A Descriptive Qualitative Research on Figurative Language on Adele’s Album: 30 and Avril Lavigne’s Album: The Best Damn Thing

Authors

  • I Wayan Kertayasa Fakultas Bahasa Asing, Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, Denpasar Utara, Bali 80233, Indonesia
  • Ni Made Verayanti Utami Fakultas Bahasa Asing, Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, Denpasar Utara, Bali 80233, Indonesia
  • Ida Ayu Mela Tustiawati Fakultas Bahasa Asing, Universitas Mahasaraswati Denpasar, Denpasar Utara, Bali 80233, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59011/austronesian.4.1.2025.10-19

Keywords:

Language, Hyperbole, Figurative language, Song lyrics, Semantic analysis

Abstract

This study analyzes the use of figurative language in Adele’s album 30 and Avril Lavigne’s album The Best Damn Thing. The objectives of this study are: (1) to identify the types of figurative language found in each song of both albums, and (2) to analyze the most dominantly used figurative language in each album and interpret its meaning. This research employs a descriptive qualitative method, using all songs from the two albums as data sources. The findings reveal that Adele’s 30 features eight types of figurative language: simile, metaphor, personification, metonymy, symbol, paradox, hyperbole, and understatement. In contrast, Avril Lavigne’s The Best Damn Thing contains four types: simile, metaphor, personification, and hyperbole. Hyperbole emerges as the most dominantly used figurative language in both albums. These findings suggest that hyperbolic expressions play a central role in conveying emotional intensity and artistic expression in contemporary pop music.

References

Allan, K. (2001). Natural Language Semantics. Blackwell.

Athanasiadou, A. (2024). On the Margins of Figurative Thought and Language. Lingua, 299, 103655. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lingua.2023.103655

Baker, A. E., & Hengeveld, K. (Eds.). (2012). Linguistics. Wiley-Blackwell.

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Charteris-Black, J. (2004). Corpus Approaches to Critical Metaphor Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan.

Dewi, L. A. (2020). Figurative Language In Maher Zain’s Song Lyrics. State Institute of Islamic Studies Ponorogo.

Dewi, N. L. K., & Widiastuti, N. M. A. (2020). An Analysis of Slang Words in Song Lyrics Used in the Songs “That’s What I Like”, “Smoke On The Water”, and “Ch-Check It Out.” Udayana Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (UJoSSH), 4(2), 85. https://doi.org/10.24843/ujossh.2020.v04.i02.p08

Diyanni, R. (2002). Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2018). An Introduction to Language (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Gibbs, R. W. (1994). The Poetics of Mind: Figurative Thought, Language, and Understanding. Cambridge University Press.

Gibbs, R. W. (2017). Metaphor Wars: Conceptual Metaphors in Human Life. Cambridge University Press.

Hall, S. (2011). Cultural Identity and Diaspora. In The Routledge Critical and Cultural Theory Reader. Routledge.

Hidayatullah, M. (2022). An Analysis of Figurative Language in Maher Zain’s Song Lyrics. Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry.

Kardana, I. N., Rajistha, I. G. N. A., & Satyawati, M. S. (2022). Revitalizing Local Wisdom in Balinese Simile: An Effort to Enhance Balinese Youth Character. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 13(1), 138–144. https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1301.16

Kennedy, X. J., & Gioia, D. (2007). Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. Pearson Longman.

Kövecses, Z. (2002). Metaphor: A Practical Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Kövecses, Z. (2010). Metaphor: A Practical Introduction (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Kramsch, C. (1998). Language and Culture. Oxford University Press.

Kroeger, P. R. (2018). Analyzing meaning: An Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics. Language Science Press. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1164112

Krug, M. G., & Schlüter, J. (2013). Research Methods in Language Variation and Change. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324.004

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (2003). Metaphors We Live By. University of Chicago Press.

Lyons, J. (1995). Linguistic Semantics: An Introduction. In Language. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/416619

Mazzaggio, G., & Moussaid, Y. (2023). The Role of Metaphors in Code-switching: A Qualitative Analysis of Italian-Arabic Bilingual Speakers. Quaderni Di Linguistica e Studi Orientali, 9, 297–314. https://doi.org/10.36253/qulso-2421-7220-15152

Mey, J. L. (2001). Pragmatics: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Blackwell.

Moore, A. (2012). Song Means: Analysing and Interpreting Recorded Popular Song. Routledge.

Munday, J. (2001). Introducing Translation Studies Theories and Applications. Routledge.

Muskitta, J. E., & Maruanaya, H. J. (2021). A Socio-semantic Analysis of Slang in Bruno Mars’ Song Lyrics. Koli Journal: English Language Education, 2(2), 20–32.

Negus, K. (2012). Popular Music in Theory: An Introduction. Polity.

Oswald, S. (2023). Pragmatics for Argumentation. Journal of Pragmatics, 203, 144–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2022.12.001

Perrine, L. (1987). Sound and Sense. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publisher.

Perrine, L., & Arp, T. R. (1988). Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Thomson Learning.

Rahmani, D. D. (2019). Figurative Language in Song Lyric “Red” By Taylor Swift. Universitas Pamulang.

Saeed, J. I. (2014). Semantics. Wiley-Blackwell.

Safira, N. A. (2020). Figurative Language in Selected Shawn Mendes Album Song Lyrics. University of Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara.

Steen, G. (2008). The Paradox of Metaphor: Why We Need a Three-Dimensional Model of Metaphor. Metaphor and Symbol, 23(4), 213–241. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926480802426753

Steen, G. J. (2011). The contemporary theory of metaphor—Now new and improved! Review of Cognitive Linguistics, 9(1), 26–64. https://doi.org/10.1075/rcl.9.1.03ste

Tagg, P. (2012). Music’s Meanings: A Modern Musicology for Non-Musos. The Mass Media Music Scholars’ Press

Yule, G. (2020). The Study of Language (7th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Downloads

Published

2025-04-05

How to Cite

Kertayasa, I. W., Utami, N. M. V., & Tustiawati, I. A. M. (2025). A Descriptive Qualitative Research on Figurative Language on Adele’s Album: 30 and Avril Lavigne’s Album: The Best Damn Thing. Austronesian: Journal of Language Science & Literature, 4(1), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.59011/austronesian.4.1.2025.10-19

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.