Abstrak

This thesis deals with the use of epistemic modality markers as hedgings which are the sign of female language in the movie entitled Made in Dagenham. The thesis was conducted to analyze the types and functions of epistemic modality markers as hedgings employed by the female and male characters with different or the same power in the mixed sex conversation which are found in the dialogue from that movie. This thesis also uses Roth’s (2014) and Holmes’ (1986) theory to analyze the types and functions of epistemic modality markers as hedgings. This research is a qualitative descriptive research employing purposive sampling to collect the data and use domain, taxonomy, and componential analysis to find the pattern related to cultural value. The result of the research shows that six types and seven functions of epistemic modality markers are found in the mixed sex conversation of the characters in the movie entitled Made in Dagenham. The types include epistemic hedging verbs, epistemic hedging clauses, modal auxiliary verbs, necessity modals, adverbs of degree, and interjections. Besides, the functions involve conjoint knowledge, emphatic, attributive that show certainty of the speakers’ utterance. On the other hand, the function to show uncertainty of the speakers’ utterance are appealing, linguistics imprecision which are divided into signaling lexical imprecision, introducing qualifying information, and indicating false start. The types and functions of epistemic modality markers as hedgings used by the speakers are influenced by gender and power of the speakers and addressees. Those types and functions of epistemic modality markers as hedgings also reflect the gender and power stereotype of male and female speakers.

Keywords : Epistemic modality markers as hedgings, female speakers, male speakers, power, mixed sex conversation