Speech features used by the main characters in "Bridge to Terabithia" movie

This research aims to analyze speech features in the “Bridge to Terabithia” movie which were used by the main characters. There are two problems to be investigated in this research. First, what are the speech features used by the main female character in the “Bridge to Terabithia” movie? Second, what are the speech features used by the main male character in the “Bridge to Terabithia” movie?. This research used a qualitative approach with the descriptive study to analyze the conversation of the main female character and the main male character through the script of the “Bridge to Terabithia” movie. The data were collected by transcribing the “Bridge to Terabithia” movie which was then analyzed by identifying the types of speech features by applying suitable codes in the appropriate text. The analysis was continued by analyzing the speech features and the situational context applied by the main female character and the main male character in the movie. Finally, by looking at the situational context of their utterances, it answers why the particular features were used. This research reveals that almost all the speech features are applied in this movie except the precise color terms feature. These features are lexical hedges/fillers, tag questions, rising intonation on declarative, empty adjectives, intensifiers, hypercorrect grammar, super polite forms, avoidance of strong swear words, and emphatic stress for women’s speech features and general topic choice, monologues and playing expert, handing over through questions, verbal sparring, and overlapping turn-taking for men’s speech features. The main female character follows women’s speech features of Lakoff’s (1973) theory while the main male character does not follow men’s speech features of Coates’ (2004) theory. They do not consistently use women’s and men’s speech features based on their gender but it is influenced by the situational context of the speaker who uses these speech features.