An Analysis of Complaint Strategies Used by Male and Female Students of English Department in the University of Trunojoyo Madura

This study focuses on the complaint strategies used by male and female
students of English Department in the University of Trunojoyo Madura. It aims to
identify the complaint strategies that is used by male and female students and to
describe the similarities and differences between male and female students in
using complaint strategies.
In this study, the writer uses the complaint strategy theory proposed by
Trosborg (1995) as the main theory and language of male and female proposed
by Keith and Shuttleworth (1987) and Lakoff (1975) as the supporting theory.
Moreover, to conduct this study, the qualitative research is used to observe the
data which is form of word from the questioners which contain of complaint
situation that have distributed to English Department students.
Based on the analysis, it is found that: 1) The type of complaint strategies
which are used by students of English Department in the University of Trunojoyo
Madura: Hint, Annoyance, Ill Consequences, Indirect Accusation, Direct
Accusation, Modified Blame, Explicit Condemnation of the accused’s Action,
Explicit Condemnation of the accused as a Person. 2) the similarities is both of
male and female prefer to express indirectly when they want to complain in order
to avoid the conflict happened. 3) the difference is the most strategy used between
male and female. Male students prefer to use indirect accusation strategy and
female students prefer to use ill consequences strategy. It indicates that male
wants to get solutions while female complaint about problems because she wants
her problem to be acknowledged.