SEMANTIC ANALYSIS OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE IN THE PERKS OF BEING WALLFLOWER MOVIE
Abstract
This study aims to identify the types of figurative language and determine the most dominant type used in The Perks of Being a Wallflower movie script. It employs a qualitative descriptive research design. The data were derived from the movie script, with a particular focus on the utterances of Charlie, the main character. To classify the figurative expressions, the researchers adopted Colston’s (2015) framework, which includes ten categories: metaphor, simile, verbal irony, oxymoron, hyperbole, contextual expression, understatement, idiom, indirect request, and repetition. The data were analyzed by identifying and categorizing occurrences of each figurative language type. The findings reveal that all ten categories were present in the script, though with varying frequencies. Indirect requests were the most frequently used (8 occurrences), followed by verbal irony and metaphor (7 each), repetition (6), hyperbole, contextual expression, and idiom (5 each), understatement (4), and both oxymoron and simile (3 each). The dominance of indirect requests reflects the characters’ subtle communication style and emotional depth, particularly that of Charlie. Overall, the study highlights the prevalence and diversity of figurative language in the movie, contributing to its expressive dialogue and emotional resonance.
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