SPEECH ACTS OF THE NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AIRLINES SLOGANS

Eva Tuckyta Sari Sujatna Universitas Padjadjaran and Widyatama University

Bandung-Indonesia

ABSTRACT

This research is a preliminary study on the speech acts of the slogans of national airlines (represented by Indonesian airlines) and the regional airlines (represented by ASEAN countries airlines). This research describes the classification of the speech act used in their slogans. The theory applied in this research is Searle's taxonomy which classifies into firstly, assertive (stating, suggesting, boasting, complaining, claiming, and reporting), secondly, directive (ordering, commanding, requesting, advising, and recommending), thirdly, commissive (promising, vowing, and offering),fourthly, expressive (thanking, congratulating, 'pardoning, blaming, praising, and condoling), and lastly, declaration (resigning, dismissing, christening, naming, excommunicating, appointing, and sentencing). The aims of this research are 1) to identify and describe the speech act of the national and regional airlines slogans, and 2) to find out the speech act commonly used in the national and regional airlines slogans. The result of the research shows that 1) the speech act of national airlines slogans are commissive 50%, assertive 35.7%, and directive 14.3% while the speech act of regional airlines slogansare assertive 70%, directive 17.5%, and commissive 12.5%, and 2) the speech act commonly used in the national airlines slogans is commissive while in the regional airlines slogans is assertive.

KEYWORDS

speech acts, national airlines slogan, regional airlines slogan

INTRODUCTION

This article is a preliminary study on the types of the speech acts of the national and regional airlines through their slogans. The national airlines that are referred to are the Indonesian airlines while the regional airlines are those from ASEAN countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Timor Leste, and Laos is excluded because data could not be obtained.

The method used in this research is descriptive analysis. It describes the types of the speech of the Indonesian airlines, as the national airline, and Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Timor Leste, as the regional airlines (except Laos). The first step was to research about the airlines and their slogans. The second step was to classify the airlines slogans into the types of speech acts: assertive, directive, commissive, expressive, or

declaration based on the Searle taxonomy. The last was to compare and conclude the type of speech act commonly used by the national and regional airlines.

As a preliminary study, this research could trigger to do further researches to learn the culture or the way of thinking through their slogans, which will impact to the customers consideration in choosing the airlines aside from the price and services.

RESULT AND DISCUSSIONS

Speech act, according to Yule (2000:47), is actions performed via utterances. It can be classified into locutionary act, illocutionary act, and perlocutionary act while Austin in Robinson (2006: 85) classifies speech act as Expositives, Comrnissives, Behabitives, Exercitives, and Verdictives. Searle in Leech (1991) also classifies speech act into five different types. They are Assertive, Cornmissive, Directive, Expressive, and Declarations. Searle's classification is used in this research.

After doing the research, it is found the type of speech acts in the national and regional airlines , slogans. Data for the study taken from 14 slogans from Indonesia airlines as the national airlines (Table I), and 40 slogans fiom eight ASEAN countries airlines as regional airlines (Table 2), are as follows:

Table 1 Indonesia Airlines as National

I NO I Countrv Total 11 I Indonesia 14

11 I Singapore 4

Table 2 ASEAN Countries' Airlines as Regional

I No I Countw Total

2 3 4 5

Malaysia Philippines

6 7

From the table 1, it shows that the national airlines mentioned in this research are those fiom Indonesia which has 14 airlines slogans while table 2 shows eight from the ten, including Indonesia, ASEAN countries as the regional has 40 airlines slogans. The countries are Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, and East Timorl Timor Leste. Table 3, shows the types of the speech of Indonesian airlines slogans, from 14 Indonesian airlines.

6 6

Thailand Burma

8 1 Vietnam Total

10 5

East Timorl Timor Leste Cambodia

4 40

1 4

Table 3 Speech Actsof Indonesian Airlines Slogans

The data above describe that the speech act found in the Indonesian airlines are assertive, cornmissive, and directive. The data show that cornmissive is ' the highest in rank at 50%, secondly assertive second at 35.7%, and directive third at 14.3%. See Figure 1.

Fig. 1 I 1

No

1

2

3

4

6

7

8

lo

l 1

12 '

l 3

l4

Speech Acts of

Slogan

Love Is In The Air

Kartika Smile - A Classic Way to Fly

A Great Way to Fly

The Spirit of Riau

Fly Is Cheap

We'll fly you safely

Humility for Professionalism

We make people fly

I Believe I can Fly

Your Flying Partner

Your Complete Air transport Solution For All of Indonesia

We Serve You Here . . . There . . . And Everywhere

Get The Feeling

Enjoy simplicity

Airlines

Gamda Indonesia

Kartika Airlines

Pelita air

Riau Airlines

Wing abadi Airlines1 Wings Air

Airfast Indonesia

Batavia Air

Lion air

Deraya Air

Sriwijaya Air

susi ~ i r

Trigana Air Service

Merpati Nusantara

Citilink

Indonesia Airlines ... 1

Speech Act

Assertive

Assertive

Assertive

Assertive

Assertive

Commissive

Commissive

Commissive

Cornqlissive

Commissive

Commissive

Commissive

Directive

Directive

Commisive

Assertive

35.70% Directive

Table 4, is the types of speech acts of ASEAN countries airlines slogans. The data were obtained from their official websites. Four slogans from Singapore airlines were found, six slogans from Malaysia airlines, six slogans from Philippines airlines, ten slogans from Thailand airlines, five slogans from Burma airlines, one slogan from East Timorl Timor Leste, four slogans from

Cambodia airlines, and four slogans from Vietnam airlines. The slogans from the eight ASEAN counties is 14 slogans.

Table 4 S~eech Actsof ASEAN Countries Airlines Slogans

1 V

No 1 Airlines I Slogan I Speech Act I

Burma I

Thailand Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Directive

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

- -. .....

4 I Angkor Airways I Bring the World to Angkor Wat I Directive Vietnam

Cambodia

1 I Jetstar Pacific Airlines I It S All About Choice 1 Assertive

Thai Airways Bangkok Airways Happy Air Nok Air Solar Air Sunny Airwyas Chrystal Thai Airlines Kan air Nok Mini Airlined SGA Airlines Orient Thai Airlines

1 2 3 4 5

Smooth as Silk Asia's Boutique Airline Smooth Travelling We Fly Smiles Thai Fly Fly Thai Sunny Airways, Always Smile Wing of Asia Flying with Nature Air-Link to charming Places Do it by heart

East Timorl Timor Leste 1 I Air Timor I Experience Adventure with a difference I Commissive

Treasure of Myanmar Flying beyond Expectations Safety, Reliability and Comfort You're safe with us Fly beyond your dreams

Air Bagan Air KBZ Air Mandalay Yangon Airways Asian Wings Airways

1 2 3

iarus crane

Assertive Assertive Commissive Commissive Directive

Proudly the national Jag carrier The Spirit ofCambodia For Safety, Comfort, Premium Air Travel to Cambodia

Cambodia Angkor Air President Airlines TonleSap Airlines

--

2 3 4

From the 40 slogans of the eight ASEAN countries assertive is the highest speech act at 70%. The second speech act used by the ASEAN countries airlines is directive, at 17.5% while the commissive, is third at 12.5%. Based on the findings, the airline companies in the ASEAN countries seem confident that the customers would choose them although they do not promise something to the customers.

Assertive Assertive Commissive

Vietnam Airlin Air Mekong VietJet Air

Bringing Vietnamese Culture to the World Discover the country with the s Save More, Fly More

Speech Act of ASEAN Countries Airlines ...

17.50% 12.50% Commissive

Assertive

70.00% 4 Directive

CONCLUSION

The results of the research reveal that: 1. the speech acts of national airlines' slogans are commissive 50%, assertive 35.7%,

and directive 14.3% while the speech acts of regional airlines slogans are assertive 70%, directive 17.5%, and comrnissive 12.5%; and a

2. the speech act commonly used in the national airlines slogans is cornmissive while in the regional airlines' slogans is assertive.

REFERENCES

Leech, Geofiey (1991). Principles of Pragmatics. London: Longman

Robinson, Douglas (2006). Introducing Performative Pragmatics.New York: Routledge

Yule, George (2000). Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press