A Stylistic Analysis of Figurative Language Style Found in English News Broadcasting Program

Abstract

Now that is done by using sociolinguistic approach. This research is aimed at describing the figurative language involved in the statements, sentences and utterances of the speaker on the television. This research applied a qualitative method that produces results in the form of description. The object of this research is the discourse of Metro TV’s English news program Indonesia Now and other program in English that cover the campaign of Jakarta Gubernatorial Election 2017. The data were collected through downloading the video of the news program from Metro TV, watching and listening attentively to the utterances of the news broadcaster, and transcribing the utterances into the form of transcription. The findings of this research show that the campaign of Jakarta Gubernatorial Election 2017 selected statements, sentences and utterances use many types of figurative style, and the most dominantly used is personification. The use of English in delivering the news program and the content of some segments presented in Indonesia Now make the news discourse intended only for certain audience that are educated and that come from high social class; it helps Indonesia Now as a news program to get high prestige. The news discourse of news program has three functions, they are referential, expressive, and directive. Utterances with referential function are used to deliver information to audience. Expressive utterances are used to lessen the distance between the news broadcaster and audience. The ones with directive functions are used to get the audience to do something. From those three functions, the news discourse of Indonesia Now has referential function as its main function since it is mainly used to deliver information to audience.