Speech Acts Analysis

“MASUK TANPA SALAM, KELUAR TANPA KEPALA”

I was visiting my friend’s rooming house. Before knocking her room, I stood at moment reading the utterance on a sticker “MASUK TANPA SALAM, KELUAR TANPA KEPALA” in front of her room’s door. For me, it was funny because it was my first time found that kind of utterance. I laugh at that moment. Then, I was thinking what the implied meaning behind that utterance.

Actually, this utterance is speech act. I imagined at that moment its real meaning (locutionary act) means that anyone who comes or enters this room without SALAM will get injure on her/his head or she/he will die. I though ones more about his utterance because it is impossible for anyone to do that.

Afterward, I deemed one more about the sticker which was patched on the room’s door of my friend by considering the situation of the environment. There must be an implied meaning (illocutionary act) behind it. The implied meaning itself is in the word “SALAM” and “KEPALA”. The rooming house of my friend is like a boarding school/cottage (pondok) but it is not scaring as like in formal boarding house. The word “SALAM” meant saying “Assalamualaikum”. The tradition of the people in that rooming house is everyone who comes in the room should say “Assalamualaikum”. Someone who is not saying SALAM when she is entering the room is like have no shame. The reflection here is for anyone who has no shame is like have no face. Have no shame means that have no decency. Therefore, if she has no face is better if she has no head. So, I assume that the meaning of the sticker which is scraped on the door is “SAY SALAAM IF YOU HAVE ANY DECENCY”.

So, after knowing the real meaning of the sticker, people who will enter the room should say salaam. As the result (perlocutionary act), they will knock the door and say salaam before coming in.