Students’ Obstacles in Determining Sense of Relation at English Department

The aims of this research were to find out students ’ obstacles in determining sense of relation at English Department of IAIN Langsa and also their efforts to solve the problems. The researcher used descriptive qualitative method and the data were collected by using documentation and semi-structured interview. The subject of this research were the 25 students of sixth semester of English Department selected purposively. The results of the study showed that the students had difficulties in determining the sense of relation, especially homonym, homophone and homograph. The students could not identify phonetic symbols of homophone in a text. They did not memorize and did not understand the definition of the three types of homonymy. Students were unable to analyze words because of the similarity, and they could not determine the words in listening. The efforts made by the students to understand the homonym, homophone and homograph include learning and increasing vocabulary through online dictionary, learning from the internet, and social media, learning with friends and asking lecturers about sense of relation particularly homonym, homophone, and homograph.


INTRODUCTION
Semantic is one of the lessons normally taught in college, particularly at English Department. Semantics is the study of meaning.
The word 'meaning' can be viewed in two different perspectives: speaker meaning and sentence meaning. Speaker meaning is what a speaker means or intends to convey when he uses a piece of language, while sentence meaning or word meaning is what a sentence or word means, i.e.
what it counts as the equivalent of in the language concerned.
One of the part of semantics is sense of relation. Sense relations are one among important elements with reference to learning semantics. The sense of an expression is its place in a system of semantic relationship with other expression in the language. It is the indispensible hardcore of meaning of an expression. Sense represents the relationship inside the language as opposed to reference. Kreidler states that the relations of meaning between words, as expressed in synonymy, hyponymy, and antonymy. 2 Thus, sense relations can be seen from the similarity of meaning as in synonymy, the inclusion of meaning as in hyponymy, and therefore the oppositeness of meaning as in antonymy. Whereas Cruse classifies sense relations into two classes, i.e. those that express identity and inclusion between word meanings and people who express opposition and exclusion. The first discusses the sense relations between words whose meanings are similar or included in other ones. The second discusses the sense relations between words whose meaning are opposite or excluded from other words. 3 In sense of relation there are homonymy, homophone and homograph that important to know. With the complexity by homonymy, homograph, homophone, people may faces the difficulties to determine three of them in a text.

A. Sense Relation
Sense relations are one of the primary elements related to studying semantics, the study of meaning in language. A word's meaning is also interpreted in terms of its resemblance to other words. On the contrary, it can also be understood from its opposite.According to Matthew, Sense relations are the relations held between words within the vocabulary. They are paradigmatic and about the choice between words, the substitution of one word for another in a particular context. The two most obvious sense relations are those of "sameness" and "oppositeness", called synonymy and antonymy respectively.
Other sense relations are polysemy, homonymy and hierarchical relations.

B. Sense and Reference
A term's reference is that the object to which the term refers, while the term senses that the way that the term refers thereto object. In other words, signs refer to concepts as well as to other signs. A sign is a symbol that indicates a concept. This concept is the reference, which refers successively to some object within the world, called the referent. The relationship between linguistic items (e.g. words, sentences) and therefore the non linguistic world of experience may be a relationship of reference.
The objects within the world are referents, the concept which we've of them in our minds is that the reference and therefore the symbol we use to ask them is the word, or linguistic item. 4 Words are arbitrary symbols and are independent identities so far as their outer facet spelling and pronunciation. But semantically, all words are related in one way or another.

C. Homonymy
If two or more words are the same in sound and spelling but different in meaning, dissemination and in many cases derivation are called homonyms. The term homonymy springs from Greek 'homonymous' homos represent 'the same' and onoma 'name' and thus expresses alright the similarity of name combined with the difference in meaning. In linguistics, a homonym is, within the stern sense, one among a gaggle of words that share an equivalent spelling and therefore the same pronunciation but have different meanings usually as a result of the 2 words having, unlike origins. Accordingly, homophony is the semantic relation in which two or more forms are similar in pronunciation only. Richards and Schmidt (2002) define homonymy as words which are written in the same way and sound alike but which have different meanings. 7 Examples of homonymy:

Homonym Proper Gloss
Back Back each other. Such words if spoken without context are of ambiguous signification Homophones is st a relative term, but it is convenient to use it absolutely, and to call any word of this kind of homophone.
Homophone is between words as significant sounds, but it is needful to state that homophonous words must be different words.

A. Research Design
An approach in this study is a qualitative with a case study method.
Bogdan and Taylor as quoted by Moleong notes that qualitative methodology is a research procedure descriptive data in the form of written and oral words from people and observed behavior. 11 The researcher selected a case study because a case study is a research to examine a concern or an issue.

B. Time and Research Setting
This research was conducted at IAIN Langsa, located on Jalan Meurandeh, Langsa. IAIN Langsa has four undergraduate faculties, namely Tarbiyah and teacher training, Sharia, Islamic Economics and Business, and Ushuluddin, courtesy and da'wah. IAIN Langsa also has a postgraduate building for master program, an auditorium hall, a library and students' dormitories. The research was conducted from 24 September 2020 to 30 September 2020.

C. Subject of Research
Research subjects are data sources. The data source that is intended in the study is according to Suharsimi Arikunto to get the right data necessary to determine informants who have the competence and following the needs of data (purposive). 12  An interview has an essential role in strengthening the research evidence besides the test because by doing the interview, the researcher can get more factual information from the informants.
The researcher used a semi-structured interview. The purpose is to allow students to express their opinions and their feeling freely and openly. It also will make students more comfortable. In addition, the data obtained is stronger because this type of interview is conducted in depth.
Each interview question aim to find out the students' explanation of their obstacles in determining Homonymy, Homophone, Homograph.

E. Technique of Data Analysis
Sugiyono states that analyzing data is the process of systematically searching and arranging the interview transcripts, field notes, and other materials that accumulate to increase self-understanding of them and to enable the researcher to present what the researcher have discovered to others. 16 The researcher used an interactive analysis model to analyze the data. According to Miles and Huberman, the data analysis in qualitative research involves three steps that are the data reduction, data display, and the conclusion drawing/verification. 17

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
After analyzing using data analyze by Miles and Huberman, the researcher concluded that almost all students had difficulties; did not know the definitions of the three. That made them confused to determine which words are included in the homonym, homophone, and homograph because they also similar in writing and pronunciation. In terms of their efforts, the researcher concluded that the efforts are considered effective because they can increase their understanding of homonyms, homophones, and homograph because almost all students answered it succesfully solve their problems. Students also improve their understanding. However, there was also a student stated that the efforts did not work for her because she had problems remembering the definitions of the three.

CONCLUSION
The students' obstacles in determining sense of relation particularly homonym, homophone, and homograph are they do not remember the definitions of homonym, homophone, and homograph. They cannot 16  The efforts made by students to grasp the homonym, homophone, and homograph are increasing the vocabulary through mobile phone, learning with friends and asking the lecturer about senses of relation particularly homonym, homophone, and homograph.