E3L: Journal of English Teaching, Linguistic, and Literature

1 (1), 2023, 1-7

An Analysis of Deixis and Reference Found in Reading Text in Students’ English

Textbook for Senior High School

Rini Amelia Puteri, Maria T. Ping, A.K Amarullah

1,2) Mulawarman University, Jalan Kuaro, Gn, Kalua, Samarinda Ulu,
Kota Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, (0541) 741118, 741797
3) Mulawarman University, Jalan Kuaro, Gn, Kalua, Samarinda Ulu,
Kota Samarinda, Kalimantan Timur, (0541) 741118, 741797
e-mail: 1) riniputeriamelia@gmail.com; 2) maria.t.ping@gmail.com;
3) blatinazilavka@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study were: (1) to find out the types of deixis and reference in the
English textbook. (2) to find out the dominant used of deixis and reference in the English
textbook. This research design was a qualitative research design with content analysis study.
The instruments were checklist and document. The data were validated by triangulation. There
were 33 reading texts in Students’ English Textbook for Senior High School. The result showed
that there were all types of deixis and reference were found in Reading Text in Students’ English
Textbook for Senior High School. For deixis types, they were 1336 person deixis, 59 spatial
deixis, 53 temporal deixis, 59 discourse deixis and 133 social deixis which means the dominant
types was person deixis. For reference types, they were 827 anaphoric and 75 cataphoric where
the dominant types was anaphoric. In conclusion, the author of these English textbook used the
person deixis and anaphoric reference in most of their reading text to make a clear explanation
and make it be understandable.

Keywords: Deixis, Reference, Reading Texts, English Textbook.

INTRODUCTION
Language was a crucial device that we used to share our opinion appearing in our brain. We
used it to speak to anybody. Language was very important for learning process. It was because
we learn to use language in a communication. So, as the reader or the listener, we had to get the
real meaning of the utterance or the written text from the speaker or the writer. That made
language important to be comprehensible for the speaker and the listener to get the purpose in
their conversation. To be more comprehensible, we should know the study about meaning in
language that we referred to as pragmatic. According to Yule (1996:3) pragmatics was a study
to recognize the meaning from speaker utterances and then after that listener interpreted it.
Misunderstanding was not only happen in a conversation but also it could happen in a written
text such as textbook, speech text, song lyrics, novel and etc. It could happen whenever the
listener or the reader did not understand what the words or the phrase refer to. For example
like the words you, we, Mrs. Tini, yesterday, that, next year and etc.

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1 (1), 2023, 1-7

We called these words and phrases as deixis. Herman, H & Pardede, H. (2020) said that “in
short, deixis could help the listener or the readers in understanding the message of the text”.
Not only that, reference was also has a big role in communication. Yule (2006: 115) said that
reference was an act in which a speaker or writer used a linguistics forms to enable a listener or
reader to identify something. In reference the speaker/writer usually use the words or phrase
in linguistic form and let the listener/reader to know something. There were two kinds of
references, they were anaphoric and cataphoric.

As we know English Textbook was an important source that the teacher and the
students usually use in teaching and learning activities. The researcher used 3 English
Textbooks as the sources of the data. The researcher chose these English Textbook because
these English textbook were still used in some schools in Samarinda. The researcher used these
English Textbooks based on Curriculum 2013 entitled “Bahasa Inggris” by The Ministry of
Education and Culture for grade X and XI (revised 2017) and grade XII (revised 2018). In this
English textbook the researcher analyzed the reading texts from reading exercises and
examples.

The researcher found that there were still lack of information about this topic in English
Department of Mulawarman University. The researcher was interesting with this topic because
the researcher wanted to know the deixis and the reference of the English Textbook and
minimalized misunderstanding in written text or spoken utterances. So, after analyzed these
English textbooks the researcher assumed that we could see whether the number of deixis and
references was in accordance with the level of difficulty. The researcher also wanted to know
the dominant types of deixis and reference to see their participation in reading text. This
research was really important to increase the readers’ understanding especially the teachers on
the text through deixis and reference. So they could use this knowledge to improve their
students’ skills and prepare themselves as the next generations.

RESEARCH QUESTION
According to the background of the study, the research question was formulated as
follows :

1. What types of deixis and reference are found in English Textbook?

2. What dominant used of deixis and reference are found in English Textbook?

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METHOD

In this study, the researcher used a qualitative research with content analysis to find the
types of deixis and reference are found in English Textbook. (2) to find out the dominant used of
deixis and reference are found in English Textbook. Fraenkel, Wallen, and Hyun (2012) said that
‘To analyze this, the researcher need to arrange a large of data by developing some categories,
ratings, or scores that they could use to compare what they investigating. The source of the data
was Students’ English Textbooks based on Curriculum 2013 entitled “Bahasa Inggris” by The
Ministry of Education and Culture for grade X and XI (revised 2017) and grade XII (revised
2018).

The researcher used Creswell (2013) stated that “the researcher as the key instrument.
The researcher collected the data herself through some ways. They were examining documents,
observing behavior, or interviewing participants”. In here the researcher used documentation
technique and checklist as the instruments. The researcher validated it by doing triangulation.
Here was the steps of collecting the data. (1) Red the English textbooks carefully, (2) Selected
the reading text in every unit of the chapter, (3) re-red the reading text in every unit of the
chapter, (4) found kinds of deixis and reference from the reading text, (5) Classified all words or
phrases in some categories.

In here, after the researcher collected the researcher used a data analysis based on Miles
and Huberman theory. Miles and Huberman (1994:10) stated that in qualitative analysis, there
were 3 activity. They were data reduction, data display and conclusion drawing/verification.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

1. Types of deixis and reference are found in English Textbook

Deixis Types
After the researcher analyzed the data, the results of deixis that was found could be seen
below:
Table 1. Deixis types
DEIXIS X XI XII TOTAL
Person Deixis 363 691 282 1336
Spatial Deixis 21 28 10 59
Temporal Deixis 18 28 7 53
Discourse Deixis 19 28 12 59
Social Deixis 32 95 6 133

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Sales
Discourse Deixis Social Deixis
4% 8%
Temporal Deixis
3%

Spatial Deixis
4%
Person Deixis
81%

Person Deixis Spatial Deixis Temporal Deixis Discourse Deixis Social Deixis

Graph 1
Table 1 or graph 1 showed that in total there are 1336 words of person deixis, 59 spatial
deixis, 53 temporal deixis, 59 discourse deixis and 133 social deixis found in reading texts in
English Textbook for Senior High School. The examples of person deixis are You, It He, I, She and
etc. Spatial deixis are there, here, this and that. The examples of temporal deixis are last, later,
next, today, now and etc. Then, the examples of discourse deixis are this and that. The last
examples for social deixis are Madame Loisel, Monsieur Loisel, Princess, Madame Forestier,
Emperor and etc.

Reference Types
After the researcher analyzed the data, the results of references that was found could be
seen below:
Table 2. References types
REFERENCE X XI XII TOTAL
Anaphoric 274 402 143 819
Cataphoric 28 34 2 64

500
Reference Types
400

300

200

100

0
X XI XII
Anaphora Cataphora

Graph 2

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Table 2 or graph 2 shows that the researcher found 819 words or phrase as anaphoric in
the reading text in English Textbooks. While there are 64 words or phares which classified as
cataphoric. Here are the examples of anaphoric, “This is called a park, but unlike any park that
you have seen in your city, this is a jungle! It is a real jungle”, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie
known as BJ. Habibie was born on 25 June 1936. He was the Third President of the Republic of
Indonesia (1998–1999)”, The impact of climate change is noticeable throughout Asia-
Pacific, either during hot days or too much rain accompanied by wind and thunderstorm. This
has started to affect the economy as well.” Then, here the examples of cataphoric reference
which found in the reading text in English Textbooks, “After her husband died, Cut Nyak Dhien
continued to resist the Dutch”, I thought it was really cool seeing him like that”, Painting!” said
the doctor. That won't help her!”.

2. Dominant used of deixis and reference are found in English Textbook

After classified the data the researcher found the dominant used of deixis and references
in English Textbook which could be seen below:

DEIXIS X XI XII TOTAL

Person Deixis 363 691 282 1336
Spatial Deixis 21 28 10 59
Temporal Deixis 18 28 7 53
Discourse Deixis 19 28 12 59
Social Deixis 32 95 6 133
REFERENCE X XI XII TOTAL
Anaphoric 274 402 143 819
Cataphoric 28 34 2 64

From the table below the researcher concluded that the dominant types of deixis that has found
in these English Tetxbook was person deixis with the highest number of words at 691 words in
Grade XI. And for the reference, the dominant types of reference was anaphoric with the highest
number of words at 402 words in Grade XI.

Discussion

Based on the findings the researcher found that there were all types of deixis and
references in these English textbooks. There were 5 types of deixis that used in these English
textbooks, person deixis (1336), spatial deixis (59), temporal deixis (53), discourse deixis and
social deixis (59) which were appropriate with Alan Cruse (2006) statement that said there
were 5 types of deixis. Also there were 2 types of references that used in these English
textbooks, anaphora (819) and cataphora (64) which were appropriate with Halliday & Hasan.

Based on the first previous study by Shophia Mardhotillah (2019), entitled An Analysis
of Deixis Found in Students’ English Textbook “Think Globally Act Locally” for Grade IX of Junior
High School which analyzed about person deixis, spatial deixis, temporal deixis, discourse
deixis, social deixis and its context. Her research was supported by Stephen Levinson. Similarly,
the researcher of this study also found five types of deixis. For the results of the reference it
was same with the previous study by Syafryadin, Eka Apriani, Rita Inderawati, Wawan Tarwana
and Haryani (2020) which found anaphora and cataphora in Jakarta Post.

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In the findings, person deixis was the most common used in the reading text in
Students’ English Textbook for Senior High School. It was similar with three of the
researcher previous study which were done by Shophia Mardhotillah (2019), Ulfa
Arrachim (2021) and Syafryadin, Eka Apriani, Rita Inderawati, Wawan Tarwana and
Haryani (2020). While the other previous research by Isma Hidayati, Sulisyaningsih and
Abd. Syakur (2022) showed the result that the most common used deixis was temporal
deixis. It was because the researcher analyzed the narrative textas the source of the data.

Meanwhile for the reference types, the researcher found that anaphoric was the most
dominant used in the reading text. It was because the writer wanted the text to be clear and
easy to be understand for the students. It was similar with the previous study by
Syafryadin, Eka Apriani, Rita Inderawati, Wawan Tarwana and Haryani (2020). It was
because the writers always write a clear name in Jakarta Post to avoid misunderstanding.

The researcher also found that the number of deixis and reference in these English
textbooks was not appropriate with the Grade. The researcher assumed that the higher the
grade, the number of deixis and references found would increase. But in here the
researcher found that Grade XI was the highest, followed by Grade X and Grade XII. It might
because in Grade XI, there were many more fiction stories than the others.

CONCLUSION

According to the findings that has found in English Textbook by the Ministry of Education
and Culture, the researcher concluded that there were five types of deixis according to Alan
Cruse Theory which were person deixis, spatial deixis, temporal deixis, discourse deixis
and social deixis, with person deixis as the dominant used. It was because in the reading
text many of them were narrative,so they used person deixis to talked about some place,
some things or someone.

In reference the researcher found according to Halliday & Hasan Theory, there were
anaphoric and cataphoric in these English Tetxbooks with anaphoric as the dominant
reference. It was because these were English Textbook so the writer wanted it to be
understandable by putting the antecedent first in the sentences.

REFERENCES
Creswell, John, W. (2014). Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Method. Ed. IV.
London: Sage Publications Ltd.

Cruse, A. (2006). Glossary of semantics and pragmatics. Edinburgh University Press.

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2012). How to design and evaluate research in
education (Vol. 7, p. 429). New York: McGraw-hill.

Hassan, H. R., & Halliday, M. (1976). Cohesion in English. P20.

Herman, H., & Pardede, H. (2020). Deixis Analysis in the Business Article of the Jakarta Post.
Wanastra: Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra, 12(2), 137-141.

Hidayati, I., Sulisyaningsih, S., & Syakur, A. (2022). The Use of Deixis in the Students’ Writing
Narrative Texts. Budapest International Research and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal):
Humanities and Social Sciences, 5(1).

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Mardhotillah, S. (2019). An Analysis Of Dexis Found in Students’ English Textbook “Think

Globally Act Locally” For Grade Ninth Of Junior High School (Doctoral dissertation,
Universitas Islam Riau).

Syafryadin, S., Apriani, E., Inderawati, R., Tarwana, W., & Haryani, H. (2021). Deixis And
Reference Analysis In Jakarta Post: A Content Analysis Research. Journal of English
Educational Study (JEES), 4(2), 105-111.

Ulfa Arrachim, U. A. (2021). An Analysis Of Deixis In English Textbook For Grade 12 Th Students
In Senior High School 1 Kota Jambi (Doctoral Dissertation, Universitas Batanghari).

Yule, George. (1996). Pragmatics. New York: Oxford University Press

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