CRITICAL JOURNAL REVIEW

SEMANTIC AND PRAGMATIC MEANING

IN INDONESIAN CHILD UTTERANCES

Lecture : Juli Rachmadani Hasibuan, S.S. M.Hum

Major : Language Studies

Arranged by :

Group 3

Alya Aqilah Andimi (2203220038)

Wildina Theressa (2202620001)

ENGLISH LITERATURE DEPARTMENT

FACULTY OF ANGUAGE AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS NEGERI MEDAN 2020
 PREFACE

First of all, praise to God who has given us healthy and chance, so the authors are able to complete
this Critical Journal Review paper without any significant obstacles and completed on time.

In compiling this paper, the authors want to say thank to mam Juli Rachmadani Hasibuan, S.S.
M.Hum who has given the task of this Critical Journal Review so that the authors can better
understand more about what exactly is discussed in the journal and know what are the advantages and
disadvantages. And therefore the authors can complete the preparation of this paper well. The authors
hope this Critical Journal Review can help the reader to gain more knowledge about Semantic and
Pragmatic.

Medan, November 7th 2020

Authors
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE .........................................................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS..................................................................................................ii

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background .............................................................................................................1
1.2 Purpose ...................................................................................................................1
1.3 Benefit ....................................................................................................................1
1.4 Identify of The Journal............................................................................................1
CHAPTER II SUMMARY OF THE JOURNAL
2.1 Summary of The Journal .......................................................................................2
2.2Theory…………………………………………………………………………..... 4
2.3 Method……………………………………………………………………………4
CHAPTER III DISCUSSION
3.1 Advantages .............................................................................................................5
3.2 Disadvantages .........................................................................................................5
CHAPTER IV CLOSING
4.1 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................6
4.2 Suggestion ..............................................................................................................6

REFRENCES ....................................................................................................................7
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CHAPTER I

1.1 Background

The task of criticizing journals is one of the KKNI's mandatory duties. A critical journal
review is a report that contains a summary along with a review of one or more journals. As
for our background in making this report is to fulfill a philosophy course assignment. Title of
the journal is Semantic and Pragmatic Meaning in Indonesian Child Utterances.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of reviewing critical journals is to be able to review the contents of the
journal and of course to know the weaknesses and strengths of the journal. Conduct critical
journal reviews as well to find out more about Semantic and Pragmatic material.

1.3 Benefit

The benefit of a critical journal review is to better understand how to properly criticize a
journal. Also get more knowledge and add insight into the material of Semantic and
Pragmatic. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the journal and of course in order to
complete assignments from a Language Studies course.

1.4 Identity of Journal

 Name of The Journal : Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
 Title of The Journal : Semantic and Pragmatic Meaning in Indonesian Child Utterances
 Vol : 257
 Page : 360-363
 Authors : Leny Saili Rahmah and Aceng Ruhendi Saifullah
 Publisher : UPI 2nd International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture and Education
 Year : 2018
 City : Bandung, Indonesia.
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CHAPTER II

2.1 Summary

a. Introduction

Language acquisition can be seen as a natural process that will occur to every child
since their young age. Each child will follow similar stages in language development. The
ability to get and understand the language is inherited genetically but the particular language
that children speak is culturally and environmentally transmitted to them. Children all over
the world acquire their first language without tutoring.
Utterance meaning is the basis of speaker meaning. When the speaker says something
and the hearer misinterprets, so the speaker must repair by making another utterance. On
most occasions the utterance meaning is presumed to be what the speaker meant. Child’s
utterance is different from an adult. An utterance consists of one or more words, spoken
together under a single intonational contour or expressing a single idea. Indeed, most theories
of multi-word utterance or sentence production ultimately boil down to an account of how
sentences acquire their word orders and structures, how the dependencies between words are
accommodated and a functionally independent account of how individual content words are
generated.
Pragmatics can be showed by verbal or nonverbal. In verbal language acquisition, to utter
something children sometimes use one word to many meanings that still relate. Then, for
non-verbal, children communicate with adults or another person with do the act that the act
has meaning. Pragmatic acquisition of children actually begins early, moreover before they
can produce speech. So, Pragmatic appears when a child does not know the lexicon of some
words. Meanwhile, Semantic is the study of meaning in human language. Human language
develops step by step, it develops with the process. Semantic meaning is the last process after
a phonological complex, structural sentence then pragmatic meaning.

b. Research Method
 The data collection in this study was conducted by recording child utterances when
interacting with other people. Research subject in this study is a 12 months old child. The
data have been collected within 15 months, when the child is 12 until 27 months old.

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c. Findings and Discussion

1. Dudu - Mani - Mandi

There are 3 steps to utter taking a bath or taking a shower from the data in this study. The
first when the child is 12 months, the second when the child 18 months and the third in 27
months. She says ‘Dudu’ for taking a bath. ‘Dudu’ here is meaning for duduk (sitting down).
Semantic meaning for this activity is taking a bath, but for pragmatic meaning for this activity
is taking a bath with playing. In 18 months, the child can utter ‘mani’ for mandi (taking a
bath/ taking a shower) in semantic meaning. The ‘mani’ is pragmatic meaning for all
activities that relate with water, like washing part of body, washing face, washing hand that is
done in the bathroom.

2. Ayam
There are 2 steps to utter chicken. The first when the child 20 months, and the second when
the child 26 months. At 26 months old, the child begins to understand that there is other
meaning for ‘ayam’ but in a different context. ‘ayam’ is chicken for semantic meaning. But
for pragmatic meaning ‘ayam’ is not only as a fried chicken but also french fries, because
fried chicken and french fries in one place, so the child interpret that fried chicken and french
fries are same name.

3.Hus-hus, Memeng, Kucing

There are 3 steps to utter a cat. The first when the child 12 months, the second when the
child 18 months and the third when the child 27 months.Speech production of children are
from imitating people around him. From the data found that the child gets ‘hus-hus’ because
she looked her mother habitual. In 18 months, another word came from other people beside
her mother to indicate a cat, that is ‘memeng’. The language acquisition develops in 27
months. The child can produce a word as the name in Indonesian ‘kucing’ for cat. Although
the pronounce to speech has not been fluent yet. ‘Kucing’ is an utterance that has a pragmatic
meaning for indicating a cat. It is non-verbal pragmatic.
4. Nantik – cantik
There are 3 steps to utter beautiful. The first when the child 14 months, the second when the
child 20 months and the third when the child 24 months. In 24 months, the child develops her
pronunciation. The child can utter ‘cantik’ for beautiful in semantic meaning, then for
pragmatic meaning ‘cantik’ still as utterance for saying wearing band, wearing hairpin and
wearing earrings. The child also still thinks that band, hairpin and earrings are ‘cantik’.

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For the second utterance, the child interprets that chicken, duck, and bird are same because
they have same characteristic; have two legs, have the same size, have resemble shape. So, in
pragmatic meaning the child interpret that duck and bird are chicken.
For the third utterance, the child interprets ‘hus-hus’ is utterance for pets, especially for
pets that have four legs. The utterance ‘hus-hus’ comes from the habitual of the child’s
mother when there is cat that come to her, she says ‘hus-hus’ for casting out a cat. This
perceptual ability vanishes gradually over the second half of the first year of life, and by
about 12 months of age infants perform like adults, reliably discriminating only those speech
sounds that are phonemic in the language of their environment.
The fifth data is ‘nantik’. ‘nantik’ is an utterance for ‘cantik’. it has semantic meaning as
beautiful. Pragmatic meanings for nantik in 14 months are wearing earring. Beside wearing
earring, utterance ‘nantik’ is for wearing band and wearing hairpin on her hair. In 14 and 20
months the baby utters beautiful with ‘nantik’ then in 24 months the baby can pronounce
‘cantik’ for beautiful.

2.2 Theory
a. Yule : Pragmatics is concerned with the study of meaning as communicated by a
speaker (or writer) and interpreted by listener by a listener (or reader), pragmatics is
the study of speaker meaning.
b. Soenjono : The language acquisition in Indonesian child, the object for his research is
his grandchild. He says that pragmatic acquisition in child is nonverbal utterance.
The weakness of this research because collecting the data are done not every time, as
we know that the development of child speech production is unpredictable.
c. Nurjamiaty : The language acquisition of child 3 years old based on his favorite show
reviewed from semantic construction. This research tells about language acquisition
of child that is influenced by something.

2.3 Method
Research Design, the approach used in this research is an approach qualitative. A qualitative
approach is a research procedure produce descriptive data in the form of public written or spoken
words and observable behavior. The qualitative approach has facts natural (Natural serfing) as a direct
data source, descriptive, more process over results .

CHAPTER III

DISCUSSION

3.1 Advantages of the Journal

The advantages from the journal "Semantic and Pragmatic Meaning in Indonesian Child
Utterances" has a good structure, complete material and discussion. This journal pretty good
and quite complete, tell about the Semantic and Pragmatic Meaning in a detail manner
especially in Indonesian Child Utterances"

3.2 Disadvantages of the Journal

The disadvantages of this journal is that there are still many typo words or commonly
referred to as "typos". Mistakes in typing a word can lead to different meanings. The writer
should pay more attention to the words.
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CHAPTER IV

CLOSING

4.1 Conclusion

Semantic is the study of meaning in human language. Pragmatic is the study of speaker
meaning. Utterance meaning is the basis of speaker meaning. Semantic meaning seen when
the child producing speech, meanwhile pragmatic can be seen from verbal and non-verbal.
From the analysis, the researcher can conclude that Indonesian Child Utterance has two kind
of meanings they are semantic and pragmatic meaning.

4.2 Suggestion

Suggestion for this journal, just about the discussion. Maybe the writer can make the
broader discussion. But, the whole journal is pretty good.
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REFERENCES
Rahmah, Leny Saili. Aceng Ruhendi Saifullah. Semantic and Pragmatig Meaning in
Indonesian Child Utterances. Advanced in Social Science, Education and Humanities
Research. Vol 257. 2018
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