Background. There’s a difference on how males and females using language. Studies shown that female tend to produce more psychological cognitive processes related words to convey their emotions while male tend to produce more cultural and context related words. However, there are only limited number of research comparison of these emotion words production between female and male. This study aims to identify the comparison of emotion words production among female and male using Plutchik’s emotion theory.

Methods. Quantitative method was used while conducting this research. Data were collected using survey methods, which researcher asked the participants to list the words that can be used for describe a feeling. 103 Sundanese (30 males) participated in this study. The ages of all participants were range from 13-56 years old (M = 25 years old; SD = 11.8). The ages of the males were range from 16-56 years old (M = 29.2 years old; SD = 13.7). The age of the females were ranges from 13-52 years old (M = 23.1 years old; SD = 10.5). The data served as qualitative data were coded into several emotions based on Plutchik's theory of emotion and analyzed using thematic analysis. Data analysis was run using QDA Miner Lite vr.2.0.5.

Results. Result shown that there were three basic emotions and three mixed emotions in most female participants’ answers including joy, sadness, anger, caution, disappointment, and anxiety. Meanwhile in most male participant’s answers, there were three basic emotions and three mixed emotions including joy, sadness, anger, disappointment, love, dan caution. Within females participants, about 29 words were used to represent joy (“senang” and “bahagia” are the two words that frequently used); 69 words to represent sadness (“sedih” and “galau” are the two words that frequently used); 32 words to represent anger (“marah” and “kesal” are the two words that frequently used); 24 words to represent caution (“bingung” and “bimbang” were the two words that frequently used); 9 words to represent disappointment (“kecewa” and “kacau” were the two words that frequently used; 15 words to represent anxiety (“cemas” , “deg-degan” and, “khawatir” were the three words that frequently used). Meanwhile within male participants. about 19 words were used to represent joy (“senang” and “bahagia” were the two words that frequently used); 31 words to represent sadness (“sedih” and “sakit” were the two words that frequently used); 17 words to represent anger (“marah” and “kesal” were the two words that frequently used); 6 words to represent disappointment (“kecewa” and “Astagfirullah” were the two words that frequently used); 7 words to represent love (“cinta” and “sayang” were the two words that frequently used); 15 words to represent caution (“bingung” and “galau” were the two words that frequently used).

Conclusions. This study provides several conclusions that almost all females and males produce emotion words that represent joy, sadness, and anger as their basic emotion. Meanwhile the production of mixed emotion words was different between females and males. Within males, cultural related words such as “astagfirullah” or “galau” were produced more than in females which more perceptive related words such as “kecewa” and “bimbang”. Females and males mostly using the same words to express joy, sadness, and anger, however the total of words produced that represent emotions joy, sadness, anger, disappointment, and caution are more plenty in females than in males.

Added-Values. Studies regarding emotion words production between female and male is lack of empirical evidence. This study provides evidence that there were difference on production of emotion words between female and male using Plutchik’s emotion theory. Although our focus was more on the production of emotion words, it offered opportunities for future research on when, why, and how females and males had difference on production of emotion words.

Keywords: gender, Sundanese, emotions, emotion words

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