CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

If language is defined merely as a system of communication, then language is not

unique to humans. There are, however, certain characteristics of human language not

found in the communication systems of any other species. A basic property of human

language is its creative aspect-a speaker’s ability to combine the basic linguistic units to

form an infinite set of “well formed” grammatical sentences, most of which are novel,

never before produced or heard (Fromkin et al, 2003: 29).

Language functions as a means of communication within our lives. Most of us as

human beings deploy this device or tool to ease our lives in order to express anything. It

serves the most important role namely as tool that allows us to communicate or to interact

one to another under the sun.

As mentioned above, that the basic property of human language is its creative

aspect, the speakers’ ability to create a set of language that never being produced or heard

before. To talk about languages means to talk about kinds of it. There are many languages

created out there to help the speakers to communicate one to another. One of it, which is

very creative is the artificial language or constructive language.

A constructed language (conlang) is meant to function just like any natural language

(natlang)—a complex system for communicating between humans or, perhaps, aliens or

1
 fictional beings (Emrys, 2015: 1).These constructed languages take up many forms and

emerge as the natural phenomenon within the industrial entertainment, in other words,

they implicitly became a part of the movie and being the center of attention when it deals

with the fantasy, magic or mythical creature within the movie. It is used widely within

many blockbuster movies such as StarTrek, Lord of the Rings and recently Avatar.

Within the Avatar movie, there are utterances that are hardly understood by those

who were watching, this alienated expressions such as noburatsi, toruk, maktou and

omaticaya is part of a language called Na’vi and is used by the humanoid race type like

(called omaticaya) within the movie Avatar. As noticed, the sentence above, neither show

relevant meanings semantically nor relate to any forms of the languages existed out there.

Nonetheless, it is still questionable whether the language is derived from existing one or

merely an imaginative piece of work.

Due to the problem explained, the writer would like to conduct a research related

to the word formation and the meanings of the Na’vi used on Avatar movie under the title

“SEMANTIC ANALYSIS ON WORDS AND PHRASES OF NA’VI

CONSTRUCTED LANGUAGE FOUND IN AVATAR MOVIE”.

1.2 Problems

The problems of this research are as follows:

1. What are the forms of Na’vi constructed language found in the Avatar movie?

2. What are the meanings of Na’vi constructed language found in the Avatar movie?

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1.3 Aims and benefits

1.3.1. Aims

The aims of this study are

1. To identify the forms of Na’vi used in the Avatar movie.

2. To find out the meanings of each Na’vi used in the Avatar movie

1.3.2. Benefits

The benefits of this study are:

1. For the writer:

2. This writing is very important for the writer in order to develop and enrich his

knowledge in learning English, especially about the use of constructive language

and its development.

3. For public:

a) By knowing the result of this study, people are accustomed to constructive

language especially those which are used in the movies.

b) People will be given information about the list of Na’vi along with its

explanation about its formation and meaning and also the right occasion to

use it.

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 c) Due to the information given by this study, the people will get abundant

information about the constructive language that is widely used nowadays

in the movies.

1.4 Scope of Writing

This writing is focused on the use of constructed language of Na’vi on avatar

movie, whether the Na’vi are in the form of words, phrases, clauses or sentences in which

the writer would like to find out the Na’vi language used, its meanings and also about its

forms.

1.5 Definition of Terms

In order to avoid misunderstanding in reading this paper, the writer presents the meaning

of specific terms related to the topic, they are as follows:.

a. Constructed language is a planned or constructed language (sometimes called a

conlang) is a language whose phonology grammar and vocabulary have been

consciously devised for human or human like communication, instead of having

developed naturally.” (wikipedia,2017). In this research conlang is a language which its

own grammar and vocabulary are designed as a means of communication that serves

certain purposes. In this research, constructed language refers to designed language that

serves as a means of communication within the avatar movie. It is used as the mother

tongue of the humanoid race called Omaticaya within the movie.

b. Movie is a story recorded as a set of moving pictures to be shown on television or at the

cinema (Hornby, 1995:434). movie as it is called is a moving pictures recorded then

4
 displayed as combination of images and sounds. In this research,movie is a media of

researching constructed language within the Avatar movie.

c. Na’vi is the language used by the humanoid race resembles mankind (omaticaya) on the

Avatar movie. In this writing na'vi is the language used by the humanoid race within

the avatar movie. In this research, navi as the constructed language will be examined by

its phrase and words.

d. Meaning is more than a matter of intentions on the part of individual language users, it is

also a matter of convention, which is related to the fact that the connection between a

linguistic sign and what it stands for is arbitrary (Filip, 2008: 31). In this research,

meaning can be interpreted as a matter of intension that is performed by the characters

within the movie in the forms of words and phrases in na’vi language in the Avatar

movie.

1.6 Organization of Writing

This writing is systematically arranged into five chapters: Chapter I is the

introduction which consists of background, problems, aims and benefits, scope of writing,

definition of terms, and organization of writing. Chapter II is review of related literature

which contains the theories related to slang which is used as references for the success of

this writing. Chapter III is Research Method, which consists of: Research Design, Sources

of Data and Informant, Procedure of Research, Technique of data Collection and

Procedure of Data Analysis. Chapter IV is Finding and Discussion. Chapter V is

conclusion and suggestion.

5
 CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 The Definition of Semantics

Linguistic is a scientific study of language. The approach of the study is

distinguished into its levels of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics. Thus

semantics in linguistics is called linguistic semantics (Verhaar in Semiun, 2012:1).

The study of the linguistics meaning of morphemes, words, phrases, and sentences

is called semantics. Subfields of semantics are lexical semantics, which is concerned with

the meanings of words, and the meaning of relationship among words; and phrasal or

sentential semantics, which is concerned with the meaning of syntactic units larger than

the word. (Fromkin et al, 2003:173)

According to Finegan (2008:13), Semantics is a more familiar term than

phonology, morphology, or syntax due to its nature that deals with meaning directly.

Semantics has to do with meaning, and linguistic semantics is the study of the systematic

ways in which languages structure meaning, especially in words and sentences.

The meanings (semantics) are unobservable and they are represented by sounds in

phonology, morphemes and words in morphology, and phrases and sentences in syntax. In

other words, semantics deals with the meaning of sounds, meanings of morphemes and

words, and meanings of phrases and sentences. (Semiun, 2012:2). Due to the definitions

from the experts above, the writer concludes that csemantics is the study of linguistic

6
meaning of morphemes, phrases, words, and sentences. The subfield of semantics is

differentiated into lexical semantics and phrasal semantics.

2.2 Aspects of Semantics

Accoding to Semiun (2012:10), there are four aspects of semantics: (1) Sign, (2)

Symbol, (3) Concept, and (4) Naming. The differences between sign and symbol are in the

following ways. First, sign has direct relationship with the reality while symbol refers to

indirect relationship. Second, sign is universal while symbol is not universal. Follow the

explanation below.

NO ENTRANCE! DILARANG MASUK!

Sign Symbol (English) Simbol (Indonesian)

The cyclic sign is universal. It is found everywhere in the world. Meanwhile,

symbol is not universal. In countries where English is the first language, people use “NO

ENTRANCE”, while in Indonesia people use “DILARANG MASUK”. What everyone

knows in mind is the meaning of both sign (circle with horizontal double lines in the

middle) and the symbol (language: English or Indonesian).

For the clear explanation, look at the triangle below.

7
Concept

symbol referent

Richards et al in Semiun (2012:10) explain the difference between symbol,

concept and referent in the Semantic Triangle above. They say that concept is the general

idea or meaning which is associated with a word or symbol in a person’s mind. Concepts

are the abstract meanings which words and other linguistic items represent. The forming

of concept is closely related to language acquisition, and the use of concepts to form

propositions is basic to human thought and communication. Concept is represented by

significant/signifier (symbol representing meaning; signification refers to referent that

causes thinking process). Thus, symbol is unit of word(s), while referent is object, fact,

activity, or process in the world, while concept is what we have in our mind about an

object, fact, etc. expressed by symbols.

The triangle shows that: (1) there is a mutual relationship between concept and

symbol, (2) there is a one-way relationship between concept and referent; referent gives

stimulus to the user (speaker) of symbol that makes him possess a concept called mental

image about the object, and (3) there is an arbitrary relationship between symbol and

referent, or there is not direct relationship between symbol and referent.

Naming deals with giving names by humans. They are labels of things, objects,

activities, or process.

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2.3 Types of Semantics

Pateda in Semiun (2012:24) explained that there are seven types of semantics

namely: (1) behavioristic semantics, (2) descriptive semantics, (3) generative semantics,

(4) grammatical semantics, (5) historical semantics, (6) lexical semantics, and (7)

structural semantics, but from those types, only generative semantics and lexical

semantics will be explained below for having relationship with constructed language of

Na’Vi. These two types of semantics are closely related to the Na’vi in which generative

semantic refers to how the meaning generated in one’s mind and uttered by means of a set

of transformational and phonological rules. Thus, as indicated by the movie in this

research the main figure tries to learn the language bit by bit in order to grasp the rules, the

meaning and also the way to pronounce it correctly. In other words, he generated the

meaning and uttered it in such a way to convey what he has in mind. In addition to it the

meaning of Na’vi language sometimes can be ambiguous. Thus, in this case the lexical

semantic takes the part to play.

2.3.1 Generative semantics

Generative semantics is a sub branch of generative linguistics of universal

grammar proposed by Chomsky in his book: Syntactic Structures (1957). In his

explanation about linguistics he used two popular terms: competence referring to

knowledge about language used, while performance is the actual use of language. It is

called generative because according to Chomsky what everyone knows in mind (meaning)

is generated by generating sentences .

9
 So, in terms of semantics he contends that when someone is using language or

performing language in real use, he is actually generating surface structure, while is

understood from the surface structure deals with deep structure. Thus, language has two

structures: surface structure and deep structure. The deep structure here is the meaning

dealt with by the study of semantics. However, this theory, generative semantics, then was

modified with the addition of transformation process to come to surface structure. Thus

Chomsky is not able to explain the relationship of deep structure and surface structure. See

the diagram belowof Lyons (1977) to illustrate the intended process or diagram: Universal

Grammar Model of Chomsky.

Semantic
Interpretation
=SI

Transformati
onal rules=T-
rules

Surface
Structure=SS

Phonological
rules = P-
rules

Phonological
Representation=
PR

The diagram above shows that to explain the relationship of syntactic structure and

semantic structure needs transformational rules and phonological rules. In other words, to

10
perform actual use of language needs inner process. So before one speaks he starts by

mental process (semantic interpretation). Then the semantic interpretation (SI) is changed

to surface structure (SS) by means of T-rules. Finally, before uttering or sounding what a

speaker has in mind (SS) there is another process by means of P-rules of language

(sentences) to be heard by the listener. The listener will undergo the same process before

he gets turn to speak. To sum, generative semantics is the branch of generative linguistic

focusing on the process of how meaning is transformed by means of transformational

rules and phonological rules for the listener to listen and understand.

2.3.2 Lexical semantics

Lexical semantics deals with the study of meanings of words called lexical

meanings. Meanings in dictionaries are examples of meanings of words in lexical

semantics (Verhaar, 1983). The word habitat in dictionary can be (1) a place to live for

someone or a group of society, (2) a place to live for a certain organism, natural place for

certain plants or animals, and (3) a place for a certain plants, animals or human beings

with a certain condition in the world. So lexical semantics deals with the explanations of

words such as found in dictionaries.

The same as lexical meaning, Na’vi in the avatar movie also deals with meanings

but a bit ambigous if just uttered. For example, the sentence “I see you” or in Na’vi

means “oel ngati kameie” can have meanings: (1) I see into you, , (2) I love you (3) I look

into your inner self, , (4) I know the real you.

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 2.4 Types of Meaning

According to Richards and Schmidt in Semiun (2012:30), meaning is what a

language expresses about the world we live in or any possible or imaginary world.There

are three ways to explain meaning (by linguists and philosophers): (1) by giving definition

of words (there is a relationship between a word and a thing or material, or reference, (2)

by defining sentences (sentences are used to explain what have happened (events, belief,

opinion), and (3) by explaining process of communication (language is used as medium of

communication). Consider the following examples:

SPINSTER MEANS “UNMARRIED WOMAN” (1)

JAMES MURDERED MAX (2)

A. ARE YOU GOING TO BED SOON? (3)

B. WHAT D’YOU MEAN?

A. I MEAN THAT I’M TIRED, AND THE SOONER YOU GO TO BED, THE SOONER I

CAN

Meaning itself is divided into some types namely: (1) lexical meaning, (2)

contextual meaning, (3) conceptual meaning, and (4) thematic meaning.

2.4.1 Lexical meaning

This type of meaning is also called semantic meaning or external meaning. It is

meaning or individual words of lexicon or derivation, as seen in dictionaries. Lexical

meaning can be grouped into:

1) Conceptual meaning

It is also called denotation or reference or cognitive or descriptive meaning. It is a meaning

as a concept, or as what is expressed by its referent. Conceptual meaning as known as (a)

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 generic meaning, a wide or general meaning that involves some specific or narrowed

meanings., eg: ‘Sekolah kami menang’. Sekolah refers to not only the building but also

teachers, students and administrative staff, (b) specific meaning, a specific conceptual

meaning. Eg: Ahli bahasa: a man that is expert only in linguistics.

2) Associative meaning

It is also called transferred or figurative meaning. This kind of meaning refers to meaning

that is beyond its conceptual meaning. The meaning is transferred to other meaning that is

different from its conceptual meaning as seen in: ‘there are many flower in the village in my

village. Flower here is not flower but a girl. In the case of relationship with Na’vi,

Associative meaning is grouped into:

a) Connotative meaning referring to meaning of words because of association, and it is

different from its lexical meaning, eg: ‘Give him an envelope to get his things done’.

Amplop here means money.

b) Stylistic meaning, dealing with the meanings of words in literature. It appears when

words are used as proverbs (peribahasa).

c) Idiomatic meaning. Meanings of idioms that are beyond the meanings of lexical words

or grammatical elements, as in ‘ketakutan, kesedihan’ contain grammatical meaning, but

‘kemaluan’ contains idiomatic meaning. Other examples: ‘membanting tulang’ (working

hard), ‘meja hijau’ (court), ‘panjang tangan’ (thief).

2.4.2 Contextual meaning

Contextual meaning is also called situational meaning. It is as a result of the

relation between utterances and situation. When someone dies in a family, for instance,

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the words used are showing bad situation. In short, situation or context determines the

meaning of words. Example, ‘Ibu, saya lapar’ is different from ‘Waktu itu saya lapar’.

The word lapar in the first sentence means she needs food to eat, while in the second

sentence means she tells her situation in past time.

2.4.3 Conceptual meaning or sense

This refers to logical, cognitive, or denotative content. It is apart of the meaning of

a word or phrase that relates it to phenomena in the real world or in a fictional or possible

world. For example, the denotation of the English word bird is a two-legged, winged, egg-

laying, warm-blooded creature with a back.

According to Finch (2003:134), Conceptual sense denotes the stable semantic

features of a word. If, for example, you had to say what the words woman and man meant,

one answer would be to say that a woman was a ‘human, adult, female’ and,

correspondingly, a man would be a ‘human, adult, male’. These items of information, or

semantic features, serve to categorise the terms woman and man, as well as to distinguish

them from related terms. For example, man is distinguished from bull by the feature

‘human’, from woman by the feature ‘male’, and from boy by the feature ‘adult’. We can

set out the relationships in formal terms as below:

woman: [_ human _ adult _ female]

man: [_ human _ adult _ male]

girl: [_ human _ adult _ female]

boy: [_ human _ adult _ male]

bull: [_ human _ adult _ male]

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 Semantic feature analysis attempts to account for the conceptual sense of a word

according to the presence or absence of a specific feature in the word’s profile. It works

very well for words with a high lexical content and allows us to map a certain level of

sense onto words with some degree of accuracy. What we are identifying is a kind of core

meaning which is fairly resistant to changes of time or culture. The conceptual senses of

woman and man have been the same for centuries, and will probably be so for a good few

more. This is not to say there might not be disagreement over which category to place

particular individuals in – cultures differ over when someone is considered a man, for

example – but the conceptual sense of a word is not dependent on its reference: it is what

the word can be said to denote. It’s important to bear in mind, however, that a word may

have more than one conceptual sense. The noun flight, for example, can have the senses of

‘a series of steps’, ‘a journey by air’, ‘a unit of the air force’, ‘the power of flying’, and ‘a

digression’. All of these are related in some way, and we shall be looking at sense

relations a little later on, but they are different enough to constitute distinct conceptual

senses.

2.5 Constructed Language

A constructed language (conlang) is meant to function just like any natural language

(natlang)—a complex system for communicating between humans (or, perhaps, aliens or

fictional beings) ( Emrys, 2015: 1).

The term “constructed language is used to denote a language that has a phonology,

morphology, syntax, and sometimes alphabet attributed to an individual human inventor.

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Danish linguist Otto Jespersen first coined the term in 1928 in a text where he introduced his

own constructed language, called Novial. While the term “artificial language” is a close

synonym, some linguists believe the term “artificial” carries a pejorative connotation and

therefore should be avoided. Other linguists prefer the terms “invented language,” or

“planned language.” “In short, [linguists] lack a generally accepted core term,” and for this

reason, constructed languages are best defined by their opposites: natural or ethnic languages

(Adelman, 2014:545).

2.6 Types of Constructed Language

One of the most popular distinctions is the one between a-priori systems, in which

the morpheme do not bear resemblance to those in any existing language, and a posteriori

systems, in which the words are derived (possibly in some adapted form) from existing

languages, usually Romance. Another is the distinction between philosophical languages,

which have as one of their goals to improve the way people think and the precision of the

way they communicate their thoughts, and international languages, which are intended to

serve for interethnic communication across language barriers. (A priori systems are

usually philosophical, and international languages often have a substantial a posteriori

component, but the implication is not as strong in the other direction)(Oostendorp in

Schubert,2000:1).

2.6.1 A Priori Languages

A priori languages is said to be “invented from whole cloth” and bear almost no

resemblance to the mother tongue of the speaker. The paradigmatic example of an a priori

language is Solresol, developed by Jean François Sudre in the 1830s. Sudre believed that
16
 since people throughout Europe enjoyed the same musical compositions, music was the

key to developing an international language.He designed a language whose vocabulary

was constructed from the seven notes of the musical scale: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si. Since

his language relied on just seven notes, one could communicate not just by singing but

also by playing the violin or whistling.Though few people actually bothered to learn the

intricate vocabulary of Solresol, a small core maintained a society dedicated to its

propagation until the beginning of the twentieth century (Adelman, 2014:546).

2.6.2 A Posteriori Languages

A posteriori languages use elements of existing languages, but then simplify or modify

them to serve a particular purpose.Since Latin for many years served as the lingua franca of

Europe’s intelligentsia, several a posteriori languages have been raised on the foundations of

classical Latin. Among the most famous is Latino sine Flexione, developed by University of

Turin mathematics professor Giuseppe Peano at the turn of the twentieth century. Peano

formed the lexicon of Latino sine Flexione by using all words that existed in Latin as well as

every word that was common to English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Russian. In

an effort to make Latino sine Flexione more user friendly, Peano also eliminated the complex

inflections and declensions for number, gender, tense, and mood (Adelman, 2014:546).

2.7 The Use of Constructed Language

Constructed language is emerging and developing more and more as the years

passed, regardless of the domain or the speaker it possesses, it remains to evolve

somehow by a mere of entertainment language into the property of society, in this

17
section, the writer would like to present the developed constructed languages, it can be

said that they range from means communication into an established language as now.

This section functions as a comparison in terms of Na’vi constructed language that will

be investigated resembles many aspects of the other three below in their own terms,

such as process and formation. They are as follows.

2.7.1 Esperanto

Esperanto was created in 1887 by L.L. Zamenhof in reaction to social tension

between Russians, Poles, Germans, and Jews in his native Poland. He felt that

uniting everyone with a common, neutral language would help to foster

harmony. It has since given rise to numerous spinoff languages, books,

conferences, songs, and other works (Emrys, 2015:9).

For example, Bonantagon! Kiel vi fartas?means “Good day! How are you?”.

One pangram is Aĥ! Kaŝiĝuvihejme! Apenaŭuzeblasĉifiecalangtordaĵo.(“Ah!

Hide yourself at home.This filthy tongue twister is almost useable.”)

2.7.2 Elvish Languages

The English writer and philologist J.R.R. Tolkien is best known for his

novels The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. The stories provide a portal into

Middle Earth, the fantasy world that Tolkien spent much of his life

enveloping, especially its Elvish languages. J.R.R. Tolkien’s Quenya is one of

18
 the languages spoken by the elves in his fictional land of Middle Earth

(Emrys, 2015:9).

A Quenya greeting is Elensílalúmenn’ omentielvo(“a star shines upon the

hour of our meeting”). The poem (aka Galadriel’s Lament) begins: Ai!

lauriëlantarlassisúrinen, yéniúnótimëverámaraldaron!(“Ah! like gold fall the

leaves in the wind, long years numberless as the wings of trees!”)

2.7.3 Klingon

The Klingon language (xifanhol_ortlhInganHol), set in the Star Trek

universe, was created by Mark Okrand based on the warlike culture and

snippets of conversation from Klingons in the TV series. Klingon is thus

informed by (and sometimes informs) the larger fiction. The language is harsh

and guttural, and combines uncommon but natural linguistic features to create

an ‘alien’ aesthetic (Emrys, 2015:10).

For example, a Klingon would not asknuqzohvudlijzez_nuq

’oHvuDlIj’e’(“What is your opinion?”), but rather say

vudlijhinob._vuDlIjHInob! (“Give me your opinion!”). Similarly, a fairly

polite greeting, nuqneh_nuqneH, is actually a shortening of “What do you

want?” A strong insult is habsoslizquc._HabSoSlI’ Quch! (“Your mother has a

smooth forehead!”)

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 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD

This chapter presents the method of collecting and analyzing data. This chapter is

divided into five parts, they are: research design, source of data and informant, procedure

of research, technique of data collection, and procedures of data analysis.

3.1 Research Design

This research used descriptive-qualitative method. The research induced descriptive

method that aims to describe natural phenomenon that exists on Internet. It is merely used

to describe the forms and meanings of existing constructive language Na’vi used on

movie Avatar.

3.2 Sources of Data

The sources of primary data were the selected utterances which enlisted in avatar movie.

These utterances obviously are Na’vi constructed language used by the omaticaya people

and the avatars or any other related figure within the movie that used it as well. They are

observable and unique both in forms and pronunciation therefore it were eased the process

of identifying performed by the writer. The writer observed the Na’vi constructed

language by distinguishing it apart from the English utterances which also used within the

movie and analysed it.

3.3 Procedures of research

There are several steps were taken in order to get data which are useful for answering the

problems of this writing, namely:

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 1. In first step, the writer observed Na’vi constructed language used by the omaticaya

people and the avatars or any other related figure within the movie.

2. The second step, the writer documented Na’vi constructed language used by the

omaticaya people and the avatars or any other related figure within the movie.

3. The third step, the writer sorted out Na’vi constructed language used by the omaticaya

people and the avatars or any other related figure within the movie.

4. The fifth step, the writer analysed Na’vi constructed language used by the omaticaya

people and the avatars or any other related figure within the movie.

3.4 Technique of Data Collection

There were two techniques used to collect the data. They were as follows:

3.4.1 Observation

The researcher conducted observation through watching the movie then investigated the

Na’vi constructed language used by the omaticaya people and the avatars or any other

related figure within the movie.

3.4.2 Documentation

Documentation was done in order to get important data or points while the movie was

going on. Besides that, by doing this technique the researcher was able to document the

whole Na’vi language used by the artists or actors when they interact and then analyze it.

The researcher used the screenshot feature of Kmplayer to capture the subtitles

containing the utterances while the movie on play as the stored images in the computer.

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3.5 Procedure of Data Analysis

The analysis of data was started with the review of all the data gained from the result of

interview and documentation. The data were translated into English and then the writer

analyzed its context to determine the meaning and the function of it.

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 CHAPTER IV

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

The data analysis result is taken from the analyzing process of data

concerning the semantic analysis words and phrases of NA’VI constructed language found

in Avatar movie. This chapter consists of two main discussions; the first part is the forms

of na’vi constructed language found in the Avatar movie. The other one is discussion

about the meanings of na’vi constructed found in avatar movie. In this chapter the writer

presents the data that have been analyzed in the semantic fields. The data are the

utterances of semantic items that have been found in Avatar movie.

4.1 The Findings of Semantic Form

In this part Table 1.1 Lists of Items, the writer will provide the findings dealing with the

forms of the semantic.

Table 1.1 Lists of Items

N Phrase
Utterance Words
Source
O s

1 fayvrrtep!  -
Neytiri
2 Faysawtute 
Neytiri
3 Tsun Tivam 
Grace
4 Ftang nga 
Neytiri
5 Kehe 
Neytiri

23
6 Rutxe  Neytiri

7 Pot Zamunge  Tsu'tey

8
Atokirina  Neytiri
9
Makto ko  Tsu'tey
10
Pot Lonu  Neytiri

11 Mawey 
Tsu’tey

12 Aungia  Neytiri

13 Ma sempul  Neytiri

 Jake
14 Na’viya

15 Tsaswiräti lonu  Neytiri

16 Aungia lolu  Jake

17 Pot zamunge  Neytiri

18 Makto ko  Tsu’tey

19 Ma sempul  Neytiri

20 Tsamsiyu pak  Jake

21 Ma 'ite  Tsutey

22 Oeru pelun  Jake

23 Sìltsan  Neytiri

24
 24 Kä  Tsutey

25 Txur nì'ul  Neytiri

4.2 Semantic Analysis of Na’vi constructed language on words and phrases found in
Avatar movie

Based on the observation, the researcher has identified that there are many semantic

words and phrases of Na’vi (constructed language) used by the humanoid race

(omaticaya) in Avatar Movie, they are sorted out based on the following types of

semantic, along with its types, the writer also discusses about the meanings as well.

4.2.1 Words, phrases and Compound

Based on data analysis of Na’vi constructed language in the Avatar movie, there are some

data words and phrases which writer finds among others as follows;

4.2.1.1 Word

Word is not just a building-block of sentences: it is a building-block with a

meaning that is unpredictable, or at least sufficiently unpredictable that learners of

English, and even sometimes native speakers, may need to consult a dictionary in

order to discover it (Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002:5).

DATA 1 : KEHE : NO

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : You shouldn’t be here 45.53

25
 Jake : Okay, take me with you 45.56

Neytiri : No, go back 45.57

Jake : No 46.02

Neytiri : Kehe, go back 46.03

Data Discussion

In the utterance above, Neytiri uses the word kehe which means “no”, it is a

interjection to Jake when he tries to hit another spirit in the form of seeds of sacred tree.

This word is expressed by Neytiri when she is in fear of Jake that he might hit another

seeds.

DATA 2 : RUTXE :PLEA

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Ftang nga! 46:28

Jake : Rutxe. No! 46:25

Neytiri : Atokirina! Atokirina! 46:26

Jake : No 46:28

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Neytiri uses the word rutxe, it is a plea that Jake should not

move a muscle when the seeds of sacred tree are about to approach him. This word is

26
 expressed by neytiri to show her concern to the spirit seeds when Jake is not stopping

them in the first place.

DATA 3 : ATOKIRINA : SEEDS OF THE GREAT TREE

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Ftang nga! 46.22

Neytiri : Rutxe No! 46.25

Neytiri : Atokirina! Atokirina! 46.26

Data discussion

In the utterance above, neytiri uses the word Atokirina to call the seeds of sacred

tree. She emphasizes the importance of those seeds in addition that it is very sacred thing

in the planet, a very pure spirit in the form of seed

DATA 4 : AUNGIA : A SIGN

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Jake : What was that all about? 47.27

Neytiri : Aungia 47.27

Neytiri : Come. 47.30

Jake : come! 47.33

Neytiri : Where we going? 47.36

27
 Data discussion

In the utterance above, neytiri uses the word Aungia which means a sign, the use

of this word indicates a hunch felt by Neytiri when she saw that the seed of sacred tree

stayed still at Jake’s body that it might mean something.

DATA 5 : MAWEY : CALM

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri: Mawey 48.35

Neytiri: What are you doing, Tsu'tey? 48.44

Tsu'tey: These demons are forbidden here! 48.49

Neytiri : There has been a sign! This is a matter for the Tsahik! 48.55

Data discussion

Neytiri uses the word mawey to her people, it is a warning to her people to stay

put when they try to confront jake in the first place. This word is uttered by Neytiri with

the intention of stopping Tsutey and the other omaticaya of hurting Jake after she saw the

sign.

DATA 6 : EKO : ATTACK

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Tsutey : eko, eko, eko 2.27.46

28
 Jake : Brother, I'm gonna punch a hole. 2.27.54

Jake : You follow me through. 2.27.54

Tsutey : Let’s ride 2.27.57

Data discussion

Tsu'tey uses the word eko to the tribes of omaticaya as a command to attack the

human beings who attack their place. The word describes a command to attack with the

archer when their place is attacked by the sky people who come to destroy the sacred

tree.

DATA 7 : TSAHELU : BOND

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri: Tsahelu Jake! Tsaheylu! 1.21.48

Jake : Stop 1.22.02

Neytiri : First flight seals the bond. You cannot wait. 1.21.48

Data discussion

Neytiri uses word Tsahelu to emphasize the importance of creating a bond on Jake

with his ikran immediately. The word Tsahelu means the bond. According to Neytiri, it is

a term that describing the initial process of forming the connection between the rider and

29
 Ikran (giant flying lizard) in order to enable the rider to control his own ikran at will.

Neural connection is just like the machine.

DATA 8 : SKA’A : DESTROY

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Grace : They're coming! 1.52.24

Jake: Ska’a 1.52.26

Data discussion

Jake uses the word Ska’a to the Omaticaya tribes as a warning to get them out of

there because the place will be destroyed by human.

DATA 9 : ONTU : NOSE

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri: Ontu 1.07.29

Jake : Ontu 1.07.30

Jake The language is a pain, but, you know 1.07.32

Jake : Just repetition, repetition 1.07.36

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 Data discussion

Neytiri uses the word Ontu to Jake as description that the part of the body she

points to is nose in the Na'vi language. It is uttered when Neytiri teaches na'vi to Jake by

mentioning “ontu” which means nose.

DATA 10 : ELTUSI : PAY ATTENTION

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Tsu’tey Eltusi 1.25.03

Data discussion

Tsu'tey uses the word “Eltusi” as a command. The word explains the command.

When the omaticaya groups fly with ikran and they make a formation, then Tsu'tey looks

at Jake and Neytiri then he says “Eltusi!” that means they should pay attention and stop

fooling around.

4.1.1.2. Phrase

Phrase is a sequence of two or more words arranged in a grammatical unit and

lacking a finite verb or such elements of clause structure as subject and verb, as a

preposition and a noun or pronoun, an adjective and noun, or an adverb and verb, esp.

such a construction acting as unit in a sentence (Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002:62).

31
 DATA 1 : SET HIVUM : LEAVE NOW

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Eytukan: bind them 1.51.40

Grace: Set hivum 1.51.43

Grace: you have to go. They’re coming! 1.51.46

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Grace uses the phrase Set hivum which means “leave now”

to the people of the Omaticaya tribe. This phrase is constructed by two words namely set

which means now and hivum which means leave. It has a slightly different construction in

English in which the adverb set precedes the verb hivum thus make the meaning reversed

such as “now leave” and is translated into “leave now” In English This phrase denotes the

warning to leave the place when they are attacked by the sky people at hometree.

DATA 2 : FTANG NGA! : STOP IT

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Ftang nga! 46:28

Neytiri : Rutxe. No! 46:25

Neytiri : Atokirina! Atokirina! 46:26

32
 Data discussion

In the utterance above, Neytiri uses the phrase Tfang nga to Jake as an

interdiction. This phrase is constructed by two words namely ftang which means stop and

nga which means you. It has a slightly different construction in English in which the verb

ftang precedes the pronoun nga thus make the meaning reversed such as “stop you” and

is translated into “you stop” In English, the phrase describes a form of prohibition when

Jake hits the seeds of the sacred tree when the tree seeds fly toward him, then Neytiri says

Tfang nga to Jake.

DATA 3 : POT ZAMUNGE : BRING HIM

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Tsu'tey : These demons are forbidden here. 48.51

Neytiri: There has been a sign. 48.53

Neytiri: This is a matter for the Tsahik. 48.57

Tsu'tey : Pot Zamunge 49.03

Jake : What's going on? 49.06

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Tsu'tey uses the phrase Pot Zamunge to his comrades as a

command. This phrase is constructed by two words namely pot which means him and

Zamunge which means bring. It has a slightly different construction in English in which

the pronoun pot precedes the verb Zamunge thus make the meaning reversed such as

33
 “him bring” and is translated into “bring him” In English. The phrase states the command

to bring Jake to hometree because Jake is considered a stranger by the omaticaya tribe.

DATA 4 : MAKTO KO! : LET’S RIDE

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Tsu’tey : Bring him. 49.03

Jake : What's going on? 49.06

Jake : Wait 49.08

Tsu’tey: Makto ko! 49.12

ake : What's happening? 49.13

Data discussion

Tsu'tey uses the word Makto Ko to his comrades, as a command. This phrase is

constructed by two words namely Makto which means ride and Ko which means Let. It

has a slightly different construction in English in which the Makto precedes the verb Ko

thus make the meaning reversed such as “ride let’s” and is translated into “let’s ride” In

English. To notice, the word Ko in this case does not mean let us in English but more

relatable to the saying to solicit an agreement. The phrase states the command to the

comrades to immediately go to home tree.

DATA 5 : POT LONU! : RELEASE HIM

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Pot lonu! 50.20

34
Neytiri : Father 50.26

Neytiri : I see you 50.30

Eytukan : This creature 50.43

Eytukan : why do you bring him here? 50.46

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Neytiri uses the phrase Pot lonu to the others who holds

Jake as a command. This phrase is constructed by two words namely pot which means

him and lonu which means release. It has a slightly different construction in English in

which the pronoun pot precedes the verb lonu thus make the meaning reversed such as

“he release” and is translated into “release him” In English the phrase states the command

to release Jake that is uttered by Neytiri when she is under the impression that Jake must

be something special in terms of an omen shown by Atokirina.

DATA 6 : MEFOTI YÌM : BIND THEM

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri: You will never be one of The People! 1.51.29

Jake: I shouldn't have. 1.51.30

Grace: We tried to stop them! 1.51.32

Jake: Neytiri, please! Please. 1.51.33

Eytukan: Mefoti yìm 1.51.41

35
 Data discussion

In the utterance above, Eytukan uses the phrase Mefoti yìm to Tsu'te as a

command. This phrase is constructed by two words namely mefo which means them and

yìm which means bind. It has a slightly different construction in English in which the

pronoun mefo precedes the verb bind thus make the meaning reversed such as “they bind”

and is translated into “bind them” In English the phrase states the command to

immediately tie up Jake and Grace as they are perceived as traitors by Eytukan.

DATA 7 : MA SEMPUL : MY FATHER

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Pot lonu! 50.20

Neytiri : Ma Sempul 50.26

Neytiri : I see you 50.30

Data discussion

Neytiri uses the word Ma sempul to Eytukan as a term of address, This phrase is

constructed by two words namely Ma which means I and sempul which means father. It

has a slightly different construction in English in which the pronoun ma precedes the

noun sempul thus make the meaning reversed such as “I father” and is translated into “my

father” In English the phrase states the word describes a term of address in the Na'vi

language which means father when Neytiri meets Eytukan in the home tree, then she says

Ma sempul.

36
 DATA 8 : TSASWIRÄTI LONU : RELEASE THIS CREATURE

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri: My father is deciding whether to kill you. 51.04

Jake : Your father. It's nice to meet you, sir 51.08

Neytiri : No 51.10

Mo’at : Tsaswiräti lonu! 51.13

Mo’at : Step back! 51.15

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Mo'at uses the phrase Tsaswiräti lonu to the guards as a

term of address in Na'vi, which means release this creature. This phrase is constructed by

three words namely lonu which means release, swirä which means creature and tsa’u

which means that. It has a slightly different construction in English in which the

demonstrative pronoun tsa’u precedes noun swirä and verb lonu thus make the meaning

reversed such as “that creature release” and is translated into “release that creature” in

English.

DATA 9 : MA ITE : MY DAUGHTER

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Eytukan : We need to learn more about him. 52.30

37
Mo’at: Ma 'ite. 52.35

Mo’at: you will teach him our way 52.39

Mo’at: to speak and walk as we do 52.41

Neytiri : Why me? That's not fair 52.44

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Mo'at uses the phrase Ma ite to Neytiri as a term of

address in Na'vi, which means my daughter. This phrase is constructed by two words

namely ma which means I or me and ite which means daughter. It has a slightly different

construction than English in which the pronoun ma precedes the noun daughter thus

make the meaning reversed such as “me daughter” and is translated into “my daughter”.

The word describes the term of address of the tribe of omaticaya to declare my daughter

when Neytiri will be assigned by her mother (Mo’at) then Mo”at says Ma ite to Jake if

her daughter will teach him their culture.

DATA 10 : OERU PELUN : WHY ME?

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Mo’at: you will teach him our way 52.39

Mo’at: to speak and walk as we do 52.41

Neytiri : Oeru pelun? That's not fair 52.44

Mo’at: It is decided 52.49

38
 Data discussion

In the utterance above, Neytiri uses the phrase Oeru pelun to her mother (Mo'at)

which means “why me?”. This phrase is constructed by two words namely oeru which

means I or me and pelun which means why. It has a slightly different construction in

English in which the pronoun oeru precedes the question word pelun thus make the

meaning reversed such as “me why” and is translated into “why me” In English. The

word describes rejection when her mother commissioned her to teach their culture to

Jake.

DATA 11 : TXUR NI’UL : STRONGER

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Txurni'ul. Stronger. 1.07.45

Jake : Neytiri calls me skxawng. It means moron 1.07.51

Data discussion

. In the utterance above, Neytiri uses the phrases Txur Ni'ul to Jake which means

“stronger” This phrase is constructed by two words namely Txur which means strong and

nì’ul which means more. It has a slightly different construction in English in which the

adjective Txur precedes the adverb nì’ul thus make the meaning reversed such as “strong

more” and is translated into “stronger” In English The phrase explains the command to

jake to draw his bow even stronger, while training archery.

39
 DATA 12 : OEL NGATI KAMEIE : I SEE YOU

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri: Oel ngati kameie 01.18.45

Tsu’tey: Jakesully will go first 01.18.54

Data discussion

Neytiri uses the word Mengati kame to Tsu'tey as a greeting. The phrase states the

greeting. This phrase is formed by three words namely oel which means I, ngati which

means you and kameie which means see. It has a slightly different construction in English

in which the adverb oel precedes the pronoun ngati and the verb kameie thus make the

meaning reversed such as “I you see” and is translated into “ I see you” In English

This phrase is a familiar way of saying a hello within Omaticaya people and it is done by

Neytiri when the group arrived, Neytiri comes and says Mengati kame to Tsu'tey, which

means hello or happy to meet you.

DATA 13 : KIVÄ KO : LET’S GO

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Jake : now what 1.17.05

Tsu'tey : ready! 1.17.06

Tsu'tey : kivä ko 1.17.09

40
 Data discussion

Tsu'tey uses the phrase “kivä ko” to his group as a command. This phrase is

constructed by two words namely kiva which means go and Ko which means Let. It has a

slightly different construction in English in which precedes the adverb kivä and the verb

ko thus make the meaning reversed such as “go let’s” and is translated into “let’s go”

In English the phrase denotes the command to jump immediately when they are at the

top of the rock, they are preparing to jump and grab the root, and then Tsu'tey says “kivä

ko” as a signal that means jump now.

4.1.1.3 Compound Word

DATA 1 : FAYVRRTEP : THESE DEMONS

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Fayvrrtep 42.06

Neytiri : Faysawtute 42.08

Jake : No. wait 42.10

Data discussion

In the utterance above, Fayvrrtep is a compound word formed from the word fay

+ word vrrtep, the kind of this compound is closed form (combined words). It is a

sarcasm that describes the nature of the earthlings that only bring the calamity to the

forest of Na’vi people which resembles the demon. This word is expressed with the

hostility towards Jake due to his action of setting on the fire that should not be lit at all.

41
 DATA 2 : FAYSAWTUTE : THESE SKY PEOPLE

Speaker Utterance Time Lapse

Neytiri : Fayvrrtep 42.06

Neytiri : Faysawtute 42.08

Jake : No. wait 42.10

Data discussion

In the utterance above, faysawtute is a compound word formed from word fay +

word taw + word tsapo.The kind of this compound is closed form (combined words).

Neytiri uses the word Faysawtute which means sky people, hand in hand with the word

Fayvrrtep, this word is a sarcasm that is addressed to jake due to his previous action, it

describes the earthlings who used to be on the planes and unaware of the custom of

omaticaya people. This word is expressed by Neytiri to express her anger while throwing

the torch into the stream which has been the cause of the ruckus.

42
 CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

Based on data analysis presented in chapter IV, the researcher would like to

present the conclusions and to offer some suggestions.

5.1 Conclusion

Having analyzed the data as stated in the previous chapter of this study, the writer

makes some conclusions based on the findings and discussion as follows:

1. Based on the research the writer found that there are 25 data of words, phrases and

compound word of Na’vi constructed language in Avatar movie, they consist 10 words,

13 phrases and 2 compound words.

No WORDS PHRASES COMPOUND WORD

1 Kehe Tsun Tivam Fayvrrtep

2 Rutxe Pot Zamunge Faysawtute

3 Atokirina Makto ko
4 Mawey Pot Lonu

5 Aungia Ma sempul

6 Na’viya

7 Saswiräti lonu

8 Aungia lolu

9 Pot zamunge

1
Ma 'ite
0

43
 1
Ma sempul
1
1
Tsamsiyu pak
2
1
Oeru pelun
3

2. Based on the data analysis of words and phrases in Avatar movie, the writer

finds the forms of words, phrases and compounds most used by native speakers of the

Na’vi language at most explaining about the form of command.

3. Based on the results of data analysis of words and phrases that exist in the Avatar

movie, the writer found command phrases, prohibition words, greeting words and term of

address and compound words.

4. Based on the results of data analysis of words and phrases, the writer found the

phrases in the Na’vi language has a slightly different construction than English.

5. Based on the results of data analysis of words and phrases, the writer found some

compound words in Na’vi languages such as Fayyrrtep and Faysawtute.

5.2 Suggestion

Based on the conclusion above, the writer proposes as follows:

1. For the readers

The writer hopes the readers would gain the knowledge about semantic through

reading this research paper.

2. For other researchers

This research could be one of the references in studying slang languages. There are

many aspects about semantic which can be analyzed by other researchers. It is

44
 suggested for other researchers and students of English Study Program who are

interested in similar research to analyze about semantics deeper.

3. For learning process

The writer hopes by studying speaking will help student to enrich their knowledge in

learning English, especially about the use of constructive language and its development.

45
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