This research was done to analyze code choice in the film entitled “Merry Riana –
MimpiSejutaDolar”. It was conducted to reveal the code used by the characters,
the way the characters used the code and the reasons of the characters used the
code in every domain in the film.
This research is a descriptive qualitative research. The data were collected by
using total sampling. The source of data is the conversation in the film entitled
“Merry Riana – MimpiSejutaDolar”. There are 50 data which wereclassified into
three domain language use.
Some results are found in this research. First, there are several codes found in the
movie. They are English, Bahasa Indonesia, Malay, Switching English – Bahasa
Indonesia, Switching Indonesia – English, Switching English – Malay, Switching
Bahasa Indonesia – Malay and Switching Malay - English. Second, in this movie,
the characters used the codes in two ways. They are formal way and informal
way. The formal way mostly occurs in the office domain. Meanwhile, the
informal way mostly occurs in friendship domain and family domain. Third, there
are 19 reasons of the characters in choosing the code found in this film. They are
expressing thanks, surprised, to show intimacy, share the same dialect, to express
in-love, to say good bye, to give compliment, to emphasize the message, to
continue the interlocutor, to share the same group identity, to strengthen the
argument, to encourage, to express disappointment, to ensure, to ask permission,
the change of interlocutor, to show the higher position, to express anger, and to
show intimacy.
Keywords:sociolinguistics, code choice