DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE USED BY EACH GENDER IN ADDRESSING A

PROBLEM REGARDING SEXUAL HARASSMENT ON TWITTER

Rindi Aisyah Setyowati 1 , Nur 'Aini 2 , Maharani Miftahul Nuha 3

ABSTRACT

In interacting and communicating, language has an important role. However, humans often
experience miscommunication in everyday interactions. This is because language has a wide
range of meanings. In addition, everyone has a different style of speaking. Many factors
influence these differences, including environment, level of education, gender, and others.
This study aims to determine differences in the use of language between men and women
who respond to cases of sexual harassment in Indonesia. The respondents involved included
people who commented on the Twitter social media page. Responses or responses between
women and men regarding the case were captured on screenshots via smartphones and then
analyzed. From the observations, women appear to be more verbal, using narratives that are
in line with how they feel about the case. Meanwhile, men have narratives that tend to be
firm and clear. This study proves that the language of men and women differ in several
aspects, namely in choosing topics, in choosing speech such as intonation, vocabulary, and
syntax, in using swearing and in conversational style and in dominating conversations .

Keywords: Gender, language, male language, female language.

In social life, language is something that is used by various groups ranging from
children, adults, men and women all use language. Language is a tool used to convey
something that comes to mind. In more detail it can be said that language is a tool used to
interact in the form of thoughts, ideas, concepts or feelings. (Zulkarnain 2018: 159),
Language is a means of conveying messages. We interact with other people using language.
Lecturers give lectures through language intermediaries. Writers write literary works
mediated by language; He welcomes social criticism in his work using language. However,
language has a special status as a means of communication. Language is placed at the core of
human semiotics which is meaningful in communication. Language becomes meaningful
because in daily communication events, apart from using verbal language (with words), we
also use nonverbal language "language" which complements verbal language. In fact, this
aspect of nonverbal "language" can function in contradiction to verbal language. For
example, when we express an apology with "sorry" (verbal language), but accompanied by a
mocking smile (nonverbal language), the meaning that appears in communication will be
different.

This special circumstance demonstrates the potential for language to be used to (1) generate
new ideas, (2) change beliefs and values, and (3) aid memory.

Everyone is born with their own language, because language is a reflection of speakers. One
can identify a person's identity from their style of origin, character, and behavior. Likewise
with gender, between men and women who are two different human beings. As we know that
men and women are different physically and non-physically. According to various studies
that show that men and women are not only physically different but also the spoken language
they use. Evidence to support this theory is found when analysis levels up, from analyzing
individual sentences, to concentrating on analyzing conversational structures .

Of the various differences that exist, apart from language there are also striking differences in
the creation of various technological developments. Social media is a branch of technology
that is a place for everyone to express their ideas in a language that can be researched. Many
things happen on social media, starting from freedom of opinion, a place to share Happy
stories, a place to make money with endorsers and a place to spread news quickly. One of the
social media that is considered to have the power to spread news quickly is Twitter. Twitter is
a social media that is considered to have the greatest freedom of opinion among other social
media. News that spreads quickly whether it's good news or bad news, both of those things
definitely reap the pros and cons.

Regarding the news that has been trending on social media lately, it is really very surprising,
because many cases of sexual harassment have emerged which have been uncovered and then
sticking out and spreading on social media. sexual harassment or violence is a universal
crime, this kind of crime can be found all over the world, at every level of society, regardless
of age and gender (Ningsih, 2018: 57). One of the shocking cases of harassment was sexual
harassment committed by Heri Irawan who is the owner of a boarding school who has
molested 13 of his own students. This case of course shocked all levels of society because the
perpetrator was a teacher of the santri santri who studied at his Islamic boarding school.

Through this article we discuss the use of language differences between men and women in
responding to harassment cases committed by Heri Irawan towards his 13 female students,
which we retrieved data from social media Twitter.

RESEARCH METHOD

This research is a research using descriptive research. This study reviews the differences in
the use of language by men and women in responding to cases of sexual violence on social
media Twitter.

1. Type of research
This type of research used in descriptive research. Descriptive research is research
with data collected not in the form of numbers but in the form of descriptions of
words and pictures. The purpose of descriptive research is to make systematic, factual
and accurate descriptions, drawings or drawings regarding the facts , characteristics
and relationships between the phenomena investigated. The descriptive qualitative
research method was chosen because it aims to obtain appropriate data to explain and
describe the use of Twitter as a communication medium and later the data obtained
will be drawn conclusions from the results of the research.
2. Resource records
A data source is a specific data set, the information needed to access it, and the
location of the data source. The source of the data obtained is one of the social media
 applications, namely Twitter which is easy to reach. So that we can find accurate and
relevant information quite easily.
3. Data resource are
Documentation method that is observed is not animate objects but inanimate objects.
As explained, in using this documentation method the researcher holds a checklist or
evidence to look for predetermined variables.

RESULTS & DISCUSSION

From the research that the researchers have done, the researchers found several
samples that showed differences in responses between men and women in responding to
cases of sexual harassment committed by Heri Irawan on 13 of his students.

In the first discovery, the account @Ali furqon (male) gave a statement in the form of
"castration is an appropriate punishment"

Meanwhile, @diananjani (female) gave a response in the form of “I'm afraid to let my
daughter go to the hut if this is the story. We want to entrust our children to Islamic boarding
schools so that they are taught the true religion, but the result is exactly like this."

From the two responses that have been studied by the researcher, the researcher
describes that the responses or responses from men seen from the language are direct to the
point, firm and there are no similes, while the responses from women tend to express sadness,
desolation from differences in writing, it is also very visible that the male sample is more
short and clear while women are long and not firm even though both of them show
disagreement.

In the second discovery, the account @Da***yA*b**r (male) gave a statement in the
form of at least this case breaking the male statement which reads

"it's wrong to not take care of your genitals"

Whereas @De**yRa***a gave a statement in the form of

"just like this, you can't just leave it alone"

From the two statements above, there are differences in the language used between
men and women, different from the first finding, where the man is brief and clear, in the
second finding, the statement by women is short and clear. In this finding, the male statement
breaks the statement that every woman must cover her genitals, that in this case female
students who have covered their genitals have also become victims of sexual harassment. The
two statements above show the similarity that sexual harassment cannot be tolerated and the
victim can be anyone, including women who have covered their private parts.

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of the research and analysis above, it can be concluded that this study
reviews the differences in the use of male and female language in responding to cases of
sexual violence on social media Twitter. Where language is a tool used to interact in
delivering messages by various groups ranging from children, adults, men and women.
Everyone is born with their own language. Likewise with gender, between men and women
who are two different human beings with the spoken language used. Where men are shorter,
clear and their language goes straight to the point while women are long and not firm even
though both of them show disagreement.
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