Misspelled Words in The Netflix Series "Baby Reindeer" and Speech Act Implications in Understanding Their Meanings

International Journal of English Linguistics, Literature, and Education (IJELLE) Vol. 6, No. 2, December 2024, pp. 99-109 ISSN 2686-0120 (print), 2686-5106 (online) 99 http://journal.univetbantara.ac.id/index.php/ijelle/index Misspelled Words in The Netflix Series “Baby Reindeer” and Speech Act Implications in Understanding Their Meanings Adha Nabilla a,1,*, Agus Salim Mansyur b,2, Irman Nurhapitudin c,3 a,b,c Faculty of Adab and Humanities, State Islamic University of Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, Indonesia ; 2 ; 3 * Corresponding Author 1* Received 16 December 2024; accepted 24 December 2024; published 31 December 2024 ABSTRACT This research aims to analyze what language mistakes exist in emails sent by one of the characters in the Netflix series Baby Reindeer and how meaning can be interpreted through such mistakes. Qualitative method is used in this study because this research is conducted by understanding and processing meaning through writing and images. In addition, this method is used because the results of this research are in the form of writings and not images. Through analysis using surface strategy taxonomy, 91 misspelled words were found in 32 sent emails. There are 37 words in omission type, 18 words in addition type, 27 words in misformation type, and 9 words in misordering type. This research also uses Yule's speech act theory to analyze the meaning of the sentences or emails. This research is expected to provide new knowledge in detecting an error that can produce differences in meaning and changes from the original meaning to the meaning interpreted by the audience. In addition, the writer also hopes that this study is useful for future writers who want to focus their research on linguistics aspects. KEYWORDS Speech Act Pragmatics Misspelled Words Surface Strategy Taxonomy This is an openaccess article under the CC–BY-SA license 1. Introduction (Heading 1) (bold, 11 pt) (one single space, 11pt font) In language, there are several ways to convey meaning or message from the speaker to the recipient. One of them is by writing. Writing skills are language skills used to communicate through written text. (Prayuda, Pangaribuan, and Linia, 2023) Writing is one of the four aspects of language that can be used to convey messages, ideas, opinions, and even feelings. Writing is the delivery of a message using written language as a medium, which has the intention to communicate. (Suparno and Yunus 2008). Writing is a difficult cognitive activity because it requires the ability to decide what to say and how to express it, the limbs such as the hands and the brain also work together to produce text that is appropriate in spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation (Prater 2016). In this digital era, conveying meaning in the form of writing can not only be done in a form of paper, but can also be done through digital media. Unlike traditional writing that is often limited to print media, digital writing encompasses various platforms such as social media, blogs, and also email. However, regardless of the medium used, language must be written well and follow the rules of language so that the meaning can be conveyed well. Davina, Azra, Fahri, Ardi, Ismahani (2024) stated that written language must follow language rules such as spelling, sentence order, and writing techniques, if someone does not follow these rules, the risk of making language errors will be higher. There are many definitions of “error” in language errors. An error is the use of a linguistic item in a way that a native or fluent speaker of the language perceives as indicative of incorrect or incomplete learning. (Richards and Schmidts 2002). Furthermore, Richards (1992) stated that errors are caused not only by native language interference, but also by overgeneralization, neglect of rule boundaries, incomplete application of rules, and incorrect concepts and hypotheses. Another opinion doi :10.32585/ijelle.v6i2.6067 100 International Journal of English Linguistics, Literature, and Education (IJELLE) ISSN 2686-0120 (print), 2686-5106 (online) Vol. 6., No. 2, December 2024, pp. 99-109 regarding the definition of error is James (1998) who argues that an error is a deviation from established rules or a violation of grammatical norms that occurs due to misunderstanding or communication difficulties. In writing, one of the most common errors is spelling mistakes. Misspelled words are words that are spelled incorrectly, often due to typographical errors or the use of the wrong letters altogether. In addition to typographical errors and the use of the wrong letters, misspelled words can also be influenced by a person's lack of understanding of the correct spelling. Another factor is the influence of homophones or words that sound the same, but have different meanings and spellings, such as see and sea. This phenomenon can occur in a variety of contexts, especially in general writing, where certain words are often misspelled by writers. On the one hand, in the era of digital communication, especially on social media, misspelled words are considered a common thing or commonly used in terms of exchanging messages or in online forums. But on the other hand, in an educational or professional context, misspelled words can be a serious problem. These misspelled words, when made in speech or communication, are distracting because they can obscure meaning or lead to misinterpretation. Furthermore, misspelled words not only interfere with clarity in communication, but also affect perception or understanding in formal contexts. However, they can be analyzed so that the receiver of the message can interpret the intended meaning. Misspelled words are not just mistakes, they are a reflection of how complex language, identity, and the way humans think and interact with technology can be. As a work of art, films sometimes utilize misspelled words to portray certain characters more deeply through the way they use language. One of the movies that contains the phenomenon of misspelled words and is also the object of this research is a series released on the online movie platform Netflix entitled "Baby Reindeer". "Baby Reindeer" is a seven-episode mini-drama that centers on the story of Donny Dunn, a comedian, and his obsessive stalker, Martha Scott. A brief encounter at a pub where Donny works, and Donny's kindness that was misinterpreted by Martha, sends Donny into a nightmare as he is stalked by Martha. Martha uses e-mail to communicate with Donny, which will later become the core of this research. The main focus of this series, which will also be the main focus of this research, is Martha, who always makes mistakes in writing a word in the email she sends. Martha's error pattern is always repetitive so it appears that Martha is not someone who seems to be able to compose sentences well so that the emails she sends are arranged in the form of sentences that are quite random. Knowing the context of each (...truncated)