ANALYZING THE MOVIE THE DEVIL WEARS …lib.ui.ac.id/file?file=digital/20369053-MK-Fitri Hariana S.pdf1 . a. nalyzing. the movie th. e devil wears prada: the existence of women’s

1

ANALYZING THE MOVIE THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: THE

EXISTENCE OF WOMEN’S LANGUAGE IN THE MODERN LIFE

FITRI HARIANA SINAGA

0906559914

ENGLISH STUDIES PROGRAM

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

UNIVERSITAS INDONESIA

DEPOK

2014

Analisis film ..., Fitri Hariana S, FIB UI, 2014

2


3


4


5

Analyzing the movie The Devil wears Prada: The existence of women’s

language in the modern life

FITRI HARIANA SINAGA

English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia

[email protected]

Abstract

Language is a communication media between one individual and others. However, the

use of language is considered a form of power. Some studies have found that the use of

language will be certainly influenced by the people who live in an isolated area or an area

that still adopt a strong patriarchy system. Men are considered to have a higher power in the

aspect of conversation than women because of the patriarchy concept they hold. This

statement will raise a question, does that situation still exist in modern society? Does the

patriarchy system still influence people when they speak? The existence of "women's

language" can be seen in women’s conversation in their social lives. This paper will discuss

the existence of "women's language" in a woman’s conversation in her life activities in the

movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006). The paper will also discuss how the existence of

"women's language" appears in women’s daily conversation in modern life.

Keywords: women’s language; linguistic; modern life

Analisis Film The Devil wears Prada: Eksistensi “Women’s Language”

dalam dunia modern

Abstrak

Bahasa merupakan suatu alat untuk berkomunikasi antara satu individu dengan

individu yang lain. Namun, penggunaan bahasa dinilai menjadi salah satu bentuk kekuasaan.

Beberapa penelitian mengatakan bahwa manusia yang masih tinggal di lingkungan yang

terpencil atau yang masih kental menganut paham patriakal pasti mempengaruhi dalam

penggunaan bahasa. Laki-laki dinilai memiliki kekuasaan lebih tinggi dalam hal berbicara

daripada wanita karena paham yang mereka anut. Dengan adanya pernyataan demikian,

muncul satu pertanyaan, yaitu apakah di dunia modern masih seperti itu? Apakah paham

patriakal masih mempengaruhi manusia berbicara di zaman modern sekarang ini? Eksistensi

dari “women’s language” dapat dilihat dalam percakapan wanita dalam kehidupan sosial

mereka. Tulisan ini membahas tentang keberadaan “women’s language” dalam percakapan

seorang perempuan dalam aktivitas kehidupannya melalui sebuah film yang berjudul The

Devil Wears Prada. Tulisan ini juga akan membahas bagaimana keberadaan “women’s

language” tersebut muncul dalam percakapan perempuan tersebut sehari-hari.


6

Introduction

Nowadays, the issue about gender still exists in society. There are still some

differences that the society creates to show that men are more powerful than women. This is

shown especially in jobs and physical body forms. Interestingly, language is also one of the

objects that shows how men and women are different. It is true that in daily life, members of

society make their judgment about language use. People also mostly argue that men have

more power in using language than women due to patriarchy. That is why most women who

do not have a good education or position (because they are living in a place lagging behind in

education) in the society, tend to use women’s language which shows politeness in their

conversation. This argument, also supported by Holmes (2001), who states that women are

considered as the subordinate group in some societies. Due to this fact, they are supposed to

be more polite than men, including their language. Women who use politeness in their

language spoken will get respect from the society. In relation to this, this paper wants to

analyze the language of women who live in a modern life and have good education and

position in the society. I will discuss “women’s language” as my topic research because I

want to know more about the use of women’s language in conversation in modern society.

In this modern era, it is not only men that have a high position in the work field, but

many women also have the same position as men. The movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006)

which is positioned as a movie for grown-ups (Roger Ebert: 2006), shows that women can be

workers with good positions in the office and there is no gender difference shown in the

aspect of job position. I choose Andrea (the main character) as the object of my research

because she already had excellent experience in her job before she became the assistant at a

prestigious office, Miranda’s office. Also, Andrea is a smart girl who has a lot of knowledge

in several areas. Another reason is because the story of the movie is about well educated

women in modern life with a high position in work. This paper seeks to understand how

women’s language exists in the modern life as observed in the movie. In the movie The Devil

Wears Prada (2006), Andrea gets into some different situations that lead to the use of

women’s language. The first situation is when she met with Miranda, the boss of the office.

Andrea becomes a new assistant for Miranda although she actually is not eligible to get the

job because she does not know anything about fashion. That is why Andrea receives pressure

from her boss Miranda, who is known as a very strict and cruel person to all of the employees


7

working there. Thus, Miranda and Andrea are both women, but they have different positions

in the office. The second situation is when Andrea interacts with a man, Nigel. Nigel is her

colleague in the office and she spends much time talking to him in the office. He is concerned

about Andrea and he is a good friend for her. He often gives support and attention to Andrea.

The movie shows that Andrea not only talks to her boss or friends in her workplace, but also

she talks to her friends who are not her real colleagues outside of her office.

There are several researchers who have analyzed women’s language in society. An

American linguist, Lakoff (1973) argues that hedges are the characteristic of women’s

language, and they express a lack of confidence and reflect women’s social insecurity. In

another finding she says, “Women’s language has as foundation the attitude that women are

marginal to the serious concerns of life, which are pre-empted by men”. It means that gender

ideology, in which men are positioned above women, affects the use of women’s language. In

other words, the language that women use is less powerful compared to the language that

men use. An example of women’s language from her findings is the use of hyper correct

grammar and pronunciation, frequent apologizing, and super polite forms. Lakoff reaches a

conclusion from which she developed the “Politeness Principle” theory in conversation. The

same thought also comes from Janet Holmes (1947). She bases her research on Brown and

Levinson’s idea of positive and negative face says that women use more positively orientated

politeness and the men use more negatively orientated politeness. Holmes suggests that the

reason for this is that women and men have different perceptions of what language is used

for. Men use language as a tool to give and obtain information (also referred to as the

referential function of language), whereas women use language as a means of keeping in

touch (also known as the social function). As Holmes includes politeness, which is defined as

“an expression of concern for the feelings of others”, with the social function, it seems that

women are more polite than men (Holmes: 1947).

In the 1960s, sociolinguists began researching gender and sex as related to language.

Specifically, these studies have found differences in the conversational styles of men and

women. In addition, different genders will lead to the different way of speaking between men

and women. Attempting to summarize the term “gender-specific culture” Mary Talbot (1992)

she coined the expression that men are from Mars, women are from Venus. It implies that the

way men and women speak is totally different. Another theory stated by Eckert and

McConnell-Ginet (1989) has summed up the varied positions of men and women by stating:


8

Women’s language has been said to reflect their...conservatism, prestige consciousness,

upward mobility, insecurity, deference, nurture, emotional expressivity, connectedness,

sensitivity to others, solidarity. And men’s language is heard as evincing their toughness,

lack of affect, competitiveness, independence, competence, hierarchy, control.

It means that the sense of emotionality, solidarity, insecurity, etc are often signified in

women’s language. In other words, they can be seen as characteristics of women’s language.

Lakoff and Holmes research leave room for further research. Lakoff and Holmes only

explain the use of language which could be used to create politeness. They also show that

men have more power than women in using language. However, their findings are not

relevant to the recent analysis which are going to be discussed in this paper. This is because

they have not discussed how the environment or people with different roles in the

conversation affect the use of women’s language in the society. This article therefore focuses

on the conflicts or problems that a person experience when she or he is talking to different

people and in different situations through the character Andrea, the protagonist of the movie

The Devil Wears Prada (2006).

In this research paper, the method that will be used is a qualitative research method

which analyzes the dialogues in the movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and the situations

that Andrea (as a main character) encounters in that movie. The object of this research is to

investigate or analyze the situations that Andrea experiences when she is talking to other

people in different situations. In this case, Miranda and Andrea are both women, but they

have different positions in the office. Miranda is her boss. Therefore, the question is how

does women’s language exist in her conversation with Miranda? And Nigel is her colleague

in the office and she spends much time to talk to him in the office. In the case of gender

difference, how is women’s language shown in her conversation with Nigel? The last is quite

different from the previous situations. This situation is when Andrea is talking with her

friends outside the office. In her relationship with her friends outside the office, how does

women’s language exist in her conversation with them? So, overall the paper intends to

answer the question of how women’s language varies when interacting with different people

in different situation.


9

Analysis and Discussion

In the movie The Devil Wears Prada, there are many scenes showing Andrea

interacting with different people either in the office or outside the office. In other words,

Andrea talks to others in different situations. The way she speaks is also visibly different. The

paper will just analyze the three parts of scene, namely when Andrea talks to her boss

Miranda, her colleague Nigel, and her friends. These scenes were chosen because they show

different situations or places where the character talk to each other. These scenes will show

how woman’s language is used by different people and situations when Andrea is talking to

others.

1. Women’s Language : Andrea and Miranda

In the movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Andrea works at Miranda’s office.

Miranda is a woman is the boss or the person who has the highest position as in her office,

and Andrea is her second assistant. From this position in the workplace, it shows that

Miranda has a superior position, and Andrea is her inferior. In other words, Miranda is more

powerful than Andrea related to their job positions. In this case, how does women’s language

exist in her conversation with Miranda? The dialogue below shows the situation when

Andrea meets with Miranda for the first time (09:00):

Miranda : Who are you?

Andrea : Uh, my name is Andy Sachs

Miranda : And what are you doing here?

Andrea : Well, I think I could do a job as your assistant, and Um...Yeah I came

to New York to be a journalist and sent letters out everywhere......

Miranda : So you don’t read Runaway?

Andrea : Uh, no.

Miranda : And you have no style or sense of fashion.

Andrea : Well, um, I think that depends on what you’re

Miranda : No, no. That wasn’t a question

Andrea : Um, I was editor in chief of the Daily Northwestern......

Another dialogue between Miranda and Andrea :

Miranda : How many times do I have to scream your name?

Andrea : My name is Andy. Andrea, but, uh, everybody calls me Andy.

Miranda : (Chuckles) I need 10 or 15 skirts from Calvin Klein.

Andrea : Um, what kind of skirts do you?


10

Miranda : Please bore someone else with your questions....Did Demarchelier

confirm?

Andrea : D-Did D-Demarchel-

Miranda : Demarchelier. Did he- Get him on the phone.

Andrea : Uh, o-kay.

Referring to what Lakoff states about hedges, we can see from the dialogue above that

Andrea uses hedges several times in the conversation with Miranda which is characteristic

women’s language. In the conversation, Andrea lacks confidence; therefore, she uses hedges,

and she feels uncomfortable with the situation while she is talking to Miranda. The analysis

of the scenes shows that it is true that Andrea uses hedges in her conversation because she

feels uncomfortable and looses all her confidence when Miranda asks her to do several

things. In this case, power has an important role in the conversation. Andrea knows that

Miranda is a boss who is perfectionist, arrogant, and cruel, and therefore she loses her

confidence. As a result, the way they talk to one another is totally different than usual she has

a confidence even though both of them are women. It is because Miranda is more powerful

than Andrea. Therefore, the power or the lack of it, that a person has, affects the way she uses

women’s language. In another analysis, Lakoff in Holmes (1995) stated that women use I

think to show the complexity of the way they think. Hence, I think is used to show politeness

in women’s language features. In this case, Andrea uses I think because she gets nervous, and

she feels really unsure about what she is saying. Also, she wants to show politeness and

respect to Miranda as the superior in the office.

2. Women’s Language : Andrea and Nigel

The movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006) shows that Nigel is a man who is working

with Andrea at Miranda’s office. They have the same position as employees in the office. In

this case, how does women’s language exist in Andrea’s conversation with Nigel? This

conversation is when Andrea is talking about Miranda’s demeanor to Nigel (32:37) :

Andrea : She hates me, Nigel

Nigel : And that’s my problem because...Oh wait. No, it’s not my problem.

Andrea : I don’t know what else I can do because if I do something right, it’s

unacknowledged. She doesn’t even say thank you. But if I do something

wrong, she is vicious.

Nigel : So quit.

Andrea : What?

Nigel : Quit

Andrea : Quit?


11

Nigel : I can get another girl to take your job in five minutes, one who really wants

it.

Andrea : No, I don’t want to quit. That’s not fair. But, you know, I’m just saying

that I would just like a little credit... for the fact that I’m killing myself

trying.

Nigel : Andy, be serious. You are not trying. You are whining. What is it that you

want me to say to you, huh? Do you want me to say, “Poor you. Miranda’s

picking on you. Poor you. Poor Andy”? Hmm? Wake up, six. She’s just

doing her job. Don’t you know that you are working at the place that

published some of the greatest artists of the century? Halston, Lagerfeld, de la

Renta. And what they did, what they created...was greater that art because you

live your life in it. Well, not you, obviously, but some people. So wake up,

sweetheart.

Andrea : Okay. So I’m screwing it up. I just wish that I knew what I could do to...

This situation happens when Andrea gets some advice that makes her feel so sad.

After that, she talks to Nigel because she expects him to give some good suggestion for her

and she thinks that Nigel is a good friend to share her problem with in the workplace. From

the dialogue above, it shows that Andrea feels so sad, and she wants to get protection from

Nigel. She talks with her emotion and she wreaks her pique against Miranda.

In this dialogue, women’s language is not literally shown as what Eckert and

McConnell-Ginet (1989) state in the previous section. Women’s language is shown by the

expression shown in the dialogue. It means that women’s language emerges from the

expression used in the conversation. In Andrea’s dialogue, she says, “No, I don’t want to quit.

That’s not fair. But, you know, I’m just saying that I would just like a little credit... for the

fact that I’m killing myself trying”. It shows that Andrea unconsciously uses the women’s

language with her emotional expression and her sensitivity towards Miranda. However, Nigel

directly responds her by using his thinking or logic, and he also tries to control Andrea’s

emotion. Another finding is when Nigel says to Andrea “quit”, it doesn’t mean that Nigel

hates Andrea, and he wants her to quit her work. However, Nigel wants Andrea to be stronger

to face the challenges in her workplace especially while facing Miranda’s demeanor. Nigel

does not defend either Andrea or Miranda. He just tries to explain how to follow Miranda’s

rules in the workplace and hopes Andrea understands that situation.

The reason why women’s language appears in the dialogue is not because of the job

position they have, but it appears because the gender differences they have. It is also

supported by Deborah Tannen (1982) who states that women speak to get sympathy for their


12

problems, while men speak to get a solution for their problems. It means that gender often

determines the use of language between men and women. Therefore, although they have the

same position in the workplace, it doesn’t mean that they have the same speaking style. In

other words, women’s language emerges because of gender differences. So, it shows that

women speak more emotionally, and men speak with logic and reality or evidence. In this

case, the paper finds out that women’s language is still used even in a formal situation. It

contrasts to the previous analysis which states that the existence of woman’s language is

affected by power and formal situation. Andrea’s way of speaking must use a formal

language because she is talking to her boss, Miranda. This is the reason why Andrea uses the

women’s language to show that she respects Miranda. In this case, the use of the women’s

language actually appears when they are in the office, but the atmosphere feels different

when they talk to each other in other situations. The topic disscussed when they talk is not

about their work, but Andrea tells Nigel her personal feelings towards Miranda. Therefore,

the topic of the conversation encourages the use of women’s language although they have

different genders.

3. Women’s Language : Andrea and Friends

In the movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006), Andrea does not only interact with the

people in her work place, but she also talks with her friends and with her boyfriend. This

paper just analyzes the existence of women’s language between Andrea and her friends

including her boyfriend; therefore, it is not just between Andrea and her boyfriend. The

conversation below is when Andrea is with her friends at cafe. They are talking to each other

when Andrea gets a job:

Man A : Wait. You got a job at a fashion magazine?

Andrea : Mm-hmm

Man A : What was it, a phone interview?

Andrea : (Woman) Wow. Ow! Don’t be a jerk.

Man B : Miranda Priestly is famous for being unpredictable.

Andrea : Okay, Doug. How is it that you know who she is and I didn’t?

Man B : I’m actually a girl.

Andrea : Oh!

Woman A : That would explain so much.

Man B : Look seriously, Miranda Priestly is a huge deal. I bet a million girls

would kill for that job.

Andrea : Yeah, great. The thing is I’m not one of them.

Woman A : Look, you gotta start somewhere, right? I mean. Look at this dump

Nate works in. I mean, come on. Paper napkins? Hello.


13

Man A : Yeah. And Lily, she works at that gallery doing. Uh, you know. Oh,

I’m sorry. What exactly is it that you do anyway?

Man B : Well, lucky for me. I already have my dream job.

Andrea : You’re a corporate research analyst!

Man B : Oh, you’re right. My job sucks.

Andrea : No!

Through the conversation above, relationship can affect the use of women’s language

because women are concerned about connection and intimacy, while men are concerned

about status and independence when they speak (Tannen: 1990). From the dialogue above,

there are some sentences that show women’s language in the dialogue. According to Lakoff

(1973), women’s language is used to show the politeness, and it also shows the use of hedges

or filler (such as well), empty adjective (such as great, wow), utterance in italics (such as

wow) which are shown in the conversation above. However, the analysis shows that the use

of women’s language does not aim to show the politeness among them, but it shows how they

build a good relationship.

The conversation also shows that the use of women’s language is not only for women,

but men also use that language. In this case, it does not mean that men use the women’s

language such as “well” to show their politeness to others, but they try to build a good

atmosphere among them. Because of the good relationship that she has with her friends, it

shows that there is no power or gender that makes them different. Therefore, relationship can

affect the use of women’s language because women are concerned about connection and

intimacy, while men are concerned about status and independence when they speak (Tannen:

1990). In this situation, it shows that Andrea does not feel afraid of saying anything in their

conversation. She feels that she does not get pressure from her friends. From this situation, it

shows that gender difference is not the problem for them to build a good communication with

each other because they have a good relationship or intimacy.

Conclusion

The use of women’s language in modern life is the issue discussed in this paper by

analyzing the movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Life in the past and modern life have

different perspective on the use of women’s language. In the past, women used women’s

language to show that they lacked power. It means that they were given a lower status in their


14

society. By analyzing the movie The Devil Wears Prada, the writer analyzes the different

functions of the use of women’s language. This paper has tried to prove the existence of

women’s language in the modern life and how it exists. Therefore, Andrea’s speech is

analyzed through her conversation in that movie.

In the movie The Devil Wears Prada, women’s language appears in some different

situations. The main character, Andrea, tends to use women’s language both in the office and

in her daily conversation with other people. However, the use of women’s language in these

two situations have different purposes. In the office, Andrea shows her position through the

language she uses. She uses women’s language when she talks to her boss. Thus, Andrea uses

women’s language in the office to show the power between major and minor position.

Andrea uses women’s language when she talks to Miranda in the office to show her respect to

her boss and because of her job position. Andrea also uses women’s language in another

situation. She uses it with her colleague, Nigel, in the office as well. It is not totally because

they are of different genders, but it tends to show a different perpective in analysing the

problem between man and woman. The difference in language shows that men tend to use

logics instead of feelings to face a problem or situation. In contrast, women tend to use

feelings instead of logical thinking to respond. Besides talking to other people in the office,

Andrea also interacts with her friends outside. In these scenes, not only Andrea, but also her

friends use woman’s language in the conversation. It aims to show intimacy and build a

strong friendship among them. Therefore, the use of women’s language in these scenes is not

affected by different genders or power they have. The use of women’s language is to show

responses which can build close relationships, and it also aims to break the boundaries among

them. Therefore, there no social pressure or tension is found in their conversation.

In conclusion, women’s language can be signified through the motives of showing a

power. In addition, people nowadays also tend to use women’s language to show intimacy or

to build close relationships in society. It is affected by the situation and the addressee to

whom people talk.


15

Bibliography:

Lakoff, Robin. “Language and Woman’s Place”. Language in Society, Vol 2. No 1

(Apr. 1973), pp 45-80

Holmes, Janet. “Language and Sex”. 1947-II, P120

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-devil-wears-prada-2006 (accessed on November 15,

2013, at 15:00).

Holmes, Janet. Women, Men and Politeness. 1995. London: Longman.

Eckert, Penelope. “The whole woman: sex and gender differences in variation.”

Language Variation and Change 1. 1989.

Tannen, D. You just don’t understand: Women and men in conversation, 1990. New

York: William Morrow.

Talbot, Mary. Language and Gender: an introduction. Cambridge, UK : Polity Press.

1992

Dir. Frankel, David. The Movie The Devil Wears Prada (2006)


http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-devil-wears-prada-2006

Documents

ANALYZING THE MOVIE THE DEVIL WEARS …lib.ui.ac.id/file?file=digital/20369053-MK-Fitri Hariana S.pdf1 . a. nalyzing. the movie th. e devil wears prada: the existence of women’s