THE SPEECH ACT AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY: A CASE STUDY ON TODDLERS (3-5 YEARS) IN SO’E”
ABSTRACT This thesis is entitled “The Speech Act and Communication Strategy: A Case Study on Toddlers (3-5 years) in So’e”. The study aimed to find the toddlers (3-5 years old) in their acts of speech and communicating during their attendance in the nursery home of scholling. Elaborating observation in the nursery for one week, on six toddlers, the writer collected qualitative data on the analyzed using descriptive qualitative. In delivering speech, the toddlers unconsciously produced certain strategies so that their wishes conveyed through speech are realized.Within the study, the writer also attempted to see the forms of illocutionary acts made by the toddlers . In addition, the writer sought to determine the speech strategies in the toddlers’ speech. The writer further used interviews (exploratory interview) and recording during her interaction with the toddlers. The findings show that the forms of illocutionary act used by the 3-5 years olds are directive, commissive, assertive, and expresive. Directive are the ones most often produced by the toddlers meanwhile, the communication strategy that was dominantly often performed within their speech was direct speech, meaning that the results showed that 3 years old were able to use direct speech in communicating, while 4 years old tried to use indirect speech in communicating, and 5 years old used indirect speech in communicating. The study suggests that speech and communication strategies of toddlers 3-5 years old that most children use are direct speech. Although sometimes they can produce speech in an indirect form, they till try.