Journal Albion : Journal of English Literature, Language, and Culture

False consciousness and class struggle in Kate Chopin’s A Pair of Silk Stockings: A Marxist-feminist framework

2025-12-08T03:02:55+00:00

This study explores Kate Chopin’s A Pair of Silk Stockings (Chopin, 1996) through the lens of Marxist literary criticism, emphasizing class struggle, commodity fetishism, and alienation in the capitalist social order. The story’s protagonist, Mrs. Sommers, experiences a brief encounter with consumer pleasure after purchasing luxury goods, which reflects both resistance to and entrapment within capitalist ideology. By integrating Marx’s concepts of false consciousness and material determinism with contemporary Marxist-feminist frameworks on social reproduction (Quick, 2023; Rey-Araújo, 2024), this study interprets Mrs. Sommers’s actions as symptomatic of gendered economic subjugation. This research using textual analysis with Marxist framework, the paper reveals how consumption operates as a false form of liberation within the constraints of class and patriarchal capitalism. The findings demonstrate that Chopin’s story, though written in the nineteenth century, anticipates critical concerns of modern Marxist discourse on ideology, labor, and commodified desire. The emotional function of consumption as a false form of liberation continues to characterize modern consumer societies.

Speech event analysis of President Prabowo’s statement on the August 2025 protests

2026-01-19T04:11:01+00:00

This study analyzes President Prabowo Subianto’s speeches delivered in response to the August 2025 demonstrations in Indonesia using Dell Hymes’s SPEAKING framework. The background of this research arises from the growing importance of speech event analysis in understanding how political leaders communicate during social crises. The study aims to identify how each SPEAKING component appears in Prabowo’s statements and how these speech events illustrate the communicative function of language amid public unrest. Employing a qualitative descriptive method, the data were drawn from official video recordings and verified transcripts, then coded and interpreted systematically. The findings show that Prabowo’s speeches apply structured participation, directive and commissive acts, and deliberate keying to calm the public, legitimize state authority, and distinguish peaceful aspirations from unlawful behavior. This research demonstrates the role of speech events as social acts that influence public perception, support political stability, and guide crisis communication.

Normalizing hostility: TikTok netizens and hate speech on Ahmad Sahroni

2025-12-08T03:03:46+00:00

This study examines hate speech in the comment sections of TikTok news accounts discussing Ahmad Sahroni, a prominent Indonesian political figure. As social media increasingly shapes public opinion and political discourse, understanding how hostile language is produced and circulated online has become essential. The objective of this research is to analyze the linguistic, discursive, and ideological features of hate speech using Fairclough’s (1995) Critical Discourse Analysis framework supported by van Dijk’s (2008) socio-cognitive approach. Data were collected from five major TikTok news accounts, with twenty-five top-liked comments selected for analysis. The findings show that hate speech appears through insults, negative labeling, sarcasm, accusations, and mockery, while some comments reinforce broader narratives of public distrust toward political elites. These results highlight how TikTok’s algorithm and user interaction patterns contribute to the visibility and normalization of hostile discourse. The study provides insights that can support digital literacy efforts and inform policy discussions.

Presupposition and miscommunication in the movie While You Were Sleeping (1995) by Jon Turteltaub

2025-11-14T01:48:48+00:00

The effectiveness of communication is influenced by the assumptions held by speakers, which called presuppositions. Presupposition contained in an utterance must be accompanied by common ground. Common ground is the similarity of assumptions had by the speakers. The use of presupposition is founded in characters utterances in the movie While You Were Sleeping. This research aims to identify and interpret presuppositions in the characters utterances in the movie While You Were Sleeping, and additionally to describe its contextual meanings. The data was analyzed using the referent and pragmatic method. George Yule’s theory was used to analyze the presuppositions found in this research. 36 data were found in this research. 30 data of presupposition utterances are not accompanied by common ground between the speakers. Misunderstandings often arise in the movie While You Were Sleeping due to the absence of shared knowledge among the characters. Misunderstandings cause ineffective communication.

The stylistics of dream-pop songs: Cigarette After Sex’s lyrics analysis

2025-09-18T00:32:48+00:00

This study aims to analyze the forms and functions of hyperbole found in the lyrics of Cigarettes After Sex songs. The study uses a qualitative method. The data were collected using observation and note-taking techniques, and analyzed using Claridge’s (2011) theory of hyperbole forms and Cano Mora’s (2006) theory of hyperbole functions. The primary data were taken from seven Cigarettes After Sex’s songs: apocalypse, Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby, Sweet, affection, K., Opera House, and Bubblegum. The analysis found 25 hyperbolic expression, with clausal hyperbole as the most dominant form (12 data). Emphasis was the most common function 911 data). Hyperboles are used to express deep emotions such as love, longing, and sadness in the lyrics. This research contributes to the understanding of stylistic in music, particularly in the use of hyperbole to convey emotional messages.

Voicing youth empowerment: Critical discourse analysis on Joshua SEVENTEEN speech at UNESCO Youth Forum 2023

2025-09-18T00:35:15+00:00

This study analyzes Joshua’s speech, a member of the K-pop group SEVENTEEN, at the UNESCO Youth Forum 2023 using Teun A. Van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis framework. The research investigates how discourse structures in public speeches convey messages of education and youth empowerment. A qualitative descriptive method was applied to examine macrostructure, superstructure, and microstructure. The findings show that the macrostructure emphasizes education as a transformative force; the superstructure presents a well-organized format aligned with international speech conventions; and the microstructure employs semantic clarity, inclusive syntax, stylistic consistency, and rhetorical devices such as metaphors and hashtags to build emotional resonance with global youth. Audience reactions on YouTube were further analyzed through the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory, demonstrating pride, awareness, and affective engagement. The study concludes that Joshua’s speech successfully conveyed educational values and inspired global participation, affirming that popular culture figures can act as effective agents of social change through discourse.

Translation methods in the English to Indonesian version of the Japanese comic Wind Breaker: A Newmarkian approach

2026-01-29T02:28:49+00:00

Translation is a process of transferring meaning from one language to another. This study discusses the translation methods used in the Japanese comic titled Wind Breaker by Nii Satoru. Comic, as a popular form of work, has distinctive linguistic characteristics, such as the use of slang, greetings, and cultural expressions, which often pose challenges for translators. This study aims to identify the translation methods used in the translated comic Wind Breaker and analyze the reasons for their selection. The research method used is descriptive qualitative, with data sources in the form of dialogues in the comic Wind Breaker chapters 179-181, which have been translated into English. The analysis was based on the translation method theory proposed by (Newmark, 1998), such as word-for-word, literal, semantic, and others. The results showed that the most dominant translation methods and techniques used in this comic are communicative (27,78%), literal (11,11%), and modulation (25%).

Analysis of language politeness strategies in the film The School for Good and Evil (2022)

2025-10-15T07:17:59+00:00

This research is grounded in the importance of understanding language politeness in communication, particularly in fictional contexts such as films that reflect social values. This study aims to identify and analyze politeness strategies in the film The School for Good and Evil (2022), based on Brown and Levinson’s (1987) theory as presented in Cutting and Fordyce (2020), and linked to the characteristics of politeness according to Leech (2014). A qualitative descriptive method was employed, using the non-participant observation technique to collect the data. The findings reveal five types of politeness strategies: on record-baldly, on record-positive politeness, on record-negative politeness, off record, and overlaps. These strategies are influenced by social relationships, power dynamics, and communicative goals. The findings also indicate that politeness not always reflect sincerity, but can be used strategically to influence the interlocutor. Politeness in this film plays a significant role in shaping character dynamics and the storyline.

A biographical study of social deixis of address terms toward Diana in Spencer (2021)

2026-01-29T02:37:33+00:00

This study explores the use of social deixis through address terms directed toward Diana in the biographical film Spencer (2021). As a pragmatic phenomenon, social deixis reflects hierarchical relations, politeness strategies, and identity negotiation within discourse. Employing a qualitative-biographical approach, the research analyzes utterances from the film’s script, classified according to Levinson’s (1983) framework of absolute and relational social deixis. The findings reveal that address terms function systematically across four categories: differentiating social levels, maintaining politeness, signaling social identity, and enhancing sentence effectiveness. These linguistic markers demonstrate how institutional authority is reinforced through honorifics such as Your Royal Highness and Ma’am, while intimate terms like Mummy highlight Diana’s identity. From a biographical lens, the study shows that language becomes a site of tension between Diana’s institutional role and personal self. The research contributes to pragmatic studies by illustrating how address terms reproduce power relations and fragment identity within monarchical discourse.

Factors influencing EFL students’ speaking anxiety: A pedagogical review

2025-12-08T02:58:52+00:00

Speaking is a vital skill in English learning, enabling individuals to express ideas, emotions, and information effectively. However, many students experience fear and anxiety when speaking in English, particularly in front of others. Gap in literature of this study is a previous studies have mostly examined linguistic or psychological factors separately, overlooking how these elements interact to influence speaking performance. Purpose of the study is this research aims to identify the intrinsic and extrinsic causes of students’ fear of speaking English and to analyze effective pedagogical and psychological strategies for reducing speaking anxiety. Method of this study is using a library research design, this study analyzed theoretical and empirical literature from 2019–2024 related to speaking anxiety, fear of public speaking, and EFL pedagogy. The results indicate that speaking fear is influenced by intrinsic factors, such as low proficiency, low confidence, and fear of negative evaluation and extrinsic factors, including unsupportive classroom environments and peer pressure. Collaborative approaches, like peer teaching and peer feedback, were found to effectively reduce anxiety and increase students’ confidence in speaking. Conclusion the study concludes that overcoming speaking anxiety requires integrating psychological and pedagogical approaches. Creating a supportive classroom environment and promoting collaboration can significantly enhance students’ confidence and speaking performance in English.