LINGUIST List 20.2134
Thu Jun 11 2009
Diss: Discourse Analysis/Socioling: Luna: 'The Semi-formulaic...'
Editor for this issue: Nick Prokup
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1. Edmundo
Luna,
The Semi-formulaic Nature of Balinese Sociopolitical Discourse
Message 1: The Semi-formulaic Nature of Balinese Sociopolitical Discourse
Date: 11-Jun-2009
From: Edmundo Luna <ed.lawar.ijogmail.com>
Subject: The Semi-formulaic Nature of Balinese Sociopolitical Discourse
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Institution: University of California, Santa Barbara
Program: Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2009
Author: Edmundo Cruz Luna
Dissertation Title: The Semi-formulaic Nature of Balinese Sociopolitical Discourse
Linguistic Field(s):
Discourse Analysis
Sociolinguistics
Subject Language(s): Bali (ban)
Dissertation Director:
Sandra A. Thompson
Marianne Mithun
William J. Ashby
John W. Du Bois
Dissertation Abstract:
This dissertation investigates the nature of the speech produced during thesangkep, which are periodic council meetings attended by members of thebanjar, a traditional sociopolitical institution in Bali, Indonesia. Thesemeetings comprise a fundamental decision-making body within any Balinesevillage. Although there are several studies on the banjar and sangkep,there has never been any linguistic examination of the language used in thesangkep. With the impetus brought about by Duranti's (1994) seminal studyon the effects of grammar within sociopolitical fora, I suggest two things:1) sangkep language is best characterized as semi-formulaic, which allowsfor a degree of creativity necessary for speakers to provide appropriatematerial for any given sangkep; and 2) more formulaic elements of sangkeplanguage serve as indices of assertion of one form of Balinese culturalidentity.
I divide semi-formulaic language found in the sangkep into two types:language 'ritualized' via the effects of high usage-frequency; and languagewhich is deemed 'ritual' not because of frequency effects, but by therelatively high level of ritual efficacy borne out by such language. Theformer type (ritualized language) exhibits the highest level offormulaicity via three verb roots, which also present possible constructiontemplates which are more abstract in nature. The latter type (rituallanguage) primarily occurs in the opening and closing expressions Om SuastiAstu 'May All Be Well' and Om Santi Santi Santi Om 'May There Be Peace'.These expressions are always associated with the opening and closing ofmajor ritual events. Interestingly, these expressions are increasingly usedin non-ritual contexts, which I argue serves as a public assertion of oneform of Balinese cultural identity which can resist competing social forcessuch as fractured nationalism and religious fundamentalism.
I finally suggest that there are other threats that are as (if not more)pressing to the issue of preserving and transmitting Balinese culturalidentity, such as the possible widespread language shift from Balinese toIndonesian, which is already happening in the major city of Denpasar.
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