Swear Words in Nicki Minaj Song Lyrics

Vol.1 No.1, June 2016 ELITE JOURNAL ISSN: 2503-3271 Swear Words in Nicki Minaj Song Lyrics Rani Handayani1 1 English Literature Study Program, Language and Literature Department Faculty of Humanities University of Halu Oleo Corresponding Email: Abstract This thesis discussed swear words in Nicky Minaj’s song lyrics. In this thesis, the objectives of this research are to find out the types of swear words and the function of swear words in Nicki Minaj .'s song lyrics. The results showed that there are five types of swear words used in Nicky Minaj’s song lyrics Emphatically consist (2) data, Dysphemism consist (5) data, Idiomatically consist (12) data, Abusively consist (14) data, and Cathartically consist (4) data. Also, there are eight of ten functions swear words found such as Exclamation of Annoyance consist (7) data, Exclamation of Surprise consist (1) data, Insult (noun) consist (11) data, Insulting Request to Go Away consist (1) data, Expression of Unconcern consist (1) data, Violent Refusal consist (1) data, Intensifying Adjective consist (4) data, Miscellaneous consist (8) data. Two functions of swear words that were not found were the function of the swear word surprise question and the function of insult. Keywords : nicky minaj, song lyric, swear word INTRODUCTION Language has key importance in society because it allows people to interact with one another, specifically in communication. Speakers can identify themselves through language, and they consider their language as a reflection of their identity. We can interact with our social environment via language, such as between people, individuals and groups, and groups and groups. Not only can we communicate with our language, but we can also determine a person's personality by identifying the language they use. There are two ways of interpreting language, according to Keraf (in Smarapradhipa, 2005): the first is to think of language as a stated means of communication between members of the public in the form of a sign of the sound produced by a said human. Second, language is a system of communication that utilizes arbitrary vocal (speech sound) symbols. Language creates a variety of non-standard culture and language identities, with swearing words being one of the non-standard and cultural identities. Swear words are diverse and unique in terms of word choice and function. Swear words are significantly affected by many factors, according to Allan and Burridge (2006), such as who we talk to, what we talk about, where the conversation takes place, and how we are feeling at the moment. Swearing, according to Swan (1995), is a strong language conveyed by a person who is experiencing deep feelings, and the expression is about the 26 Rani Handayani: Swear Words in Nicki Minaj Song Lyrics language the person uses when they understand it. strong feelings These are mainly extracted from taboo terms but have different literal meanings. Furthermore, Permadi (2017) claims that swear words contain a bad word, both in content and form. For example, the words "shit" and "fuck" are thought to have negative connotations, and the form is also thought to be unpleasant. As a result, many languages consider the word shit to be a swear. Swear words are words that individuals say when they are furious or fun, and they can make people feel insulted and irritated when they hear them. Although all swear words are prohibited, according to Karjalainen (2002), not all taboo terms or phrases that allude to taboo swear words are swear words. The use of swear words is the result of a neurological, psychological, and societal process (NSP). Swearing is also seen as a form of the brain's natural response to pain, happiness, frustration, or any other emotion from a neurological aspect. The psychological aspect takes into account a person's language skill in the use of swear words, which is determined by their cultural context, personality, and religious background. The socio-cultural system considers aspects such as the speaker's strength and gender identity when describing the meaning or appropriateness of the words chosen. There are several functions of swear words namely insults, which aim to offend, intimidate, or cause emotional or psychological harm or damage. There is also Empathy which aims to attract the attention of others what is considered worthy of attention. An idiomatic that is used without any other specific purpose, but is generally carried out in informal conversations. Swear words are not just used in conversation, but they may also be heard in songs. Songs contain not just lovely phrases, but also swear words and a variety of other phrases in their lyrics. A song's lyrics might have a million different interpretations. Song lyrics need inspiration, precise phrases, and the synchronization of one word with another in order to create a message that may be used as a song. Song lyrics can come at any moment while we are thinking about something, the difference is that our thoughts are not accompanied by a tone or rhythm. Song lyrics are a tonal arrangement/series of words, song lyrics are not as easy as composing an essay, but can be obtained from various inspirations. Inspiration itself can be obtained from experiences in everyday life. According to Vosahlik (2016) in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, lyrics are short poetry that displays the ideas and emotions of the person who created it, in addition to the words of a song. Song lyrics, in general, are someone's expression of whatever she has seen, heard, or experienced. The poet 27 Elite, Vol.1 No.1 June 2016 or songwriter uses words and language to create appeal and uniqueness in the lyrics or lyrics when sharing her experiences. The researcher selects various tracks from one of Nicki Minaj's albums for this research. Onika Tanya Maraj, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, is a Trinidad-United States rapper, singer, model and actress. She gained public attention after releasing mixtapes entitled “Playtime Is Over (2007), Sucka Free (2008), and Beam Me Up Scotty (2009)”. In 2008 she became the best female artist of the year according to the Underground Music Award version. In September 2012 Minaj made another achievement by winning the Best Female Video award at the MTV Video Music Awards through the song Starships. Minaj's first debut album, Pink Friday was released November 19, 2010. The album's songs reached the top charts and she became the first female artist to have seven songs enter the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously. Then Minaj published several albums afterward and among them the album The Pinkprint and Queen. Many songs are sung by Nicki Minaj, and the researcher will select five songs from Nicki Minaj's songs that contain many swear words for this research. The reason the researcher chose the title of this research is because after doing the preliminary research, the researcher found there are some swear words used in Nicki Minaj song ly (...truncated)