?
CHER: MR. Hall? The buzz on Christian is that his parents have joint
custody, so he'll be spending one semester in Chicago and one semester here. I
think it is a travesty on the part of the legal profession.
The first newly interpreted slang word which analyzed appear in a
conversation between Cher Horowitz and her teacher Mr. Hall. Previously, Mr. Hall
happens to distribute the students report card when the first student being called is
Christian Stobich, one of Cher’s classmates. Nevertheless, when his name is called,
none of the student answer. Meaning he is not in the class. Cher steps in by giving the
information about Christian having to spend a semester in another school due to his
parent’s joint custody. This scene takes place in one of the classrooms given the
condition that Cher and Mr. Hall have a distance relation between student and
teacher. According to Coleman (2014), slang is informal and non-standard that can be
used in formal context to lower the formality between the participants involved in the
conversation (p. 3). Cher choice of using slang to her teacher despite of the supposed
formal situation is due to her intention to lower the formality as they are casually
talking about the whereabout of one of her classmates. At this point, form someone
with the profession as a high school teacher who everyday spends his time
surrounded by teenagers, such slang is common for him and he understood the
meaning of it.
The word buzz literal meaning is to make a continuous low sound like a bee,
but in this specific conversation another meaning is derived after analyzing the social
39
relation. Dalzell (2018) in The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and
Unconventional English states there are few meanings of the slang word buzz. In the
case of the dialogue above, Cher uses the slang word buzz which has the contextual
meaning rumor. There is a rumor going on among students about Christian, that after
his parent’s divorce, they have joint custody of him in Chicago. That’s the reason
behind his absence in Mr. Hall’s class because she has to spend a semester in Chicago
and the following semester in their school.
05/NIS/V/07:08
CHER (on phone): Dee?

DIONNE: Wassup?
CHER: Did you get your report card?
DIONNE: Yeah, I'm toast. How'd you do?
CHER: I totally choked. My father is going to go ballistic on me.
DIONNE: Mr. Hall was way harsh! He gave me a C minus.
CHER: Well, he gave me a C, which drags down my entire average.
The dialogue above happens after Cher gets her report card from Mr. Hall, but
her report card results are not very satisfying. She is on the phone with her best friend
Dionne, asking how her grades are. Unfortunately, Dionne also gets a C from Mr.
Hall just like Cher’s grade. This matter concerns Cher because there will be a problem
when her father finds out about it and she will be in a lot of trouble. As best friends,
Cher and Dionne have an intimate relationship, there is a strong connection between
them that they have to know what is going on in each other’s life. The setting of the
conversation is in a typical crowded hallway of a high school, they started out having
a conversation on the phone when eventually they meet up at the end of the corridor.
40
The slang word choked or choke is a newly interpreted slang, meaning the
word choke exist in standard language. According to Oxford Learner’s Online
Dictionary, choke refers to upset or angry about something so that you find it difficult
to speak. However, in the movie it has a new meaning based on the analysis of the
social factor of the slang word choke. Its contextual meaning is to perform a task
poorly, especially when one is expected to do well (Dalzell, p. 148). The dictionary
meaning match perfectly with Cher’s intention of using the slang word. As a student
Cher is expected to do well in school by her dad, this involves in trying to get good
grades in any subjects. However, she fails her father expectation as she gets a C in her
debate class. The problem is having a C in her final report card can drags down her
entire average grade.
06/NIS/Adj/07:41
CHER: Hey, Ma. 98 in geometry. Pretty groovy, huh?
The slang word groovy is used by Cher as she talked about her Geometry
grades and showed it to the picture of her dead mother. The social distance scale is
beneficial in emphasizing on how well we know someone which is a relevant factor
in linguistic choice (Holmes, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 2013). The social
distance between the two of them is intimate because they are mother and daughter.
Based on Holmes theory of social distance dimension, a relationship between two or
more people is said to be intimate when there is high solidarity between them (p. 9).
This is supported by Cher’s statement “She died when I was just a baby. I don’t
remember her,
41
but I like to pretend she still watches over me”. However, the first thing she did when
she got home was to show her mother how great she did in Geometry, with the
intention of making her proud of Cher.
According to Oxford Learner’s Online Dictionary, the word groovy has a
literal meaning as fashionable, attractive and interesting. In addition, the new
interpreted meaning of the slang groovy in a slang dictionary is pleasing (Dalzell, p.
363). However, after analyzing the social factors in this situation there is a slight
difference with the dictionary meaning, the contextual meaning of groovy is
excellent. It is an achievement which makes Cher to be proud of herself even though
it is not a perfect grade but is really close to it. She also wants to share her happiness
with her mom, resulting in Cher showing her report card to her mom.
08/NIS/Adj/13:03
(Miss Giest reads the note left by the girls and her face brightens)
DIONNE: Oh, my God! She actually looked happy!
CHER: Oooh, classic!
Above shows the dialogue in which the setting of place is in the teacher’s
lounge and the participants involve in the conversations Cher Horowitz and Dionne.
They have an intimate relationship because they are best friends who are always there
to support each other through the ups and downs. They are currently carrying out a
mission to play matchmaker for their two teachers, Mr. Hall and Miss Geist. Hoping
to win Mr. Hall heart and put him in a good mood eventually agrees to upgrade
Cher’s debate grade. They start by leaving love poem and a rose in Miss Geist locker,
pretending it is from Mr. Hall expressing his crush towards her. The girls hid behind
a glass window
42
while focusing their attention toward Miss Geist’s reaction to their little gift. Her face
brightens and she smiled after reading the poem. Resulting in Cher to utter the slang
word classic.
The word classic has a literal meaning as accepted or deserving to be
accepted as one of the best or most important of its kind. In addition, it is considered
a newly interpreted slang word due to the fact it exists in the standard language but
has a completely different meaning as a slang word. Dalzell (2018) mentions the
meaning of the slang word classic varies from excellent, handsome and well dressed
(p. 156). Classic is an adjective that acts as a complement to describe Cher’s response
after seeing Miss Geist flattered from reading the poem. Contextually, the new
meaning is to be expected. Miss Geist’s reaction is to be expected by Cher. In
general, any women would be flattered after receiving a romantic poem and a rose
from a man, the two things are the perfect combination of romantic symbols to
express feeling towards someone.
11/NIS/Adj/17:35
CHER: Mr. Hall, Mr. Hall, Mr. Hall, um, do you drink coffee?
MR HALL: Well, not from this cafeteria. But, uh, yes under normal
circumstances.
CHER: Well, I am such a retard. When I was packing Daddy's lunch this
morning I gave him my lemon snapple, and I took his sucky Italian roast. Do
you want it?
MR HALL: Are you sure you don't want it?
CHER: Duh, it might stunt my growth. I wanna be 5'10" like Cindy Crawford.
But I thought maybe you and Miss Giest might like it?
DIONNE: Maybe you can share it?
MR HALL: Well, uh, thanks.
43
The slang word sucky appears when the girls, meaning Cher Horowitz and
Dionne happen to cross path with Mr. Hall in the school garden. The three of them
share a casual conversation as they are currently outside the classroom. However, the
teacher-student relation makes them to have distance relationship. Cher’s intention to
approach Mr. Hall is to offer him the Italian roast she mistakenly took instead of her
lemon snapple.
In the conversation between Mr. Hall and his two students, the slang word
sucky is an adjective which acts as a complement to describe the object Italian roast.
Sucky is a newly interpreted slang as the slang word has a literal meaning of very bad
and a contextual meaning as awful. Cher uses the slang word sucky to show that she
is not a coffee person given her personal belief it might stunt her growth. By saying
sucky Italian roast, she gives her opinion of the awful taste of coffee, instead she
would rather have lemon snapple.
B. The Function of Slang Words Uttered by Cher Horowitz in Clueless Movie
In analyzing the functions of slang words in the movie Clueless specifically
those uttered by Cher Horowitz, the researcher examined through the theory of Zhou
& Fan (2013). There are two functions found as Cher Horowitz used the slang words
in her daily conversation which are pursuit of self-identity (PSI) and emotive feeling
of slang users (EF).

44
Table 5. Functions for Using Slang Words by Cher Horowitz

Data Code Slang word Contextual Function
meaning PSI EF AP
01/NCS/V/03:33 Jeepin’ Cheating by ✓
having vehicular
sex in a jeep
02/NCS/N/03:51 Audi Out of here ✓
03/NCS/V/04:48 Haul ass to move very ✓
quickly to a
different place
04/NIS/N/06:23 Buzz Rumor ✓
05/NIS/V/07:08 Choked to perform a ✓
task poorly,
especially when
one is expected
to do well
06/NIS/Adj/07:41 Groovy Excellent ✓
07/NCS/N/08:42 Couch One who has ✓
commando complete control
over a television
remote control
device from a
couch.
08/NIS/Adj/13:03 Classic to be expected ✓
09/NCS/V14:14 Surfing the Menstruation ✓
crimson wave
11/NIS/Adj/17:35 Sucky Awful ✓
1. Pursuit of self-identity
The first function is pursuit of self-identity. Slang is considered as the symbol
for dividing the professional groups in society, it is because different slang is used
within different social and professional groups. If somebody uses the words and
45
expressions within a certain social group, the person will blend with the group
members easily. For example, in a situation where a student utters a sentence
containing the special college slang, that student intends to show that he is belonging
to the inside of the teenager group. According to the American scholar P. Roberts, the
reason people use slang is that they want to show they are one of the qualified
members among a certain distinct group. (Zhou & Fan, 2013).
01/NCS/V/03:33
In the data 01/NCS/V/03.33 the first slang word with the function of pursuit of
self-identity is in the word jeepin’. The slang word jeepin’ has the contextual
meaning of cheating by having vehicular sex, in a jeep. It was uttered by the main
character Cher Horowitz as a response to his accusation towards Dionne, saying his
girlfriend Dionne is cheating behind his back. Cher, Dionne and Murray involved in a
conversation where they are surrounded by other students in their high school. Cher
uttered the slang word jeepin’ with the intention of expressing her status as one of
the members of a social

46
class, her intention of pursuit of self-identity is addressed to the rest of the students
crowded behind them. Zhou and Fan (2013) mentioned “if somebody uses the words
and expressions within a certain social group, the person will blend with the group
members from mentality”. She wants to show them that she is a qualified member of
the same social group with Dionne and her boyfriend, Murray and that she
understands the meaning of the slang word.
02/NCS/N/03:51
The second slang word with the function of pursuit of self-identity is seen
through the word audi. Judging from the conversation, the contextual meaning of
audi is out of here. Cher finds herself bored being caught up in a couple argument
and she has no intention of joining, making her immediately leave the intense scene.
However, the word audi is also considered a slang word since it is understood by
some people and certain community in certain situation. In this case, as Cher and
Dionne belong to the same social class, Dionne understood well what Cher means
by saying the slang

47
word audi and replied by saying bye. Zhou and Fan (2013) mentioned “if somebody
uses the words and expressions within a certain social group, the person will blend
with the group members from mentality”. Based on Zhou & Fan, slang is considered
as the symbol for dividing the professional groups in society, it is because different
slang is used within different social group. Pursuit of self-identity function is seen
through Cher’s intention of showing to the rest of the students behind her that she
belongs to the same social group as Dionne. They have their own way of saying
goodbye one of it by saying audi instead of the regular bye word.
04/NIS/N/06:23
The third slang with the pursuit of self-identity function is found as Cher
utters the slang word buzz when she gives the latest update about Christian to Mr.
Hall. Eble (1996) mentions in practice slang words always diminish the formality of a
conversation in which they occur (p. 20). Despite of having the formal teacher student
relationship, Cher insist on answering Mr. Hall’s question casually, she uses the slang
48
word buzz with the contextual meaning of rumor. In return, Mr. Hall accepted Cher’s
choice of word, as a high school teacher it is common of him hearing slang words
from any of his students. The pursuit of self-identity function is seen by using buzz as
a symbol of self-belonging to a certain teenage social group. It is considered as the
symbol for dividing the groups in society, Cher’s teenage social group and Mr. Hall
group as they belong to different groups in the society. Zhou & Fan mentioned that
the usage of slang is considered as the symbol for dividing the different groups in
society. In this case Mr. Hall and Cher are members of different groups as Mr. Hall
belongs to the professional group of teachers while Cher is a member of one of the
teenage groups in her school.
09/NCS/V/14:14
The dialogue above happens when Cher Horowitz gives reason of her
tardiness to Mr. Hall’s class. She mentions the slang word surfing the crimson wave
in which the contextual meaning refers to menstruation. Due to this problem she must
run to the
49
restroom, making her late to come to class. Cher’s ultimate goal of saying the slang
word is to show Mr. Hall that she is a qualified member of a different social class
with him. Slang is often used to differentiate between outsiders and members of a
distinct social group, resulting with the use of slang in which only qualified members
are aware of the meaning. Being the outsider of Cher’s group leads Mr. Hall to the
unknown slang, but as Cher unintentionally mentions the restroom he guested his way
to think that Cher refers to girls’ problem.
2. Emotive Feeling of Slang Users
The second function of slang found based on Cher Horowitz conversation in
the Clueless movie is emotive feeling of slang users. According to Zhou & Fan
(2013), the emotive feeling function reveals the speaker’s attitude towards the
subject. It is crucial and has powerful impact of language usage in terms of changing
the emotional status of an audience for or against someone or something. Thus, slang
does not only have the function to stressing identity or group membership, but also
psychologically needed for expressing emotion (p. 2212).
03/NCS/V/04:48
50
The emotive feeling function is found in the data 03/NCS/04:48 as Cher
Horowitz says the slang word haul ass. It happens in Mr. Hall debate class when she
expresses her pro opinion towards Haitians refugee being in America, she describes
the situation just like when she throws a birthday party for her father. The contextual
meaning of haul ass is to move very quickly to a different place. Cher uses the slang
word to refer to her effort go to the kitchen in order to prepare everything for the
unexpected guests or non-R.S.V. P guests and to maintain everything under control.
The emotive feeling function is seen through Cher Horowitz strong emotion of
surprise but doesn’t have any other choice, it is up to her effort to make last minute
adjustments in order to have everything under control.
05/NIS/V/07:08
The data above shows the next slang word to have the function of emotive
feeling of slang users. The particular function lays on the slang word choked, it is
uttered by Cher Horowitz in a phone conversation with her best friend Dionne right
after she gets her final report. Its contextual meaning is to perform a task poorly,
51
especially when one is expected to do well (Dalzell, p. 148). The dictionary meaning
match perfectly with Cher’s intention of using the slang word. As a student Cher is
expected to do well in school by her dad, this involves in trying to get good grades in
any subjects. Her grade in debate class is not satisfying enough for her as she
expected herself to do well in it and pass the class. Cher response by saying choked
shows her strong emotion of disappointment towards her grade in the debate class.
Furthermore, she feels troubled and terrified of her father’s reaction on that matter.
06/NIS/Adj/07:41
The data above shows the use of slang word groovy to express Cher’s
emotive feeling towards her Geometry test result. However, after analyzing the social
factors in this situation, the contextual meaning of groovy is excellent. It is an
achievement which makes Cher to be proud of herself even though it is not a perfect
grade but is really close to it. Cher expresses her strong emotion after getting her
results back as soon as she enters her house to a painting of her mother who passed
away since she was a baby. Despite of her absent throughout Cher’s life, a mother
will always have a strong

52
connection with her children. It can be seen by the usage of slang word to express
Cher’s feeling of contentment of getting 98 in Geometry. Cher wants to share her
excitement with her mother although it can only be done through showing it to the
painting of her.
07/NCS/N/08:42
The conversation in the data 07/NCS/08:42 happens in the living room when
Cher and her stepbrother Josh spend one afternoon on snacking and watching
television. Cher calls Josh as couch commando as the response of him changing the
tv channel from cartoon to news. Based on the context of the conversation, Cher
intention of saying the slang word is to refer to Josh who has the audacity to change
the TV channel as pleases or in other words its contextual meaning is one who has
complete control over a television remote control device from a couch. The emotive
feeling of slang user function is seen of Cher’s annoyance towards Josh who gets in
the living room after her but instead have the courage to take the TV remote from her
and change the TV channel.

53
08/NIS/Adj/13:03
Classic is an adjective that acts as a complement to describe Cher’s response
after seeing Miss Geist flattered from reading the poem and receiving a beautiful
rose.
Contextually, the new meaning is to be expected. Miss Geist’s reaction is to be
expected by Cher. The lovely surprise in which she thought coming from Mr. Hall,
but little did she know the surprise was set up by Cher and Dionne. It is their way to
play match makers for their two teachers. Classic as a slang word has the function of
showing Cher’s happiness after seeing Miss Geist rosy cheeks and beautiful smile
after reading the love poem. Although Miss Geist’s response is to be expected by
Cher but after seeing her reaction it gives Cher a whole satisfaction after doing such
good deed.
11/NIS/Adj/17:35
54
The last slang word with the function of emotive feeling lays on sucky, it is
Cher’s way to describe and express her dislike towards coffee. The contextual
meaning of it is awful. Cher uses the slang word sucky to show that she is not a coffee
person given her personal belief it might stunt her growth. By saying sucky Italian
roast, she gives her opinion of the awful taste of coffee, instead she would rather have
lemon snapple. Based on her personal reason, consuming coffee might stunt her
growth which she tries to avoid. She hopes Mr. Hall accepts her coffee offer as she
accidently takes her father’s coffee instead of her lemon snapple this morning.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION
This part presents the conclusion of the study. The researcher would like to
give the conclusion based on the two problems mentioned in the previous chapter.
The first problem is the contextual meaning of slang words embedded in the utterance
of Cher Horowitz as the main character in the movie Clueless. Second is related with
the function of using the slang words which are uttered by Cher Horowitz. The data
of the study are selected from the conversation between Cher Horowitz as the main
character with other minor characters in the movie and also the screenshot of the
related scene which shows the use of slang words
In analyzing the contextual meaning of slang word in Clueless movie, the
writer identifies only the slang words mentioned by Cher Horowitz as the main
character. In total the writer found 29 slang words which are uttered by Cher which
later categorized based on the types as 11 slang words of newly created and 18 slang
words of newly interpreted slang words. The slang words were all analyzed. The
contextual meaning is determined based on the social factors which involves the
social relation of participant, setting of places and the topic of the conversation.
Overall, the number of slang words used between Cher Horowitz and other
participants with intimate relationship is greater than those with distant relationship
with each other. There are 24 slang words used by Cher in her conversation with
other participant and only 5 slang words with people who have distant relationship
with her.
55
56
In the research, the writer found 3 slang words in the movie Clueless which
are not commonly used. Those slang words are formed by combining two words or
more in which the words composed not collated with denotative meaning. The slang
word couch commando is used to refer to the one who has complete control over a
television remote control device from a couch. While surfing the crimson wave is
used to refer to menstruation. Other than that, there are numerous slang words which
exist in standard language, but have different meaning in the movie. The example can
be taken from the slang word classic, in standard language has the meaning as
accepted or deserving to be accepted as one of the best or most important of its kind.
In the movie classic is an adjective that acts as a complement to describe Cher’s
response after seeing Miss Geist flattered from reading the poem. Contextually, the
new meaning is to be expected. Miss Geist’s reaction is to be expected by Cher. It can
be concluded that depending on the social factors (topic, setting, and social relation
between participants) slang words can have different contextual meaning.
The slang words uttered by Cher Horowitz as the main character have two
different functions in the movie Clueless. Firstly, slang word acts as a tool in voicing
self-identity of its user. Cher often uses slang words to show other participant of her
belonging in a certain social group and to exclude others who doesn’t belong to the
same group as her. However, the exclusion is done by saying slang words which only
understood by other group members of her own, but she often gives away the
meaning to others outside her group as she explains further about the topic of
conversation. The second function of slang word analyzed throughout the movie is
emotive feeling of
57
slang user. Slang is used to show the addresser’s emotion towards specific subject
currently being discussed with the addressee. In the movie, Cher expresses various
kinds of emotions ranging from being surprised, excitement, satisfaction and
disappointed. This function is crucial and has powerful impact of language usage in
terms of changing the emotional status of an audience for or against someone or
something.
Through this study, the writer concludes that slang language is mainly used
among people who have intimate social relation with each other. This is due to the
fact that social dimension factors such as comparative ages, social distance and
mutual familiarity plays an important role in someone’s choice in language usage.
Slang language is a trend among teenagers, and it became one of the famous language
variety used in the adolescence life circle.
The writer suggests future researcher to enrich the sociolinguistic analysis by
conducting similar study but with different object of study. Movie is one type of
literature works which can effortlessly analyzed by using sociolinguistic approach.
This is because different scenes in a movie can be taken as screenshot proof for
detailed analysis. However, the writer suggests future researcher to be careful in the
data collection of slang word, because there are many similar slang words with
different meanings, it all depends on the context of conversation.

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APPENDIX
Contextual Meaning and Function of Using Slang Words

Data Code Utterance Slang Social Factor Contextual Function
words Social Setting Topic Meaning P E E
Relation S F P
I
01/NCS/V/03:33 MURRAY: Where you Jeepin’ Intimate High Cheating Cheating by ✓
been all weekend? What's school having vehicular
up? You been jeepin' sex in a jeep
around behind my back?
CHER: Jeepin'.
02/NCS/N/03:51 CHER: Dee, I'm audi. Audi Intimate High Couple Out of here ✓
DIONNE: Bye. school arguing
03/NCS/V/04:48 CHER: I had to haul ass to Haul ass Distant Class Debate to move very ✓
the kitchen, redistribute the room about quickly to a
food, squish in extra place refuge in different place
settings, but by the end of America
the day it was like, the
more the merrier! And so,
if the government could
just get to the kitchen,
rearrange some things, we
could certainly party with
the Haitians. And in
conclusion, may I please
remind you that it does not
say R.S.V.P. on the Statue
of Liberty?
60
61

words Social Setting Topic Meaning P E E
Relation S F P
I
04/NIS/N/06:23 MR. HALL: And with that Buzz Distant Class Report card Rumor ✓
in mind, I'm going to room distribution
distribute you report cards.
Now, is there a Christian
Stobich in this class?
CHER: MR. Hall? The
buzz on Christian is that
his parents have joint
custody, so he'll be
spending one semester in
Chicago and one semester
here.
05/NIS/V/07:08 CHER (on phone): Dee? Choked Intimate School Unsatisfied To perform a ✓
DIONNE: Wassup? hallway with Report task poorly,
CHER: Did you get your card especially when
report card? one is expected
DIONNE: Yeah, I'm toast. to do well
How'd you do?
CHER: I totally choked.
My father is going to go
ballistic on me.Well, he
gave me a C, which drags
down my entire average.
62

words Meaning
Social Setting Topic P E E
Relation S F P
I
06/NIS/Adj/07:41 CHER V.O. :Isn't my Groovy Intimate Home Geometry Excellent ✓
house classic? The score
columns date all the way
back to 1972. Wasn't my
Mom a betty? She died
when I was just a baby. A
fluke accident during a
routine liposuction. I don't
remember her, but I like to
pretend she still watches
over me.
CHER: Hey, Ma. 98 in
geometry. Pretty groovy,
huh?
07/NCS/N/08:42 CHER: Hey! God, you Couch Intimate Living Fighting One who has ✓
just got here and already comman room over TV complete control
you're playing couch do remote over a television
Commando! JOSH: Hey! remote control
In some parts of the device from a
Universe, maybe not in couch.
Contempo Casual, but in
some parts, it's considered
cool to know what's going
on in the world.
63

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
08/NIS/Adj/13:03 DIONNE: Oh, my God! Classic Intimate Teacher’ Love letter To be expected ✓
She actually looked s lounge for Miss.
happy! CHER: Oooh, Geist
classic!
09/NCS/V/14:14 CHER: I object! Do you Surfing Distant Classroo Tardiness Menstruation ✓
recall the dates of these the m
alleged tardies? crimson
MR HALL: One was last wave
Monday!
CHER: Mr. Hall, I was
surfing the crimson wave,
I
had to haul ass to the
ladies'.
10/NCS/Adj/16:27 JOSH: Actually, I'm going Busy Intimate In Cher’s Josh Extremely busy ✓
to a tree people meeting. pants- car attending
Me might get Marky Mark dropping tree people
to plant a celebrity tree. meeting
CHER: How fabulous.
Getting Marky Mark to
take time from his busy
pants-dropping schedule to
plant trees?
64

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
11/NIS/Adj/17:35 CHER: Well, I am such a Sucky Distant School Offering Awful ✓
retard. When I was garden coffee
packing Daddy's lunch
this morning I gave him
my lemon snapple, and I
took
his sucky Italian roast. Do
you want it?
12/NIS/N/18:28 CHER: I know what you Heifer Intimate School Skipping Someone who’s ✓
mean, but at least it's garden PE overweight
exercise. I feel like such a
heifer. I had two bowls of
special K, three pieces of
turkey bacon, a handful of
popcorn, five peanut
butter M&M's, and like,
three
pieces of licorice.
13/NCS/Adj/21:27 MISS STOEGER: Well, Lawsuit Distant Baseball Hitting the Dangerous ✓
you certainly exercised waiting court ball
your mouth Cher. Now, to
hit the ball. happen
CHER: Miss Stoeger, that
machine is just a lawsuit
waiting to happen!
65

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
14/NCS/N/25:29 CHER: My birthday is in Doobie Intimate School Drugs Marijuana ✓
April, and as someone cafeteria
older, can I please give
you some advice?
It is one thing to spark up
a doobie and get laced at
parties, but it is quite
another to be fried all day.
15/NCS/N/25:36 CHER: Loadies generally Loadies Intimate School Student’s Drug addict ✓
hang on the grassy knoll cafeteria social
over there. groups
16/NIS/Interjection CHER: Dee? What’s up? What’s Intimate Dinner Phone call Greeting ✓
/32:02 DIONNE: So, check it. up table
Murray's geometry class is
right by Elton's locker, and
taped up inside was the
picture you took of Tai.
66

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
17/NIS/V/32:23 DIONNE: Hello! So, Cameo Intimate Dinner Attends Come ✓
anyway, the whole crew table party
is going to this party in
the Valley.
CHER: Bye.
Looks like we're going to
have to make a cameo at
the Val party.
18/NIS/Adj/35:47 CHER: I'm still baked. Baked Intimate Party Gossiping Under the ✓
TAI: Yeah. influence of
(Back to the dance floor) marijuana
19/NIS/V/35:57 CHER: What do ya say, Go bump Intimate Dance Dancing Talk ✓
we go bump into people? floor
TAI: Yeah, I'm cool with
that.
20/NIS/Interjection ELTON: Yeah. I think Whatever Intimate Elton’s Flirting Used as a ✓
/40:19 we both know what it car dismissing retort
feels like to be lonely. to what has just
CHER: Whatever. The being said
thing is, is that I'd really
like to see you settled
already.
67

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
21/NIS/Interjection ELTON: Alright! You As if Intimate Elton’s Flirting No way ✓
/41:06 know, I don't get you car
Cher. I mean, you flirt
with me all year.
CHER: As if! I have been
trying to get you together
with Tai.
22/NIS/Adj/53:04 CHER: It's so killer! Killer Intimate Cher’s Christian’s Awesome ✓
CHRISTIAN: Thank you. front car
door
23/NCS/N/55:21 TAI: Do you think she’s Monet Intimate Dance Amber Good looking ✓
pretty? floor dancing from a
CHER: No, she's a full on with Elton distance but
Monet. closely messed
TAI: What's a monet? up
CHER: It's like a painting,
see? From far away, it's
OK, but up close, it's a big
old mess.
24/NIS/Adj/58:57 CHER: Hey, you what Dope Intimate Josh’s Take-out Excellent ✓
would be so dope? If we car meal for
got some really delicious Mel and
take-out. I bet they haven't his staff
eaten all night.
68

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
25/NIS/N/01:06:21 MURRAY: He's Buggin’ Intimate Dionne’s Christian’s A feeling of ✓
gay. CHER: Not car sexuality confusion
even.
MURRAY: Yes, even.
DIONNE: He does like
to shop, Cher, and the
boy can dress.
CHER: Oh, my God. I
am totally buggin'. I feel
like such a bonehead.
26/NIS/N/01:06:23 CHER: Oh, my God. I Bonehead Intimate Dionne’s Christian’s Idiot ✓
am totally buggin'. I feel car sexuality
like such a bonehead.
27/NIS/N/01:08:06 CHRISTIAN: Um, Barneys Intimate Shopping Tai’s Unattractive ✓
where’s Tai? mall presence young man
CHER: Oh, she met
some random guys at the
Foot Locker and escorted
them right over there. I
don't know where she
meets these Barnies.
69

words Meaning
Relation S F P
I
28/NCS/V/01:16 TAI: Like, little things, Ralphing Intimate Cher’s Tai’s crush Vomit ✓
:17 you know? Like, he living on Josh
always, he finds some sort room
of way to touch me or
tickle me. You OK?
CHER: Yeah. Oh,
actually, I was really bad
today, I had two
mochaccinos, I feel like
ralphing.
29/NIS/N/01:29:17 JOSH: Yeah, well, it's a Ditz Intimate Cher’s Mel’s law An empty- ✓
good learning experience, staircase case headed person
at least for me, I want to
be a lawyer. But you, I
mean, you don't need to be
doing this. Go out and
have fun, go shopping.
CHER: You think that's all
I do, I'm just a ditz with a
credit card?
JOSH: No, no, ah, that's
not what I meant.

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PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF SLANG USED

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

Don’t Get Stressed,

This thesis is dedicated

the process of writing this thesis.

quarantine life. I am thankful for their patience in allowing me to take my time to

complete this thesis and make it possible for me to graduate in time.

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude towards my parents and my

been such a blessing to me.

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE...........................................................7

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY.........................................................................21

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS.............................28

NCS : Newly Created Slang

No. Table Page

1 Table 1 – Display of Contextual Meaning Analysis 26

PUTRI, ADELINA SEKAR (2020). A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF

Keywords: language, slang and sociolinguistics

PUTRI, ADELINA SEKAR (2020). A SOCIOLINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF

Kata kunci: bahasa, slang dan sosiolinguistik

A. Background of the Study

of language allows individuals to communicate openly and to make sure it is easily

establish and maintain a social relationship with each other.

either knowledge or ideas to others. This is supported by Chaturvedi’s definition of

a tool to communicate, feel, elaborate and express thoughts, feelings and

between language and society is called sociolinguistics. In addition, Trudgill (2000)

speaker. Both aspects of linguistics behaviors are reflections of a close inter-

relationship between language and society (p. 2).

Language is thus a product of active human consciousness working in well-

change in future society. Change in language is often marked by change and

In the study of language, it can be seen there are various languages in

The status of slang being an informal language is mainly used by teenagers to

distinguish it from other types of vocabulary such as slang identifies members of a

opposes established authority.

advantages such as in the form of entertainment, information, knowledge and most

word is needed in order to understand the context of the conversation.

study as it contains a significant number of slang words in the script.

the movie Clueless?

C. Objectives of the Study

This study is conducted in order to answer the two problems mentioned

supported by the script.

sociolinguistics and slang in this research.

This study applies Holmes’ theory of sociolinguistics (2013, p. 2).

Sociolinguistics is defined as a study related with the relationship of language and

language and the ways it is used to convey social meaning.

Slang is an ever-changing set of colloquial words and phrases that the

speakers use to establish or reinforce social identity or cohesiveness within a group or

occurrences in the eighteenth century, slang itself referred to the specialized

vocabulary of the underworld group. Meanwhile, another definition of slang is by

Walter (2004), he defines slang as words used in very informal conversation,

unsuitable for the formal situation.

review in solving the problems of the study.

A. Review of Related Studies

involved in it. The participants

are achieving politeness and emotive feeling.