AN ANALYSIS OF THE PRESUPPOSITION IN NOVEL’S DIALOGUE AMONG THE MAIN
CHARACTERS ENTITLED THE RAINBOW TROOPS BY ANDREA HIRATA TRANSLATED BY ANGIE
KILBANE
Zaki Mujadid Yahya (09220349)
zakiyahya91@rocketmail.com
English Education Study Program Language and Arts Department
Sekolah Tinggi Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan (STKIP) Siliwangi Bandung
ABSTRACT
The objectives of the research entitled “An Analysis Of The Presupposition In Novel’s Dialogue Among the Main
Characterss Entitled The Rainbow Troops By Andrea Hirata Translated By Angie Kilbane” were to find out: 1) the
total number of presupposition, 2) to find out the most frequently presupposition, and 3) to find out the least frequently
presupposition used by the main characters in The Rainbow Troops novel`s dialogue. In this research, the writer used
descriptive qualitative method. The instrument of the research that the writer used was a script of The Rainbow Troops
novel. The populations of the research were all 32 dialogue of the main characters and the sample were 5 dialogue of
the main characters selected using purposive sampling technique. To collect data in this research, the writer
downloaded the novel`s script on http://abudira.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/free-download-troops-alias-laskar-pelangiby-andira-hirata and reading them. The collected data were identified, classified, analyzed and interpreted based on
Yule`s (1996) theory. The results of the research showed that: the total number of the presupposition used by the main
characters in The Rainbow Troops novel`s dialogue was 36 presupposition. They include: Existential presupposition
(17 presupposition=47,22%), Factive presupposition (6 presupposition=16,67%), Lexical presupposition (6
presupposition=16,67%), Structural presupposition (7 presupposition=19,44%), Non-factive presupposition (0
presupposition=0%), Counter factual presupposition (0 presupposition=0%). The most frequently presupposition used
by the main characters in The Rainbow Troops novel’s dialogue was existence presupposition (17
presupposition=47,22%) and the least frequently presupposition used by the main characters in The Rainbow Troops
novel`s dialogue was Factive presupposition (6 presupposition=16,67%), and Lexical presupposition (6
presupposition=16,67%).
Key Words: Presupposition Analysis, TheRainbow Troops novel’s dialogue.
interpretation of the speaker meaning in a particular
context and how the context can influence the utterance
of the speaker. The listener or reader will interpret the
meaning of the speaker’s utterance. Therefore, the
interpretation known by the listener will be the
presupposition. This topic is interested to be analyzed
because there should be a good understanding between
the speaker and the listener in order to reach a success
comunication between them.
“Pragmatics is the systematic study of meaning
by virtue of, or dependent or the use of language. The
central topics of inquiry of pragmatics include
implicature, presupposition, speech acts, and deixis.”
(Yan Huang, 2007:2)
The advantage of studying language via
pragmatics is that one can talk about people’s intended
meaning’s, their assumptions, their purposes or goals,
and the kinds of actions. Levinson (1983:27) state that
Pragmatics is the study of deixis (at least in part),
implicature, presupposition, speech acts, and aspect
discourse structure. According to Louise Cummings
(2005:29) “One further significant category of
A. Background
In interpret the word or the idea we cannot glued
only on the utterance that the speaker say. Context of
the following utterance also has contribution in
interpreting. Sometime the purpose is difficult to
understand, because the understanding of the meaning
not only come from utterance but also it come from
outside of utterance. Like when we took a look the
meaning of the novel. In the novel, Language is a tool
that can make people understand each other and deliver
that they want to say, like statement and information.
In delivering information, people need to make a
conversation. The conversation contains of information
that is deliver from the speaker to the listener. The
speakers say some utterances then the listener will get
some certain information. For getting the information
the listener (or reader) should interpret what the
speaker (or writer) said. According to Yule (1996:3)
“pragmatics is concerned with the study of meaning as
communicated by a speaker (or writer) and interpreted
by a listener (or reader).” This study concerns with the
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pragmatics is presupposition. Presuppositions are
variously defined but in general constitute assumptions
or inferences that are implicit in particular linguistic
expression”.
there are six types of presupposition, there are
existential presupposition, factive presupposition,
lexical presupposition, structural presupposition,
nonfactive
presupposition,
counter
factual
presupposition. (Yule, 1996:27)
a) Existential presupposition
Existential presupposition is not only assumed to
be present in possessive construction, but more
generally in any definite noun phrase.
Example:
 Zaki’s new car
Presupposition of the utterance above tells us
about present, such as:
(a) There is a car
(b) There is a person named Zaki
(c) The car is new
(d) Zaki has a car
It is possible if there is more than one
presupposition in an utterance. In an utterance
of Zaki’s new car, the fourth of presupposition
above are able to represent of the utterance. In
this research the presupposition that will
investigate is have to represent the
presupposition of utterance generally.
b) Factive presupposition
Factive presupposition is the presupposed
information following a verb like ‘know’ can be treated
as a fact.
Example:
 She didn’t realize that it was raining outside.
(>> It was raining outside)
 I regret telling her.
(>> I tell her)
 I wasn’t aware that she was married
(>> She was married)
 It isn’t odd that he left early
(>> He left early)
 I’m glad that it’s over
(>> It’s over)
c) Lexical presupposition
Lexical presupposition is the use of one form
with its asserted meaning is conventionally interpreted
with the presupposition that another (non-asserted)
meaning is understood. In the case of lexical
presupposition, the speaker’s use of a particular
expression is taken to presuppose another (unstated)
concept, whereas in the case of a factive
presupposition, the use of a particular expression is
taken to presuppose the truth of the information that is
stated after it.
Example:
B. Literature Review
1. Pragmatics
Pragmatics was defined firstly by Morris in 1938
(Levinson, 1983:1). Morris states that:
Pragmatics is one of branch of semiotic, the
study about the relation of sign and its
interpretation. Morris divides three branches of
semiotic, those are: syntactics (or syntax) being the
“study of the formal relation of sign to one another”,
semantics is “the study of the relations of signs to
the objects to which the signs are applicable (their
designata)”, and pragmatics “the study of the
relation of signs to interpreters.”
(Levinson,
1983:1).
According to Levinson, “pragmatics is the
study of those relations between language and context
that are grammaticalized, or encoded in the structure of
a language.” (Levinson,1983:9).
“Pragmatics is the study of the relationship
between linguistic forms and the user of those
forms” (Yule, 1996:4).
According to Cruse (2000:16) in Louise
Cummings (2005:2) say that:
Pragmatics can be taken to be concerned with
aspect of information (in the widest sense) conveyed
through language which (a) are not encoded by
generally accepted convention in the linguistic
forms used, but which (b) none the less arise
naturally out of and depend on the meanings
conventionally encoded in the linguistic form used,
taken in conjunction with the context in which the
forms are used [emphasis added].
“Pragmatics is interested in the process of
production language and in its producer, not just in the
end-product, language. Pragmatics studies the use of
language in human communication as determined by
the conditions of society.” (Mey, 1993: 5-6)
2. Presupposition
1) Definition of Presupposition
According to Yule presupposition is something
the speaker assume to be the case prior to making an
utterance.
Speakers,
not
sentences,
have
presupposition. An entailment is something that
logically follows from what is asserted in the utterance.
Sentences, not speakers, have entailments (Yule,
1996:25).
2) Type of Presupposition
2
 He stopped smoking
(>>
He used to smoke)
 They started complaining
(>>
They weren’t complaining before)
 You are late again
(>>
You were late before)
The presupposition appear with the using word
of ‘stopped’, ’started’ and ‘again’. ‘Stopped’ it means
that he was smoking but now he quit from smoking,
‘started’ it means that before they were not
complaining but now they complain, ‘again’ it means
that before you were late and now you are still late in
the other word you always late.
d) Structural presupposition
Structural presupposition is certain sentence
structures have been analyze as conventionally and
regularly presupposing that part of the structure is
already assumed to be true. We might say that speakers
can use such structures to treat information as
presupposed and hence to be accepted as true by the
listener. The wh-question construction in English, is
conventionally interpreted with the presupposition that
the information after the wh-form is already known to
be the case.
Example:
 How did he able to run away?
(>>
He run away)
 When did you buy the bag?
(>>
You bought the bag)
e) Non-factive presupposition
Non-dactive presupposition is one that is
assumed not to be true. Verb like ‘dream’, ‘imagine’,
and ‘pretend’, are used with the presupposition that
what follows is not true.
Example:
 I dreamed that I was a rich
(>> I was not rich)
 We imagined we were in Paris
(>>
We were not in Paris)
 He pretends to be ill
(>> He is not ill)
f) Counter-factual presupposition
Counter-factual presupposition is that what is
presupposed is not only not true, but is the opposite of
what is true, or ‘contrary to facts’. A conditional
structure of the type, generally called a counterfactual
conditional, presupposed that the information in the ifclause is not true at the time of utterance.
Example:
If I weren’t ill, I would go to the party.
(>> I
am ill)
3. Context, Referent, and Background knowledge
1) Context
According to Grundy (2008:22) “Pragmatic
meanings are determined by context; in the case of
deictic reference, the critical contextual element is the
point of origin of the utterance.”
George Yule (1996:21) states that: “Context or
physical environment is perhaps more easily
recognized as having a powerful impact on how
referring expressions are to be interpreted.”
From the theories above, it can be conclude that
context situation has a role in pragmatics to clearly
interpretations meaning.
2) Referent
What make pragmatic and semantic are different
the way of pragmatic learning may understood the
meaning through the references held by participants.
Participants can be identified by expression used in the
dialogue. The correlations used in the name or nick that
same as object spoken shows relation between
participant and dialogue. With yelled of something by
or for participant, assumption is gotten from a dialogue
become different and has charactersistic each other
(Yule, 1996:19-21)
3) Background knowledge
In understanding a dialogue, automatically, there
is a rule unwritten that makes speaker had
understanding about knowledge structure which was
held. This structural function is useful for looking
pattern in speaking then the understanding that was
held has correlation with speakers’ needs (Yule,
1996:85). One basic that supports presupposition is
background knowledge that is had by participants and
researcher in understanding the dialogue part. The
background knowledge is also used as structure that
grows hidden interpretation on the text or the dialogue.
For delivering the message as a speaker purposes, the
background knowledge is very important especially to
avoid
misunderstanding
in
communications.
Everything that has correlation with the situation
happened in the dialogue, can be assumed as
background knowledge (Yule, 1996:86-88).
4. Novel
Definition of Novel
A novel is a long prose narrative that describes
fictional characterss and events in the form of a
sequential story, usually. The genre has historical roots
in the fields of medieval and early modern romance
and in the tradition of the novella.
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Relating to the explanations above, the
populations of the research were all 32 dialogue of the
main characters and the sample were 5 dialogue of the
main characters selected using purposive sampling
technique.
4. Data Collection
The data collect from the transcript of the
novel’s dialogue of the main characterss from the novel
“The Rainbow Troops”. There are 10 (ten) person or
characters as the main characters. The transcripts of the
dialogue among the main characters generally identify
in the term of presupposition, then transcribed and
finally became the data to be analyzed in the research.
In conduct this research, the researcher collecting
data in three months. The following are the steps in
analyzing the collected data:
1. Identification of the phenomenon to be studied
It is stated in the research question and formulated
as “An Analysis of The Presupposition in The
Novel’s Dialogue among The Main Characters
Entitled The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata
Translated By Angie Kilbane”.
2. Identification of the participants in the study
It is explained in a more detail way in sample and
population section.
3. Data collection
It is conducted by reading and then classifying the
documents to find out the intended result.
4. Data analysis
It focuses on the presupposition of the novel’s
dialogue among the main characterss analysis to
find out the types and the meaning of
presupposition used in the novel’s dialogue.
5. Drawing conclusion
It is a formulation of the interpretation of what has
been observed and discovered throughout the
research and its contribution to academic fields,
especially on the presupposition.
5. Data Analysis
In analyzing the data or the transcripts of the
dialogue, the first step is collecting the data of the
novel’s dialogue among the main characterss. Then
classifying the samples into their own category based
on the type of presupposition in Yule’s theory. Finally,
the writer describing the analysis of the presupposition
of the novel’s dialogue among the main characters
entitled The Rainbow Troops.
According to Maxwell (1996:78) “data analysis
is probably the aspect of qualitative research that most
clearly distinguishes it from experimental and survey
research.”
C. Research Methodology
1. Research Method
This research uses qualitative approach, which is
used to serve lived experience directly not through an
abstract
generalization
(Alwasilah,
2002:45).
Additionally, Maxwell (1996: 27) remarked that
qualitative design was to understand the meaning of the
events, situations, and actions that the participants in
the study involved. Since there was a descriptive
purpose in this research, the researcher uses descriptive
method here. Descriptive method was particularly
applied to explain, analyze and classify the data (Gay,
1987:139).
According to Crowl (1996:10) “Qualitative
research methods are used to examine questions that
can best be answered by verbally describing how
participants in the study percieve and interpret various
aspects of their environment”
2. Instrument of the Research
Instrument is a significant aspect in the research.
The researcher, in this case the writer, was the main
instrument in qualitative data. The researcher read
comprehensively The Rainbow Troops novel and
analyze the utterance in the dialogue to discover the
use of presupposition. In the research, the researcher
conducted an analysis involving documents in
collection the data.
The documents were the original novel entitled
Laskar Pelangi written by Andrea Hirata published by
Bentang Pustaka in 2005 and the English version
translated by Angie Kilbane and published by Bentang
Pustaka in 2009.
3. Research Population and Sample
Population is the groups consisting of all people
to whom the researches wish to apply their finding
(Crowl, 1990:8). In this research the writer as a
researcher used novel’s dialogue in the novel entitled
The Rainbow Troops as a research population.
According to Crowl samples are subjets of
people used to represent the population (1990:15). In
this research the representative of population is the
main characters of the novel’s dialogue from the novel
entitled The Rainbow Troops.
The researcher used purposive sampling to take
the sample of the data in this research. According to
Alwasilah “purposive sampling is the way to decide or
to choose sample depends on the result or way that hes
been done.” (Alwasilah, 2002:27). McMillan and
Schumacher also states, “Purposeful sampling is done
to increase the utility of information obtained from
small samples” (McMillan & Schumacher, 2001:401).
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Table 1 The finding of types’ presupposition
From the theories that was explained above, the
researcher assumed that the appropriate method to
analyze the data in this research used descriptive
analysis, to classify kinds of presupposition, find out
how many presupposition in the novel`s dialogue and
to describe its meanings.
6. Research Procedures
This study focused on an analysis of
presupposition in the novel’s dialogue among the main
characters entitled The Rainbow Troops by Andrea
Hirata and translated by Angie Kilbane. In conducting
the study, the researcher identified the phenomenon in
pragmatics field, especially in analyzing the
presupposition of the novel’s dialog contained in one
of Andrea Hirata’s novel, “The Rainbow Troops” that
has translated into English version by Angie Kilbane
and published by Bentang Pustaka in 2009.
The following research procedures of the research are:
1. Classifying
The data was classifying into 6 type of
presupposition that take from the main characters
utterance.
2. Describing the background knowledge, referent
and the context of the conversation
The researcher described the background
knowledge, referent, and context of the
conversation.
3. Analyzing
The researcher analyzing the presupposition that
researcher takes from the classifying data.
D. Findings and Discussion
The Rainbow Troops novel had 32 dialogues
among the main characters whereas there are 5
dialogues among the main characters that contained
presupposition,
context,
referent,
background
knowledge. The total number of the use of
presupposition by main characters in The Rainbow
Troops novel`s dialogue was 36 presupposition. From
6 types of presupposition there are only 4 types
presupposition that found in The Rainbow Troops
novel dialogue. These were the presupposition that
found in The Rainbow Troops novel. Existential
presupposition was 17 presupposition, Factive
presupposition was 6 presupposition, Lexical
presupposition was 6 presupposition, Structural
presupposition was 7 presupposition. Here the finding
of types’ presupposition in The Rainbow Troops
novel`s dialogue and also the result of how many
presupposition and its meaning.
Kind of
No
Presupposition
Number of Data
Percentage
17
47,22%
6
16,67%
6
16,67%
7
19,44%
0
0%
0
0%
Existential
1
presupposition
Factive
2
presupposition
Lexical
3
presupposition
Structural
4
presupposition
Non-factive
5
presupposition
Counter factual
6
presupposition
Total Number
36
100%
E. Conclusion and Suggestion
1. Conclusion
Based on the result of the research that had been
obtained and analyzed, some conclusion can be drawn
as follows:
a. The Rainbow Troops novel had 32 dialogues
among the main characters whereas there are 5
dialogues among the main characters that
contained presupposition, context, referent,
background knowledge. The total number of the
use of presupposition by main characters in The
Rainbow Troops novel`s dialogue was 36
presupposition. The total number of the use of
presupposition by main characters in The Rainbow
Troops novel`s dialogue was 36 presupposition.
Existential
presupposition
(17
presupposition=47,22%), Factive presupposition (6
presupposition=16,67%), Lexical presupposition (6
presupposition=16,67%), Structural presupposition
(7
presupposition=19,44%),
Non-factive
5
b.
c.
2.
a)
b)
c)
presupposition (0 presupposition=0%), Counter
factual presupposition (0 presupposition=0%).
The result of this research showed kinds of
presupposition that the most frequently used by
main characters in The Rainbow Troops novel`s
dialogue was Existential Presupposition (19
presupposition=42 %), and;
Kinds of presupposition that the least frequently
used by the main characters in The Rainbow
Troops
novel`s
dialogue
was
Factive
presupposition (6 presupposition=16,67%), and
Lexical presupposition (6 presupposition=16,67%).
Suggestion
For students who are major in English Department,
studying English not only study about four skills.
Moreover, we have to know about structure,
meaning, context, and another literary.
It is better for other researcher to analyze the use of
presupposition in each kind like the use of
Existential presupposition, Factive presupposition,
Lexical presupposition, Structural presupposition,
Non-factive presupposition, Counter factual
presupposition. Thus, this study can be enlarged
and developed by other researchers who are
interested in analyzing the use of presupposition
and its meaning.
It is better for other researcher who will conduct
study in pragmatics fields to take analysis about the
use of presupposition in spoken language or
written language. On the other hand, they may
analyze the use of presupposition in language not
only in the movie, but also in another object, which
may be used as the object of the research.
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Cruse, Alan. 2000. Meaning in Language: An
introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics. New
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Cummings,
Louise.
2005.
Pragmatics:
A
multidisciplinary Perspective. New Jersey:
Edinburgh University Press.
Grundy, P. 2008. Third Edition: Doing Pragmatics.
London: Hodder Education (Part of Hachette
Livre UK)
Halliday, M.A.K & Ruqaiya, H. 1985. Language,
Context and Text: Aspect of Language in a
social-Semiotic Perspective. Melbourne: Deakin
University Press
Huang, Yan. 2007. Pragmatics. New York: Oxford
University Press.
Levinson, Stephen C. 1983. Pragmatics: Cambridge,
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Maxwell, Joseph A. 1996. Qualitative Research
Design: An Interactive Approach. California:
SAGE Publication inc.
McMillan James H. & Shumacher Sally. (2001).
Research in Education: A Conceptual
Introduction. New York: Longman.
Mey, Jacob L. 2001. Second Edition: Pragmatics An
Introduction. Malden, Massachusetts: Oxford
University Press
Wiersma, William. 1991. Research Methods in
Education: An Introduction fifth Edition. Allyn
and Bacon: The University of Toledo
Yule, George. 1996. Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Abudira. 2011. E-book of The Rainbow Troops pdf.
[On Line] Available on the internet at
http://abudira.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/freedownload-troops-alias-laskar-pelangi-by-andirahirata (Accessed on July 21, 2013)
F. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alwasilah, A. Chaedar. 2002. Pokoknya Kualitatif:
Dasar-Dasar Merancang dan melakukan
Penelitian Kualitatif. Jakarta: PT Dunia Pustaka
Jaya.
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