A Pragmatic Analysis of Speech Acts in @pepekomik’s Political Satire Comics
Abstract
This study examines the use of illocutionary speech acts in @pepekomik’s political satire comics and highlights their role in conveying satire and criticism through dialogue. The analysis emphasizes how language functions as action, with utterances serving not only to inform but also to perform communicative acts that reflect social and ideological positions. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, the primary data consist of conversations taken from selected comic panels published on pepekomik account on Instagram. These dialogues are analyzed using speech act theory as developed by Austin and Searle, supported by recent pragmatic studies on comics and social media discourse. Data collection was conducted through non-participatory observation and note-taking, ensuring accuracy and contextual relevance. The findings demonstrate that illocutionary speech acts in @pepekomik’s comics operate as instruments of humor, satire, and civic engagement, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of how political messages are articulated in digital comic discourse.
Downloads
References
Adena, T., Zuindra, Z., & Mulia, H. (2024). Implicatures Generated from Non-Observances Maxim in The Interview of The Indonesian President. Kajian Linguistik Dan Sastra, 3(2), 214–222. https://doi.org/10.35447/vernacular.v3i2.837
Adriana, I. (2018). Pragmatik (pp. 1–76).
Alochukwu L.M. Ikele, et al. (2025). Pragmatic Analysis Of Political Hate Speeches From Nigeria Newspapers And Social Media Platforms. Journal of Linguistics, Language and Igbo Studies, 6(1), 155–194.
Antyka, R. D., & Nugroho, R. A. (2023). Translation Analysis of Exclamative Speech Act in Webtoon Smile Brush. Undergraduate Conference on Language, Literature, and Culture (UNCLLE), 3(1), 456–465. http://publikasi.dinus.ac.id/index.php/unclle
Anwar, A. A., & Santuso, S. (2025). Social Media as a Medium of Expression: an Analysis of Illocutionary Speech Acts in @komik.grontol’s Posts. Pubmedia Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, 2(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17121050
Austin, J. L. (1962). J.L Austin - How To Do Things With Words (pp. 1–174).
Budiawan, R. Y. S., Ulfiyani, S., Mualafina, R. F., Mukhlis, M., & Tamara, R. (2024). Implikatur Dalam Akun Instagram “Komik Grontol”: Sebuah Kajian Pragmatik. Jurnal Bahasa Lingua Scientia, 16(1), 57–79. https://doi.org/10.21274/ls.2024.16.1.57-79
Chattopadhyay, P. (2024). Speech Act Theory in Visual Narratives: An Analysis of Communication through Sequential Art. Gipan, 6(1), 119–133. https://doi.org/10.3126/gipan.v6i1.68143
Cummins, C. (2019). Pragmatics (pp. 1–232).
Damayanti, F. G., Rahmawati, L. E., Prayitno, H. J., & Sulistyono, Y. (2023). Implicit Functions in Digital Comic Strip Discourse and Its Implications in Learning Anecdotal Texts of Indonesian Subjects in High School. Atlantis Press SARL. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-086-2_66
Devi Ayuningtyas, Senowarsito, et al. (2023). Illocutionary Acts in Webtoon “The Masked Fables Season 1.” Journal of Educational and Language Research (JOEL), 2(7), 22–25.
Dharma Putra, I. B. G., & Maulana, I. P. A. P. (2024). Tindak Tutur Dalam Wacana Komik Petualangan Nobita Di Luar Angkasa. Metahumaniora - Jurnal Bahasa, Sastra Dan Budaya, 14(1), 61–68. https://doi.org/10.24198/metahumaniora.v14i1.50708
Haryanti, P., Saddhono, K., & Anindyarini, A. (2024). Illocutionary Speech Acts in President Jokowi’s Instagram Account: A Multimodal Pragmatic Study. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, XI(III), 83–103. https://doi.org/10.51244/ijrsi.2024.1103009
I Ketut Adi Sucipta, G. A. M. A. (2023). Illocutionary Acts Found In The Comic “Sherlock Holmes; The Vanishing Man.” SMART, 9(2), 36–44.
Izar, J., Nasution, M. M., Afria, R., Harianto, N., & Sholiha, M. (2021). Expressive Speech Act in Comic Bintang Emon’s Speech in Social Media about Social Distancing. Titian: Jurnal Ilmu Humaniora, 5(1), 148–158. https://doi.org/10.22437/titian.v5i1.13100
Mutiara Pratama Putri, Ajar Pradika Ananta Tur, A. S. (2024). The role of gestures in shaping the interpretation of speech acts in comis. Indonesian EFL Journal (IEFLJ), 10(2), 94. https://doi.org/10.59849/2311-8482.2024.2.94
Olowolayemo Bright, F. (2024). Pragmatic and Socio-Cognitive Reading of Selected Ugo Jesse’s Politically-Motivated Online Cartoons in Nigeria. Issues In Language & Literary Studiesn Language, 10(1), 19–42.
Rahardi, K. (2020). Pragmatik (pp. 1–208).
Rahmatika, W. R. (2024). Sarcasm, Criticism, and Social Commentary: A Speech Act Analysis of Tahilalats Digital Comics. Applied Linguistics: Innovative Approaches and Emerging Trends, 1(2), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.58989/appling.v1i2.24
Rejeki, S. (2021). Pragmatic Analysis of Teacher Utterances in a Virtual Classroom. Journal Albion : Journal of English Literature, Language, and Culture, 3(1), 23–26. https://doi.org/10.33751/albion.v3i1.3343
Rizky Ananda Putri, H. (2024). Tindak Tutur Ilokusi Ekspresif dan Direktif dalam Komik “Witch Hunt” Berbasis Webtoon Karya Sso Park ( Kajian Pragmatik). Journal on Education, 06(02), 11472–11484.
Searle, J. (1969). John Searle - Speech Acts An Essay in the Philosophy of language (pp. 1–209). https://dokumen.pub/speech-acts-an-essay-in-the-philosophy-of-language.html
Sibuea, S. S. (2021). The Analysis Of Illocutionary Acts In Comic “The Adventures Of Tintin Volume 8.” Jurnal Ilmu Budaya, 18(1), 6.
Suastha, P. V. M., & Kesi, A. K. (2025). Expressive Illocutionary Acts in the Ken Dedes Webtoon: A Digital Pragmatic Perspective. RETORIKA: Jurnal Ilmu Bahasa, 11(1), 81–87. https://ejournal.warmadewa.ac.id/index.php/jret/article/download/11187/6373/55934
Umamah, M., Septiyatik, D., & Fikri, F. (2023). Implicature, Technique, and Function of Humor on Instagram Memes. New Language Dimensions, 4(1), 52–63. https://doi.org/10.26740/nld.v4n1.p52-63
Vidya Mandarani, N. F. (2022). Buku Ajar English Pragmatics (pp. 1–189).
Winarti, W., & Hidayatulloh, A. (2022). The Speech Act Analysis Reflected on Female Digital Comic Makers of UIN Raden Mas Said Surakarta. International Conference of Health, Science And Technology (ICOHETECH), 235–246. https://doi.org/10.47701/icohetech.v3i1.2265
Yule, G. (1996). Pramatics (pp. 1–77).
Copyright (c) 2026 Nur Ukhfia Putri, Ami Hanifah, Arief Mulqory, Cecep Agus
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
By submitting the article/manuscript of the article, the author(s) agree with this policy. No specific document sign-off is required.
License
The use of the article will be governed by the Creative Commons Attribution license as currently displayed on Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author(s)' Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by the stated author(s), has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author(s).
User/Public Rights
Under the Creative Commons license, users are allowed to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work. Users will also need to attribute authors on distributing works in the journal and other media of publications. Unless otherwise stated, the authors are public entities as soon as their articles got published.
Rights of Authors
Authors retain all their rights to the published works, such as (but not limited to) the following rights;
- Copyright and other proprietary rights relating to the article, such as patent rights,
- The right to use the substance of the article in own future works, including lectures and books,
- The right to reproduce the article for own purposes,
- The right to self-archive the article,
- The right to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the article's published version (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
Co-Authorship
If the article was jointly prepared by more than one author, any authors submitting the manuscript warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to be agreed on this copyright and license notice (agreement) on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this policy. The journal will not be held liable for anything that may arise due to the author(s) internal dispute. The journal will only communicate with the corresponding author.
Royalties
Being an open accessed journal and disseminating articles for free under the Creative Commons license term mentioned, author(s) aware that the journal entitles the author(s) to no royalties or other fees.
Miscellaneous
The article will be published in the journal if the article’s editorial process is successfully completed. The editors may modify the article to a style of punctuation, spelling, capitalization, referencing, and usage that deems appropriate. The author acknowledges that the article may be published so that it will be publicly accessible and such access will be free of charge for the readers.
