Analysis on Pragmatic Force of Declarative Utterances in Film Entitled “Avatar”

Abstract

This is a descriptive qualitative research. The data sources are the manuscript and video of “Avatar” film. From the sources, the researcher takes 40 declarative utterances uttered by the main character (Jake Sully) to be analyzed. The research goals are 1) to identify the contexts of declarative utterances, 2) to identify the hearer’s responses of declarative utterances, 3) to explain the pragmatic force of declarative utterances viewed from the illocutionary force. Before define the force, the researcher explains the context for a better understanding about the speaker’s intention. The results of this research are, 1) every utterance has its own context: situation, participants, ends, act sequence, key, instrumentalities, norms, and genre,

2) the hearer’s responses are words response and act response, 3) utterance’s function reflects the pragmatic force, those 40 declarative utterances bring various forces; suggesting, appointing, reporting, requesting, claiming, thanking, asking, complaining, apologizing, confirming, blaming, ordering, advising, and sentencing.