LANGUAGE STYLE ANALYSIS OF OLIVIA RODRIGO “DEJA VU”

Abstract

This research aims to analyze the language style used in Olivia Rodrigo's song "Deja Vu" and explore the role of figures of speech in articulating themes of loss and nostalgia. Using a descriptive qualitative method with a text analysis approach, this research discusses song lyrics as data analyzed based on the theoretical framework of Leech and Short's stylistics and Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphor theory. The findings of the research show identification of ten figures of speech in the lyrics of "Deja Vu" wherein metaphor is the most dominant language use with 16 examples, followed by symbolism (4 examples), personification, hyperbole, irony, and repetition (3 examples each), simile, rhetoric, and metonymy (2 examples each), and paradox (1 example). The prevalence of metaphor illustrates Rodrigo's approach in making subtle comparisons between the past and present encounters, reinforcing the déjà vu concept that becomes the core idea of the song. The use of language style in "Deja Vu" is both an aesthetic ornamentation and an effective communicative practice to represent complex emotional experiences of repeated emotions, retroactive jealousy, and loss of self within close relationships. Blending various figures of speech creates contexts of meaning within which listeners can identify and internalize expressed emotions, which makes the song resonate with the current young generation's experiences. This research contributes to the field of knowledge regarding the function of language style in contemporary pop music as an art form medium. It proves that stylistic analysis of song lyrics can lead to valuable insights into popular culture's communication. The outcomes of this research are intended to serve as a model for similar studies in pop music stylistics and bring forth new knowledge to the function of figurative language in creating an emotional connection between the artist and the listener.