CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents: (1) Background of the
Study; (2) Research Problems; (3) Objectives of the Study; (4) Significance of
the Study; (5) Scope and Limitation; and (6) Definition of the Key Terms.
1.1 Background of the Study English is very
important nowadays. This language is used mostly for international
communication. The users of English both native speakers and nonnative speakers
become greater in quantity all over the world. English also becomes the first
foreign language to be taught in schools in Indonesia. So, it is not
extraordinary that most of the Indonesian students understand and practice English
in their communication, either at school, home or other places.
Communication using a language
both in oral or written forms can go smoothly if the speaker masters the
language well. The mastery of language is not only concerned with the mastery
of syntactical rules, but also involves some other aspects, such as: active
mastery of a wide range vocabulary, active mastery of a wide syntactical rules,
having competence to find the most appropriate style in expressing ideas, and
logic (Keraf, 1989: 35).
Further, Tarigan (1986: 2)
suggests that the quality of using language as a means of communication depends
on the quantity and quality of vocabulary the speaker has. Mastering a wide
range of vocabulary, however, is not enough without having the ability to
choose appropriate words (diction). [1] In getting good
diction, we should understand well about words and the meaning of words, how to
use dictionary as the source of diction, to choose words appropriately, to
enlarge and activate vocabulary, to choose words which are accurate and
appropriate for the context, and knowing some styles of language which suitable
with the purpose of the composition (Keraf, 2004: vi).
Phytian (2005: 119) says that the
ability to choose appropriate words, which are related to the context, is an
important skill in speaking or writing good English. We also have to consider
whether the word chosen is the best word or not, that is the word which is able
to deliver the purpose we want.
Moreover, Keraf (2004: 24) states
that one who has a wide range of vocabulary and also knows the meaning and the
use of it, will be able to choose whether the words are appropriate or not to
deliver the purpose he/she wants.
Besides that, vocabulary also has
an important role in learning language.
According to Wallace (1987) as
quoted in Talib (1996: 2), learning language is learning the vocabulary of that
language itself. To his support, Rivers (in Talib 1996: 2) states, “It is
impossible to learn a language without vocabulary-without words”.
Keraf (2004: 67) proposed the
ways to enlarge vocabularies; it can be done through learning process, through
contexts, dictionary, thesaurus, and analysis of words. He adds that the
process of enlarging vocabularies through learning process is given at
educational institutions. Teachers have an important role in enriching the
pupils’ vocabulary. They are the persons who give some new terms or words to
their pupils. Those new terms or words should be transformed to the
pupils appropriately as
equal as appropriate meaning and idea because the pupils will follow errors or
mistakes produced by teacher too.In the learning of English, there
are many problems faced by the students.
It is normal for Indonesian
learners to make errors in their learning process since English is a foreign
language. The problems are caused by the different system between Indonesian as
the native language compared to English as the target language which is learnt
(Hartono, 1993: 9).
That problems are also faced by
the students in making a good composition. One of which is choosing appropriate
words in accordance with the context. The examples can be seen from some of diction
errors that arise in their writing work below: 1. Ketapang Harbour is way from Java Island to
Bali Island. (error in accurateness) 2.
My mother sent letter to my school. (error in accurateness) 3. On my holiday with family go to white sands.
(error in common use) In these sentences, the students made several diction
errors. There are three principles in choosing good diction proposed by
Poerwadarminta (1984: 43) in his book “Bahasa Indonesia untuk Karang Mengarang,
as cited by Sujiyati (1995: 26), they are :
(1) the meaning of words chosen has to be accurate for context intended,
(2) the choice of words are based on the aim of the meaning of words for
certain context, (3) the choice of words are commonly used in the society.
These three principles of diction errors are based on linguistics category as
stated by Dulay et al. (1982:146) that is on meaning and lexicon aspects.
The diction errors
arise in these examples are including the accurate usage of the right meaning
and the common usage of the language. Based on a good diction, actually they
should say: 1. Ketapang Harbor is a
shipping lane from Java Island to Bali Island.2. My mother sent a permission letter to my
school.
3. On my holiday, I with my family went to Pasir
Putih.
There are some possible sources
of errors in using language. Brown (1987: 177-181) has stated that by trying to
identify the sources of errors, the teacher begins to arrive at an
understanding of how the learner’s cognitive and affective skills related to
the linguistic system and to formulate and integrate understanding of the
process of second language acquisition. Concerning the origin of errors, he proposes
four kinds of sources of errors, which include interlingual transfer, intralingual
transfer, context of learning, and communication strategy.
This study attempted to identify
and describe the language errors particularly in English diction errors and the
causes of diction errors made by the second year students of SMP Negeri 13
Malang in their written language. The choice of this topic is based on the
several reasons. First, it is very crucial to recognize students’ English
errors, particularly in English diction, since in the early stage of learning
process. The next reason is, junior high school is the beginning level for
Indonesian students in studying English. As the beginner learners of English as
a foreign language, of course several mistakes and errors happen including
errors in using diction. Therefore, it will be very good if the corrections are
given since early stage of English learning process. In doing so, the
students’ future in using English will be good. Third, it is also important to know
the source of errors in order the teachers can avoid the same errors made by their
students, by delivering the materials to their students in the appropriate and effective
techniques in teaching process.
There were several researchers
who have done similar research on diction.
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