Culturalistics: Journal of Cultural, Literary, and Linguistic Studies
Vol 5, No 3 (2021): Culturalistics: Journal of Cultural, Literary, and Lingustics Studies (November

Characterization of Eleanor Oliphant in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman: A Study of Transitivity using Corpus-Based Linguistics

Sintia Mulia Rahmadanty (English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Semarang, 50274, Indonesia)
Agus Subianto (English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Diponegoro University, Semarang, 50274, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
19 Nov 2021

Abstract

The application of transitivity system in analyzing characterization, which is an important element in narrative discourse, is addressed in this study. The writer aims to analyze the lexicons that appear to be able to determine the characterization of the character through the Halliday’s transitivity system theory. The data were taken from the novel “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman. To obtain the data, the writer used the non-participant observation and documentation method. The data that were taken from narrator discourses and conversations based on Eleanor Oliphant as an active participant, were annotated manually and processed with the help of the corpus linguistics. The results show that there are six transitivity processes found, which are: material, mental, relational, behavioral, verbal, and existential processes and seventeen circumstances. Each process has lexicons that frequently occur, such as work, drink, read, think, thought, remembered, felt, decided, smiled, laugh, said, stood, and sit. The lexicons can show the characterization of the Eleanor representing her appearance, trait, behavior, identity, and psychology. This can be concluded that the transitivity system can be used to analyze the characterization of Eleanor, who is a hard worker and a drinker who has a trauma and clinical depression, but she tries to live a better life in the present.Keywords: characterization; Eleanor Oliphant; transitivity system; corpus linguistics; lexicon

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Journal Info

Abbrev

culturalistics

Publisher

Subject

Humanities

Description

Culturalistics: Journal of Cultural, Literary, and Linguistic Studies is a peer-reviewed triannual scientific journal published by Department of Linguistics, Diponegoro University, Indonesia. It publishes articles in the field of cultural, literary, and linguistic ...