Pauses, Overlaps, Backchannels in Aladdin Movie 2019

1. Introduction

Most people say that pragmatics is always about meaning. Crystal (1985:204)
described pragmatics as ‘the study of language from the point of view of the users,
especially of the choices they make, the constraints they encounter in using language
in social interaction and the effects their use of language has on other participants in
the act of communication’. From the description above, we can see that pragmatics is
a branch of linguistics that focuses on contextual meaning. According to Oxford
Dictionary the word meaning is the thing or idea that a sound, word, sign, etc.
Represents.
In pragmatics there is also conversational analysis. According to Cambridge
Dictionary Conversation is an informal talk involving a small group of people or only
two; the activity of talking in this way. Hoey and Kendrick (2017) state that
Conversation Analysis (CA) is an inductive, micro-analytic, and predominantly
qualitative method for studying human social interactions. Generally, humans are
social creatures, they interact with conversational media. In conversational analysis
this is called pauses, overlaps, and backchannels.
Pauses are when we are talking and suddenly we pause between our speaking.
Usually the pause between talking is 2 to 3 seconds. Overlap is when two people are
having a conversation and they talk at the same time and sometimes it causes
awkwardness. The last one backchannels are a signal that the speaker gives to the
listener that he or she is listening to what the speaker is saying. Backchannels signals
consist of noise, gesture, expression, or word used by a listener to indicate that he or
she is paying attention to a speaker and the responses “uh-uh”, “yeah”, “mmm” are
signals that prove that the speaker is getting feedback from the listener which means
the signal given by the speaker is well received by the listener.
In this study the researcher wants to discuss pauses, overlaps, backchannels in
Aladdin movie. The movie tells about the adventures of Aladdin, a poor man who
falls in love with Princess Jasmine. Because of the very clear caste difference,
Aladdin tries to find a way to make himself a prince, suddenly he finds a magic lamp
in which there is a very great genie. He used the genie to become a prince to get
 Princess Jasmine. The film was released on May 24, 2019, directed by Guy Ritchie
and became a box office film with a gross of 1.051 billion USD. The film stars Naomi
Scott as princess Jasmine, Mena Massoud as Aladdin, and Will Smith as Genie.
The researcher's goal in writing this is to let everyone know the application of
pauses, overlaps, and backchannels in a film. And the researcher hopes that this
research can add insight to the readers about the conversational analysis that is in
pragmatic.

2. FINDING AND DISCUSSION

In this chapter, the researcher portray several steps to analyze the data. The
researcher collect the data by wtaching Aladdin movie. While watching the movie, the
researcher also identify pauses, overlaps, and backchannels in this movie. In this
movie the researcher found 30 data that contain pauses, overlaps, and backchannels
but only 12 data will be analyzed due to the other data have the same meaning.

2.1. Data

No Conversation Pauses,Overlaps, Backchannels

1. Jasmine : “ We have the same title yet are never described in Backchannels
the same way.
Sultan : “ (clear thorat) Jasmine”
2. Jaffar : “Youre a man of great ambition like myself” Backchannels
Aladdin :“uh, don’t believe we’ve been properly
Introduced”
3. Genie: “ so, you rubbed the lamp? Backchannels
Aladdin: “ uh-uhumm”
Genie: “ oh okay”
4. Jaffar: “He’s out there” Pauses
Henchman: “ I don’t understand what could possibly be in
the cave... (3 second) that could help a man as a great as
you”
5. Genie : “It may not look like much but.. (3 second) it has Pauses
 something theirs never will.”
Chidern: “ What? Wood rot and rats?”
6. Aladdin: “ Welcome to my humble... (3 second) you’ll see” Pauses
Jasmine: “ You are quite the magician.”
7. Girl : “ He’s a lovely monkey” Backchannels
Aladdin :“ hmm, that’s a lovely necklace”
8. Jaffar: “ take them away!” Pauses
Henchman : “ My vizer... (3 second) perhaps this diamond
in the rough does not exist?”
9. Jasmine : “ Is this where you live?” Backchannels
Aladdin : “ Yep, just me and Abu. Come and go as we
please”
10. Dalia : “who ordered the tea?” Backchannels
Aladdin: “ uhh...”
Jasmine : “I did”
11. Jaffar : “ Genie, for my final wish, I wish to become the Pauses
most powerful being in the universe.”
Genie: “ A lot of grey area in that wish but... (3 second)
most powerful being in the universe coming right up!”
12. Jaffar: “ I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with Ababwa.” Overlaps
Aladdin: “ well, its north..//
Genie : “ its south..//

2.2. Data Analysis

Data 1

Jasmine : “ We have the same title yet are never described in the same way.

Sultan : “ (clear thorat) Jasmine”

In the above conversation between Sultan and Jasmine there are Backchannels which
means the listener's response to the speaker, usually this response is marked by noise, gesture,
expression, or word used by a listener to indicate that he or she is paying attention to a
speaker. Like the conversation above where the Sultan responds to Jasmine's words with a
(clear thorat) which means he is reprimanding Jasmine to keep her words.

Data 2

Jaffar : “Youre a man of great ambition like myself”

Aladdin :“uh, don’t believe we’ve been properly Introduced”

In the conversation between Sultan and Jaffar there are Backchannels which means the
response of the speaker's listener, usually the response is marked by noise, gestures,
expressions, or words used by the listener to show that he is paying attention to the speaker.
Like the conversation above, Aladdin responds to a Jaffar quote with an "uh" which means he
feels awkward when inspired by Jaffar.

Data 3

Genie: “ so, you rubbed the lamp?

Aladdin: “ uh-uhumm”
Genie: “ oh okay”
In the conversation above that occurred between Genie and Aladdin there are
Backchannels which means the listener's response to the speaker, usually this response is
characterized by noise, gesture, expression, or word used by a listener to indicate that he or
she is paying attention to a speaker. Like the conversation above where Aladdin responds to
Genie's question with "uh-uhumm" which means he agrees with Genie's statement.

Data 4.

Jaffar: “He’s out there”

Henchman: “ I don’t understand what could possibly be in the cave... (3 second) that could
help a man as a great as you”
From the conversations conducted by Jaffar and Henchman, we can analyze that there
were pauses in the conversation above. Pauses means when the speaker is talking but when
the speaker is talking suddenly stops for about 2 to 3 seconds then the speaker continues his
conversation. As happened to Hencman he was talking to Jaffar but when he mentioned the
word “cave” he paused and then resumed his conversation.

Data 5.

Genie : “It may not look like much but.. (3 second) it has something theirs neverl will.”
Chidern: “What? Wood rot and rats?”
From the conversations conducted by Genie and Childern, we can analyze that there were
pauses in the conversation above. Pauses means when the speaker is talking but when he is
talking stops for about 2 to 3 seconds then he continues his conversation. Like what happened
to Genie when he was talking he stopped at the word "but.." for 3 seconds then he resumed
his speech.

Data 6.

Aladdin: “ Welcome to my humble... (3 second) you’ll see”

Jasmine: “ You are quite the magician.”
From the conversations held by Aladdin and Jasmine, we can analyze that there were
pauses in the conversation above. Pauses means when the speaker is talking but when he is
talking stops for about 2 to 3 seconds then he continues his conversation. Like what happened
to Aladdin when he was showing his house to Jasmine and when he said "humble..." he
paused for 3 seconds then resumed his conversation.

Data 7.

Girl : “ He’s a lovely monkey”

Aladdin :“ hmm, that’s a lovely necklace”

From the conversations carried out by Girl and Aladdin, we can analyze that there are
backchannels in the conversation above. Backchannels which means the listener's response to
the speaker, usually this response is characterized by noise, gesture, expression, or word used
by a listener to indicate that he or she is paying attention to a speaker. As happened to
Aladdin he responded to Girl's words with "hmm" which means he agreed with the girl's
statement.

Data 8.

Jaffar: “ take them away!”

Henchman : “ My vizer... (3 second) perhaps this diamond in the rough does not exist?”
From the conversations conducted by Jaffar and Henceman, we can analyze that there
were pauses in the conversation above. Pauses means when the speaker is talking but when
he is talking stops for about 2 to 3 seconds then he continues his conversation. Like what
happened to Henchman when he was saying "my vizer.." he paused for 3 seconds and then
resumed his speech.

Data 9.

Jasmine : “ Is this where you live?”

Aladdin : “ Yep, just me and Abu. Come and go as we please”
From the conversations held by Jasmine and Aladdin, we can analyze that backchannels
occurred in the conversation above. Backchannels which means the listener's response to the
speaker, usually this response is characterized by noise, gesture, expression, or word used by
a listener to indicate that he or she is paying attention to a speaker. Like what happened to
Aladdin, he responded to Jasmine's words with a "yep" which meant confirming Jasmine's
statement.

Data 10.

Dalia : “who ordered the tea?”

Aladdin: “ uhh...”
Jasmine : “I did”
From the conversations conducted by Dalia, Aladdin, and Jasmine, we can analyze that
backchannels occurred in the conversation above. Backchannels which means the listener's
response to the speaker, usually this response is characterized by noise, gesture, expression,
or word used by a listener to indicate that he or she is paying attention to a speaker.
Backchannels are proven when Aladdin responds to Dalia's words "uhh.." which means he is
surprised by Dalia's statement suddenly.

Data 11.

Jaffar : “ Genie, for my final wish, I wish to become the most powerful being in the
universe.”
Genie: “ A lot of grey area in that wish but... (3 second) most powerful being in the universe
coming right up!”
From the conversations conducted by Jaffar and Genie, we can analyze that there were
pauses in the conversation above. Pauses means when the speaker is talking but when he is
talking stops for about 2 to 3 seconds then he continues his conversation. Like what happened
to Genie when he was answering Jaffar's request and in the middle of his conversation he
paused for "but..." 3 seconds and then resumed the conversation.
Data 12.

Jaffar: “ I’m afraid I’m unfamiliar with Ababwa.”

Aladdin: “ well, its north..//
Genie : “ its south..//
From the conversations between Jaffar, Aladdin, and Genie, we can see that there was an
Overlap in the conversation. Overlaps itself means when two people are having a
conversation and they talk at the same time and sometimes it causes awkwardness. As
happened to Aladdin and Genie when answering Jaffar's statement they simultaneously spoke
and caused awkwardness.

3. CONCLUSION

From the analysis above, the researcher concludes that in the film Aladdin there are
pauses, overlaps, and backchannels. Pauses occur when the speaker is asking something or
answering questions from the other person. Overlap occurs when when the speaker is in a
state of urgency or panic, both people can say the word at the same time. Backchannels occur
when the listener understands what the speaker means by providing feedback in the form of
body gestures or speech such as "uhmm" or "yeah".

4. REFERENCE

Lestari, Disa Evawani. (2017). Teaching Pragmatics to Indonesian Learners of

English. President University.
https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/207636-teaching-pragmatics-to-
indonesian-learne.pdf

Hoey, Elliot M. and Kendrick, Kobin H. (2017). Research Methods in

Psycholinguistics: A Practical Guide. Wiley Blackwell.
file:///C:/Users/win8/Downloads/CAmethods_RMP.pdf