Analysis of Meaning Beyond Words Through Malay Film Dialogue

The meaning conveyed beyond the literal meaning of words is called implicature. This implicature involves the use of speech that needs to be interpreted contextually in order to grasp the speaker's true intent. The flexibility in word usage and the ever-changing references allow humans to employ a word to refer to a meaning vastly different from its literal sense. The use of utterance that requires analyzing meaning beyond its literal interpretation is often employed in Malay society's conversations. Such usage is common in everyday language and can be observed in Malay films such as Si Tanggang (1961), showcasing the diversity of using implicatures or meanings beyond the literal in speech. This study aims to identify and analyze the use of utterance that requires interpretation beyond its literal meaning. Each dialogue utilizing implicature is scrutinized and elucidated based on the Relevance Theory, emphasizing relevant assumptions and contextual concepts. This study also employs text analysis methods to highlight this linguistic phenomenon more precisely and clearly. The data analysis results reveal that speakers use utterance necessitating interpretation beyond its literal meaning to evoke implicatures. These implicatures demonstrate the speaker's true meaning and subsequently clarify the speaker's intentions. Such utterance usage can be linked to the Malay community's cultural, religious, and societal thoughts, which highly value decorum in conveying messages.