APOLOGIZING ACTS IN THE FILM ENTITLED“PRETTY WOMAN”(A SOCIO-PRAGMATICS APPROACH)

The research is based on Socio-Pragmatics study. The aims of the research are to find out the types of apology strategy, to find out the factors which determine the choice of strategy of apology and the function of apologizing acts in describing the relationship between the characters in the film entitled “Pretty Woman “. This research employs descriptive qualitative method. The data are taken from the scripts and the dialogs in the film entitled “Pretty Woman” that contain apologizing acts used by the characters. The sampling technique applied in this research is purposive sampling technique. In classifying the types of apology strategy, the researcher uses Trosborg’s classification of strategy of apologizing. She also analyzes the factors which determine the choice of apology applied Fraser’s Theory and the function of apologizing acts in describing the relationship between the characters in the film entitled Pretty Woman. The result of the research shows that there are seven types of apology strategy in the film, namely expression of regret, offer of apology, expression of self deficiency, request for forgiveness, implicit explanation, explicit explanation and expression of lack of intent. The factors which determine the choice of apology are the nature of infraction, the severity of the infraction, the situation in which the infraction occurred, the relative familiarity between the interacts interacts and the sex between the interacts. The nature of infraction is applied when the offender has insulted the offended. The severity of the infraction is used by the offender when he does a serious mistake like decreasing someone’s status or mocking someone’s feeling. The situation in which the infraction occurred relates to the formality situation in which the offense takes place. Most characters use this factor when they are in the informal situation and they have different status whether in the higher status or the lower status. While the relative familiarity between the interacts is applied by the offender when he has romance relationship or friendship with the offended. Meanwhile, the offender will use the sex between the interacts as the factor when he breaks the social norm toward the offended. The situation in which the infraction occurred influences more to the choice of strategy of apology in the film than other factors. The offender uses this factor in the formal situation. The function also influences the use of apologizing acts in describing the relationship of the characters. Maintaining the harmony between the characters, restoring interactional balance with the offended, reducing the strained situation and reducing or preventing the offended’s anger are the functions of apology acts related to the relationship of the characters. Maintaining the harmony between the characters is to maintain the relationship between the offender and the offended. xii While, restoring interactional balance with the offended is to repair the mistake of the offender. Reducing strained situation is the function of apologizing acts to make the condition between the characters better than the previous. Meanwhile, reducing or preventing the offended’s anger is to decrease the anger of the offended. Most of the characters choose to use maintaining the harmony as the reason in using apologizing acts. Hopefully, this research will be useful for future researchers who are interested in studying apologizing acts and they can analyze it from a different point of view and from other data source such as drama and novel.