Over-the-Counter Medication Leaflet in Context of Situation:

Systemic Functional Linguistic Study

Liesna Andriany

Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, Jl. Sisingamangaraja. Teladan-Medan. Medan. Indonesia

Keywords: medicine leaflet, context of situation, SFL.

Abstract: This study aims to explain the relationship between ideational metafunction and social context. The research

method is descriptive with qualitative and quantitative approaches. Sources of data are from over-the-

counter medication leaflets analyzed by the theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics (LSF). The results

show that the schematic structure use descriptive and instructive genres containing remarks and steps of

medication use. Based on the ideational metafunction analysis and the context of situation, the purpose of

the producer to issue the leaflet can be known. The conclusion is through the material and circumstantial

processes associated with the context of situation as the producer wants to convey to the consumers what

medication is to be completely understood. Through diction well- understood by the public, the consumers

understand the nature and the way of consuming the medication.

1 INTRODUCTION

The Indonesian people generally overcome any type

of disease by their own experience and knowledge

without consulting a doctor, known as

swamedikasior self-medication. The legal basis of

the self-medication is the regulation of the Minister

of Health No. 919 Minister of Health/Per/X/1993.

The Indonesian self-medication behavior is still very

large (BPS, 2016) or 61.05% (Susenas, 2014). Given

the magnitude behavior of this self-medication, the

role of over-the-counter leaflet/etiquette is very

important as accurate and targeted information.

Every medication packaging contains a leaflet or

etiquette concerning the medication information.

The medication leaflet provides related information

such as; name of the medication, composition,

indication, information on the workings of the

medication, dosage, warning (specifically for limited

medication), attention, manufacturer, batch/lot,

registration (registration number is indicated as the

legitimate authorization permit issued by the

government on each medication packaging), and

expiry date.Before consuming the medication,

consumers should read the nature and manner of use

on etiquette, leaflet or packaging of medication for

proper use and safe. Every medication circulating in

Indonesia shall include leaflet in its box in

accordance with the regulations on the packaging

and labeling of medication issued by the Minister of

Health No. 193/Kab/B.VII/71. By reading the

medication label then the consumer has certain

information that can help to make decisions

regarding medication or vitamins in accordance with

the needs and conditions.

So important is the etiquette or medication leaflet

for the consumer that it is necessary to analyze the

extent to which the information listed on the label or

drug brochure reaches its target. Errors and lack of

information will be fatal to the consumers.

This paper will discuss only the context of the

situation because this context is concretely related to

culture and language. In other words, the context of

situation is the door of the social context to the

language. Therefore, the researcher is interested to

see the extent to which the medication leaflet is

linked to the context of situation providing

information needed by medication users. The

objective of the study is to evaluate whether the text

of the medication leaflet reaches the target. The

medication leaflet is very important for the public

who do not understand about medication and by

reading the medication leaflet in the pack, the

consumer will get necessary information about the

medication.

422

Andriyany, L.

Over-the-Counter Medication Leaﬂet in Context of Situation: Systemic Functional Linguistic Study.

DOI: 10.5220/0008886204220426

In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research (ICMR 2018) - , pages 422-426

ISBN: 978-989-758-437-4

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

The use of language in medication leaflet or

etiquette is inseparable from the context. Two

medication leaflets are analyzed using systemic

linguistic school pioneered by M.A.K. Halliday from

the University of Sydney, Australia. Systematic

Functional Linguistics (SFL) is a systemic theory

that has a great deal of attention to language

relations with the context. One can hardly

understand the meaning uttered or written by others

unless they know something about the language and

context studied. The idea of context originated from

Malinowski which is later passed on by his disciple

Firth. The disciples of Firth then continue the

systemic school by naming themselves Neo-Firthian,

Halliday, Gregory, Martin, et al. They develop a

more sophisticated framework in describing

language relationships with the context of situation

(register), cultural context (genre), and ideology.

The dimension of language variation in the

context of situation consisting of field, participant

and mode is a contextual variable that characterizes

the intrinsic functionality of a context of situation.

The field discusses interaction activities having two

dimensions: what is discussed and for what; the

participant refers to who talks about, and the mode

is how the conversation takes place.

The context of situation occurs from three

components: the field, the participant and the mode,

three of which are the content explaining what is

going on. (Halliday & Hasan, 1985: 12). The

elements that construct the content are (a) the arena

or activity, (b) the characteristics of the participant

and (c) the semantic domain (Saragih, 2006).

Following the SFL hypothesis, the function of

language organizational intrinsic interacts closely

with the extrinsic organizational context of social

functions.The main functions of language are

ideational functions, interpersonal functions, and

textual or metaphysical functions (Matthiesen,

1992/1995, p. 6; Halliday and Martin, 1993, p. 29;

Halliday andMatthiesen, 1999, p. 7-8). The field has

a close relationship with ideational function,

participant with interpersonal function, and mode

with textual function. The field construes as

ideational, the participant as interpersonal, and the

mode as textual.

The relationship of language to context is the

realization of language as a social semiotic system

(Sinar, 200, p. 56). In other words, language is the

manifestation in context and there is no language

without a social context. The social context system

consists of context of situation, culture and ideology.

Thus in the study of language, interpretation focused

on the text must consider the social environment that

is the context of situation.

3 METHOD

This research is descriptive using qualitative and

quantitative methods. The data collection

instruments are reading techniques and transcript

ingesting. The object of the study is the text derived

from an over-the-counter medication leaflets of skin

medication (See Text 1) and Antelmintik (See Text

2). The existing data are analyzed with systemic

functional linguistics: context of situations, and then

interpreted.

4 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Schematic Structure

The structure of texts 1 and text 2 can be categorized

as a combination of description and instruction

genres. The text of this paper refers to Brown and

Yule (Brown and Yule, 1996, p. 26-35) which is

seen as a complete recording of language in a

communication event. The description genre is an

explanation of an individual or something that has

certain characteristics (Sinar, 1998, p. 69). In text 1

and text 2 the writings are also factual so are neither

creative nor imaginative because this text describes

how the skin medication and Antelmintik actually are

and what their shape and benefits are when used.

While the instruction genre in text 1 and text 2 is

a word that shows the goal of the oriented steps. The

words used are 'rubbed', 'smeared', and 'drunk'.

Words that indicate goal-oriented steps are seen in

the word attention', one time treatment', 'before or

after meals'. The structure of schematic text 1 and

text 2 can be seen in the following:

Figure 1: Schematic Structure Figures of Text 1 and Text

Over-the-Counter Medication Leaﬂet in Context of Situation: Systemic Functional Linguistic Study

423

The picture above shows that both texts have the

same description and instruction structures. The

composition of the genre and the description of the

instructions are the same. Description genre

describes the type of medication, its usefulness, side

effects, and contra indications. Instruction genre is in

the form of an explanation of how the medication is

used to be useful and appropriate. The instruction

genre is used for operations. The instructions are

included in a text type consisting of a procedure that

tells something done through the steps. The goal is

how to do or make something. Both genres are

sufficient for the information the user needs,

although the sequence of information is different.

4.2 Context of Situation

From the analysis of the two texts it is known that

the participants determine one another and refer to

the interpersonal, are seen in Text 1 of 38 clauses

and text 2 of 61 clauses. The second most dominant

text is a statement realized by the declarative mode,

2 clauses constituting command mode and 2

interrogative modes. From the results of the analysis

of both texts it is known that the field is 'constrained'

(mutually determining and referring) with ideational.

Ideal metafunctions can be seen in the following

table.

Table 1: Ideational.

eriental Circumstance

Teks

Tek

s 2

Material 65,2 57,4 Location 5 4

Mental 8,8 10,8 Duration 0 0

Relational 14 16,6 Mode 23,5 18,5

Behavior 12 15,2 Cause 60,5 63

Verbal 0 0 Environ

ment

0 0

Exsistenti

0 0 Existenc

11 14,5

Context 0 0

Teno

0 0

Total 100 100 100 100

The intrinsic function of language organization

interacts closely with the extrinsic organizational

social context functions. It can be seen that the field

is closely related to ideational metafunction. Both in

text 1 and text 2 the dominant material process is

realized to 65.2% and 57.4%, more than half of the

number of clauses. This material process indicates

the physical activity observable by the senses to be

emphasized. Medication manufacturers want to

emphasize that the consumers have to use a lot of

sense judgments instead of feelings. Likewise with

circumcision, the dominant is circumstantial because

in text 1 (60.5%) and text 2 (63%). The use of

circumstance is because this explains that the

medication has a great benefit when used correctly

in accordance with the instructions in the leaflet.

The metafunctionconstruent of the context of the

situation when viewed from the field of text of the

medication manufacturer indicates that the

medication participant/consumer does not

understand the chemical term. Thus the chosen

diction also uses words that participants/consumers

understand in accordance with the social cultural

conventions. The words do not require special

knowledge because everyone can read them even

though used in medical terms. Manufacturers expect

the words in the text are expected to be understood

by everyone.

The tenor of text or participants involved in the

text of the medication when viewed from a social

perspective can be various of status, ranging from

doctors, patients, intellectual communities, to the

public. The tenor specifically in terms of content

elements show the physical and mental

characteristics and knowledge of participant when

interacting in the text. The participant status on both

texts here may be the same or not the same. It can be

the same status when read by a doctor, or

pharmacist.In an unequal status relationship, one

participant is higher than the writer of the text.

These differences may be in knowledge (such as

Professor of Pharmacologist), age differences

(grandpa, grandma), or higher social standing

(owners of medication companies, Health Minister,

President) or a lesser difference in the knowledge of

the reader (ordinary people who do not understand

about medication), age differences (children), or

social differences (scavengers, beca drivers,

homeless people)

Affect shows emotional involvement. The

interrelationships between the two texts are in

positive affect with the understanding that both the

medication company or the consumers/reader need

each other. Medication companies need their

medicine to be bought or used while consumers

expect the medication to cure the disease.

Mode shows how the role of language in

interaction; in details such as, how to show the role

of language in an interaction, the expectation of the

role of language in a situation, language status, and

medium or channel. The elements that construct the

mode consist of 'planning', 'distance', 'medium' or

ICMR 2018 - International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research

424

'channel'. Planning indicates the preparation made

for the realization of the text. The second way the

text is made based on the plan (+) because the text is

arranged in a planned manner in other words

previously planned interactions in writing by the

medication manufacturer to be read by a person who

will use the medicine. Thus the medication leaflet

has been prepared with careful planning and has met

the leaflet criteria set by the existing rules.

Distance refers to the feedback given to each

other by interpretants or among the language users

and the involvement of language with the reality it

represents. The distances in the two texts can be

distinguished to be experiental and interpersonal

(how fast to get the feedback). Based on the

experiental both texts belong to the

generation/reflection because the distance between

the text and the activity can be very far away and the

use of language does not indicate the activities that

take place or called that the language to be a

reflection. The language involvement of the two

texts (+) is semantic which means there is a gap

between the text and the activity performed. Text 1

and text 2 show clarity about medication description

and instruction. The distance between the

manufacturer and the remote does not quickly get

the feedback, then the leaflet should be as clear as

possible exposing the medication profile.

Medium shows the means that realize the

language. Medium used is text, meaning that the

language is realized by encoding such as scratches,

lines, symbols of the sounds (letters) on paper, in

other words the unit of realization is the letter. Text

1 and text 2 use big Latin letters so they can be read

properly. The manner does not have strata (-) strata

field either because it is for everyone and the diction

used is also general with only a few medical terms

as there is no equivalence of such medical terms in

common.

5 CONCLUSION

The study of medication leaflet discourse is a study

of language in the context of situation to understand

how language users use the language when

interacting in social contexts. The context of the

situation relates to the linguistic features of skin

medication and Antelmintik leaflets.

Skin medication and Antelmintikleaflets.are not

much different, although some are incomplete when

viewed in terms of their schematic structure because

there are points in the Antelmintik leaflet that are not

found in the skin medication leaflet such as

medication work, warning and attention, and

overdose. The genre in Antelmintik and skin

medication leaflets are a combination of descriptive

and instructive genres.

The field in Antelmintik and skin medication

leaflets has a close relationship with ideational

metaphors and the most dominant material processes

are the causal circumstance. The participants

determine one another, referring to the interpersonal,

seen in the Antelmintik and skin medication leaflets;

the most dominant is declarative realized by

declarative mode. The mode also determines one

another referring to textual.

Skin drug brochures and worm medicine

brochures have fulfilled the target, namely the reader

/ user gets the necessary information about the drug.

The language used also does not use medical terms,

although there are still some medical terms used, and

even then because it is difficult to get the

equivalence in Indonesian terms.

Antelmintik and skin medication leaflets have

already met the target that readers/consumers get the

necessary information about the medication. The

language used does not use medical terms either,

although there are still some medical terms that have

no equivalence in Bahasa Indonesia.

REFERENCES

Halliday

R. Hasan. 1985. Context and Text: Aspects of

Language tnSoctal Semiotic Perspectives. Geelong:

Deakin University Press.

Halliday, M.A.K & Matthiessen. 2004. An Introduction to

Function Grammar, Third Edition. Great Britain:

Hodder Education.

Eggins, Suzanne. 2004. 2

Ed. An Introduction Systemic

Functional Linguistics. London & By: Continuum.

Badan Pusat Statistik. 2014. SurveiSosialEkonomi

Nasional (SUSENAS).

Badan Pusat Statistik. 2016. SurveiSosialEkonomi

Nasional (SUSENAS)

Brown,G. and Yule G. 1996. Discourse Analysis.

Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Regulation of the Minister of Health No.

919/Menkes/Per/X/1993 on Medication Criteria

without a prescription.

Regulation of the Head of POM RI N0 HK 00.06.323.295

Year 2009 on Guidelines for the Supervision of

Promotion and Medication Advertisement.

Regulation of the Minister of Health of the Republic of

Indonesia no 193/Kab/B.VII/71 on the Regulation of

Packaging and Medication Marking

Saragih, Amrin. 2006. Bahasa dalamKonteksSosial.

Medan: Universitas Negeri Medan

Over-the-Counter Medication Leaﬂet in Context of Situation: Systemic Functional Linguistic Study

425

Sinar, Tengku Silvana. 2003. Teort clan Analists Wacana.

Pendekatan Fungstonal Sistemik. Pustaka Bangsa

Pers.

Sinar, Tengku Silvana. 1998. Analists Struktur Skemattka

Genre. Medan: Universitas Sumatera Utara Press.

Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 36 Year 2009

on Health.

Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 8 Year 1999 on

Consumer Protection.

ICMR 2018 - International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research

426