the vocative function in persuassive text

1. TRANSLATION
THE VOCATIVE FUNCTION
Group 3
• Dapit Saputra
• DesiAnggraini
• Fenti Rizki Ananda
• RefkiAldino
• Thesya Ayudya Decimika
• Febri Yolanda
FACULTY OF HUMANITIES
ENGLISH LITERATURE
BUNG HATTA UNIVERSITY
PADANG
2016

2. The Vocative Function
The core of the vocative function of language is the readership, the addressee. According to
Newmark, the term ‘vocative’ in the sense of ‘calling upon’ the readership to act, think, or feel,
in fact to ‘react’ in the way intended by the text (the vocative is the case used for addressing your
reader in some inflected languages). Newmark (1987) said that the typical of vocative text such
as notices, instructions, publicity, propaganda, persuasive writing (requests, cases, theses) and
possibly popular fiction, whose purpose is to sell the book/entertain the reader.
The first factor in all vocative texts is the relationship between the writer and the
readership, which is realized in various types of socially or personally determined grammatical
relations of forms of address; infinitives, imperatives, subjunctives, indicatives, impersonal,
passives; first/ or family names, titles, hypocoristic names; tags, such as ‘please’, all play their
part in determining asymmetrical or symmetrical relationships, relationships of power or equality
, command, request or persuasion. The second factor is that these texts must be written in a
language that is immediately comprehensible to the readership.
Vocative texts are expressive poetic texts that strive to show rather than tell, that
communicate felt knowledge, and that appeal to the senses. A vocative text is thoughtful and
suggestive, rather than declarative and final, and aims to show experientially rather than tell
rationally (van Manen, 1997). Language is used to encourage knowing through the senses, to
prompt knowing that is felt and that has texture (Todres, 1998). An important purpose of such
writing is to touch readers, to engage them personally with the text, and to evoke the lived
visceral qualities of human experience. Elements associated with vocative texts include
concreteness, evocation, intensification, tone, and epiphany (van Manen).
The Vocative Function in Persuasive Writing
We will give one example of the vocative function in one persuasive essay taken from internet
entitled “Why Teamwork is Not So Productive”. Here are the original script of the source and
the translated one.

3. Why Teamwork is Not So Productive
The world of developed capitalism in which we live in nowadays requires the constant increase
of productivity. Productivity is what billions of guides, books, and training sessions are dedicated
to; in order to increase it, companies regularly come up with new strategies, models of workflow
organization, and so on. One of the sacred cows of modern capitalism is teamwork; for some
reason, managers of all ranks believe that teamwork is the ultimate component of success
(or at least one of them). Team-building activities, corporate parties, group projects, hanging
out with colleagues after work, and so on – all this is meant to organize productive teamwork.
But, is teamwork really all that superb?
Usually, people write something like this in their CVs, “Enjoy working in a team,” or “Work
best in a team.” However, working in a team often means devaluing the work done. For example,
if you are a lone wolf who has just accomplished a complicated project, you get all the credit,
your reputation grows faster, and you get paid more. On the other hand, in a team, the credit
cannot be given to someone specific; instead, a team manager usually gathers everyone in a
conference room and says something like, “Good job, everyone.” This might be satisfying if you
have a strong self-identification with your team, but usually this is not enough. This may lead to
a decrease of personal interest and motivation in the work done. Do you want all the credit for
the work done to be shared among a number of people (Silverton Internet College)?
Working in a team does not mean that all the working process will consist of super-productive
meetings, intense brainstorming, and the accurately organized work of professionals, where
everyone knows their part of the job perfectly. Usually, the efficiency of teamwork is decreased
by a number of factors. Among the factors one could include are team members’ unwillingness
to take responsibility, procrastination of team members, noisy surroundings, personal conflicts
between team members, poor organization of the working progress, gossiping and informal
communication, and so on. At the same time, when working individually, it is easier to focus on
a task, without getting distracted by random chattering. Besides, individual work implies higher
personal responsibility for outcomes (FRI).
Another important factor is the people’s temperament within a team. Working in a team,
interacting with other people, sharing responsibilities, and spending a lot of time with coworkers
is good for extroverted people. Extroverts are not necessarily always uninhibited, friendly, and
communicative, but they indeed work better in groups. Since extroverted people make a majority
of Earth’s population, there is no surprise that corporate culture is oriented towards them.
However, introverted people are also numerous; they prefer to control the amount of their daily
social interactions, to work alone, to determine the volumes of work for themselves, and think
about current work issues alone. For them, teamwork is usually a curse; commonly, introverts
simply do their share of work, and leave all the bright ideas they have for themselves. Introverts
usually do not enjoy working in teams, and a professional manager should know that they
disclose their full potential only when allowed to work on their own (IFR). Therefore, a team that
does not take into accounts the needs and qualities of introverts in it is less productive than it
could be.

4. Teamwork is important for modern companies, as it is considered to be an effective form of
workflow organization. At the same time, teamwork’s efficiency is often overestimated, due to
numerous factors. Among them one should mention the lack of personal interest and motivation
in doing the job; poor organization and a large number of distractions; besides, some people are
simply not suitable for teamwork, and disclose their full potential only when working alone.
Therefore, the role and efficiency of teamwork should be re-evaluated.
References
Sparkson, Jeremy. “Myths About Teamwork.” IRF.net. N.P., 01 June 2012. Web. 07 May 2015.
“Why a Team of Introverts Is a Bad Idea.” FRIHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.
“Motivation In Team.” Silverton Internet College. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/teamwork-2.html

5. Mengapa Kerjasama Kelompok Kurang Produktif
Berkembangnya dunia kapitalisme di zaman dimana kita hidup sekarang ini memerlukan
peningkatan daya produksi secara terus-menerus. Produktivitas itu seperti sejumlah buku-buku
pedoman, buku-buku, dan kursus-kursus pelatihan yang diberikan supaya dapat meningkatkan
daya produksi tersebut, perusahaan-perusahaan biasanya memunculkan strategi-strategi baru,
contoh-contoh dari kemajuan proses kerja organisasi, dan lain sebagainya. Salah satu hal yang
tidak dapat dihindari dari kapitalisme modern adalah kerjasama tim; beberapa alasannya,
pimpinan-pimpinan dari seluruh pangkat manajer percaya bahwa kerjasama kelompok adalah
keberhasilan utama (atau setidaknya salah satu dari mereka). Membangun aktivitas-aktivitas
kelompok, partai-partai perusahaan, proyek-proyek kelompok, berkumpul bersama rekan-rekan
kerja setelah bekerja, dan yang lainnya – semua aktivitas ini bermaksud untuk mengatur
kerjasama kelompok yang produktif. Tetapi, apakah kerjasama kelompok benar-benar bagus?
Biasanya, orang menulis hal seperti ini dalam CV (surat lamaran dalam daftar riwayat hidup)
mereka, “menikmati pekerjaan dalam sebuah tim”, atau “bekerja sangat baik dalam sebuah tim”.
Tetapi, bekerja dalam sebuah tim sering diremehkan dalam melakukan pekerjaan. Sebagai
contoh, jika kamu seorang serigala yang baru saja menyelesaikan sebuah proyek yang rumit,
kamu mendapatkan semua pujian untukmu, reputasimu/ nama baikmu lambat laun meningkat,
dan kamu digaji lebih tinggi. Di sisi lain, dalam sebuah tim, pujian tidak diberikan untuk satu
orang; malahan, seorang pimpinan tim biasanya mengumpulkan semua orang dalam sebuah
ruang pertemuan dan mengatakan “kerja bagus, semuanya”. Kalimat tersebut terasa memuaskan
anda jika anda mempunyai pengenalan diri yang baik dalam timmu, tetapi biasanya ucapan itu
tidak cukup. Biasanya dengan mudah akan dapat mengurangi minat pribadi dan motivasi dalam
pekerjaan yang telah dilakukan. Apakah anda ingin semua pujian atas kerja keras yang telah
anda lakukan tersebut dibagikan kepada beberapa orang (Silverton Internet Collage) ?
Bekerja dalam sebuah tim bukan berarti semua proses kerja akan terdiri dari pertemuan yang luar
biasa bermanfaat, hebat, pengungkapan ide, dan dengan akurat pekerjaan diatur oleh para ahli,
dimana semua orang tahu dengan baik bagian kerja mereka. Umumnya, manfaat kerjasama
kelompok diturunkan oleh beberapa faktor. Diantara faktor-faktor yang terkait seperti kurangnya
tanggung jawab dari anggota tim, penundaan dari anggota tim, lingkungan yang berisik, konflik
pribadi antara anggota tim, kurangnya kemajuan kinerja dalam organisasi, bergosip dan
pembicaraan yang tidak formal dan sebagainya. Pada saat yang sama, ketika bekerja secara
individu, bekerja lebih terasa mudah untuk focus kepada pekerjaan, tanpa merasa terganggu
dengan pembicaraan yang tak jelas. Selain itu, bekerja individu menghasilkan pribadi yang
bertanggung jawab lebih tinggi (FRI).
Faktor penting lainnya yaitu watak setiap orang dalam sebuah tim. Bekerja dalam sebuah tim,
berinteraksi dengan orang lain, berbagi tugas-tugas, dan menghabiskan banyak waktu dengan
teman-teman sekerja cocok untuk orang yang mudah bersosialisasi. Orang-orang ekstovert tidak

6. selalu orang yang tidak malu-malu, peramah dan suka bicara, melainkan mereka memang
bekerja lebih baik dalam kelompok-kelompok. Karena mayoritas populasi dunia adalah orang
ekstrovert, bukan hal yang baru apabila budaya perusahaan diatur oleh mereka. Akan tetapi, ada
juga beberapa orang yang memusatkan perhatian dan pikirannya kepada dirinya sendiri
(introvert); mereka memilih untuk mengatur jumlah interaksi sosial dalam keseharian mereka,
untuk bekerja sendiri, untuk menentukan kapasitas kerja mereka sendiri, dan berpikir tentang
pekerjaan yang baru-baru ini diberikan sendiri. Bagi mereka, kerjasama tim adalah sebuah
malapetaka; biasanya, orang-orang introvert mudah untuk membagikan hasil kerja mereka,dan
membiarkan semua ide cemerlang mereka hanya untuk diri mereka sendiri. Orang-orang
introvert pada umumnya tidak suka bekerja dalam kelompok-kelompok, dan seorang manajer
profesional harus tahu bahwa mereka memperlihatkan potensi penuh mereka hanya pada saat
mereka diizinkan bekerja sendiri (IFR). Oleh karena itu, sebuah tim yang tidak
memperhitungkan kebutuhan dan kualitas orang-orang introvert dalam hal ini kurang produktif
daripada yang seharusnya.
Kerjasama tim penting dalam perusahaan-perusahaan modern, sebagaimana telah ditetapkan
sebagai bentuk efektif dari arus kerja organisasi. Pada waktu yang bersamaan, efisiensi sebuah
kerjasama tim sering dinilai terlalu tinggi, karena berbagai faktor. Diantara faktor-faktor itu satu
yang harus menyebutkan kurangnya minat pribadi dan motivasi dalam melakukan pekerjaan;
buruknya organisasi dan banyaknya gangguan-gangguan; selain itu, beberapa orang tidak merasa
cocok dalam kerjasama tim, dan memperlihatkan potensi penuh mereka ketika bekerja seorang
diri. Maka dari itu, peran dan efisiensi dari kerjasama tim harus di evaluasi kembali.
Referensi
Sparkson, Jeremy. “Myths About Teamwork.” IRF.net. N.p., 01 June 2012. Web. 07 May 2015.
“Why a Team of Introverts Is a Bad Idea.” FRIHealth. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.
“Motivation In Team.” Silverton Internet College. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/teamwork-2.html

7. Besides using Newmark book, we also find the information about vocative text in the online
journal of Jennifer J. Nicol, University of Saskatchewan. She said that according to Van Mannen
(1997), Vocative texts tend to be characterized by five textual elements: concreteness, evocation,
intensification, tone, and epiphany. Based on her online journal and the element of Van Mannen,
we analyzed the persuasive essay taken from internet into five elements.
Analyzing Persuasive Essays ‘ Why Teamwork is Not So Productive’ in Five Textual
Elements of Van Mannen
1. Concreteness
Concreteness refers to the use of specific and particular descriptions that place a phenomenon
concretely in the life world, and helps readers identify closely with what they are reading.
Concreteness prompts readers to appreciate the researched phenomenon in terms of their own
lived experiences (van Manen, 1997).
 . …. we live in nowadays requires the constant increase of productivity . (1st line)
 …. di zaman dimana kita hidup sekarang ini memerlukan peningkatan daya produksi
secara terus-menerus
The word “we” shows about the sense of “calling upon” , ‘we’ here means that the writer
includes himself and his readership based on the text situation.
 …. One of the sacred cows of modern capitalism is teamwork; for some reason,
managers of all ranks believe that teamwork is the ultimate component of success (or at
least one of them). (see line 4)
 .. Salah satu hal yang tidak dapat dihindari dari kapitalisme modern adalah kerjasama
tim; beberapa alasannya, pimpinan-pimpinan dari seluruh pangkat manajer percaya
bahwa kerjasama kelompok adalah keberhasilan utama (atau setidaknya salah satu dari
mereka)
- Sacred cows actually is the idiom of American English so that we cannot translate it
directly just by looking word by word in the dictionary (target language).
- This sentence describes the concrete phenomenon in business world. The writer
attempts to extend his thought to the readership.

8. 2. Tone
 Tone refers to the way in which readers are addressed. The goal is to instill the text with a
tone that speaks to readers in a direct, feeling, and stirring manner (vanManen, 1997). The tone
of writing tends to arise from the whole of the text, so it is difficult to extract specific succinct
examples. But we found it in this persuasive essay.
 is teamwork really all that superb ? (line 8 / the last sentence of 1st paragraph)
 , apakah kerjasama kelompok benar-benar bagus?
This is one of the ways the writer persuade the addressee to feel and think whether the teamwork
is the best choice.
 Rhetorical questions can also be used to achieve a desired tone.
 Do you want all the credit for the work done to be shared among a number of people
(Silverton Internet Collage) ? (line 16/ last sentence in 2nd paragraph)
 Apakah anda ingin semua pujian atas kerja keras yang telah anda lakukan tersebut
dibagikan kepada beberapa orang (Silverton Internet Collage) ?
- We know that this question must not need to answer because the tendency of people
like to be praised (his/her works).
3. Intensification
Intensifying the text involves maximizing the full poetic value of words by choosing words that
kindle sensory knowing, by thoughtfully attending to the arrangement of words, and by
developing and using metaphor (van Manen, 1997).
 For example, if you are a lone wolf who has just accomplished a complicated project,
you get all the credit, your reputation grows faster, and you get paid more. (line 11 / 2nd
paragraph)

9.  Sebagai contoh, jika kamu seorang serigala yang baru saja menyelesaikan sebuah
proyek yang rumit, kamu mendapatkan semua pujian untukmu, reputasimu/ nama baikmu
lambat laun meningkat, dan kamu digaji lebih tinggi
- A lone wolf symbolized an animal who likes to wander alone, the writer attempts to
describe a similar trait between a person who likes to work by himself with a wolf.
4. Evocativeness
Evocativeness involves using words to evoke and vividly reveal the phenomenon.Consequently,
an experience and its meanings are “called forth” (van Manen, 1997, p.353), and readers are
moved to engage in introspection and reflection. Evocativeness contrasts sharply with
concreteness, whereas concreteness anchors the phenomenon, evocativeness illuminates and
evokes lived meanings extending beyond immediate tangible experience.
 … ,and spending a lot of time with coworkers is good for extroverted people. …, but
they indeed work better in groups . Since extroverted people make a majority of Earth’s
population, there is no surprise that corporate culture is oriented towards them. (line 29)
 … , dan menghabiskan banyak waktu dengan teman-teman sekerja cocok untuk orang
yang mudah bersosialisasi (ekstrovert). .. , melainkan mereka memang bekerja lebih baik
dalam kelompok-kelompok. Karena mayoritas populasi dunia adalah orang ekstrovert,
bukan hal yang baru apabila budaya perusahaan diatur oleh mereka.
 … . Introverts usually do not enjoy working in teams, …. (line 36)
 Orang-orang introvert pada umumnya tidak suka bekerja dalam kelompok-kelompok,
The writer involves using the evidence of experience in terms of explaining both extrovert and
introvert.

10. 5. Ephipany
Epiphany, the final textual feature, means creating a text that leaves readers feeling changed by
what they read (van Manen, 1997). Again, this is something that exists in the text as a whole and
is difficult to extract within a single excerpt. However, the concluding statement of the results
chapter hinted at the possibility of a reader’s epiphany by communicating what was in fact my
own epiphany.
 .. Among them one should mention the lack of personal interest and motivation in doing
the job; poor organization and a large number of distractions; besides, some people are
simply not suitable for teamwork, and disclose their full potential only when working
alone. Therefore, the role and efficiency of teamwork should be re-evaluated. (line 42-
paragraph 5)
 . Diantara faktor-faktor itu satu yang harus menyebutkan kurangnya minat pribadi dan
motivasi dalam melakukan pekerjaan; buruknya organisasi dan banyaknya gangguan-
gangguan; selain itu, beberapa orang tidak merasa cocok dalam kerjasama tim, dan
memperlihatkan potensi penuh mereka ketika bekerja seorang diri. Maka dari itu, peran
dan efisiensi dari kerjasama tim harus di evaluasi kembali.
In the previous paragraph (see paragraph 3), the writer reemphasizes several decreased factors in
the final text (as conclusion) and it leaves readers feeling changed by what they read.
Sources :
https://academichelp.net/samples/academics/essays/persuasive/teamwork-2.html
http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol13/iss3/1/
Newmark.P. (1987)