The Analysis of Formal and Casual Language Style in RM’s Speech at The United Nations General Assembly and Its Application in Teaching Speaking

Abstract

This research seeks to analyze the formal and informal language styles present in RM’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly and to investigate how these insights can be utilized in teaching speaking skills to eleventh-grade students in senior high school. The study is categorized as descriptive qualitative research, with the video of RM’s speech serving as the primary object of analysis. Data for the research consists of scenes and segments from the speech that exhibit formal and casual language styles. The researcher collected data by locating RM’s speech on the UNICEF YouTube, downloading the video, watching it, and obtaining the speech transcript from the UNICEF website. Data analysis involved identifying instances of formal and casual language styles in RM’s speech, categorizing these instances according to Joos’ classification, and applying the results to teaching speaking. The analysis revealed 63 instances of language styles, classified into three categories: 15 instances of formal language (24%), 16 instances of neutral language (25%), and 32 instances of casual language (51%). The study’s findings are intended to enhance teaching speaking, particularly in areas such as greetings and self-introduction, and suggest the use of English speech videos as educational tools.