Depicting Hierarchy and Solidarity Through Social Deixis in The Queen 2006 Movie:

A Study of Royal Linguistic Practices

Abstract

This study aims to examines the use of social deixis and the underlying social factors in The Queen 2006 Movie. This research focuses on the use of honorific terms as a reflection of the social stratification of the British monarchy. The primary issue of this study lies in how social deixis is used to mark social relationships and the factors that influence language choice among characters. This study aims to demonstrate the type of social deixis, as well as reveal the factors that influence social deixis and the social and power relations reflected in the monarchy system. The research design of this study uses qualitative descriptive using Levinson's theory (1983) to find out the type of social deixis and Janet Holmes' theory (2013) to find out the social dynamics in the movie. The data of this research is a conversation containing social deixis in The Queen 2006 movie that forms a social dimension between characters. The results show two types of social deixis, namely relational and absolute social deixis. Relational deixis is found in the use of first names, pet name, and endearment term. Absolute social deixis is found in the use of honorific titles, such as, “Your Majesty”. Social status, formality, and conversational context are factors that influence the use of social deixis. The findings of this study confirm that social deixis is not only a communication tool but as a marker and reinforcement of social hierarchy in the monarchical system.