Javanese Metaphors in Discourse Analysis (Indonesia)

Abstract

This study focuses on three major issues: exploring the possibility of separating Javanese metaphors into universal and language-specific, proposing a model of understanding metaphors, and determining the domain within which metaphors are interpreted. A separation of Javanese metaphors into universal and language-specific is necessary to answer the question "Why are some metaphors readily interpretable while others are not when viewed from different cultural background?" The proposed model begins with the given utterance and is followed by three components: shared predications, experiential gestalts, and semantic and pragmatic interpretations.

The essential premise is that understanding metaphors requires a pragmatic approach by applying principles of discourse analysis, i.e. principle of local interpretation and principle of analogy, and by taking into considerations context of situation, coherence, and cohesion. Two major semantic theories of metaphor (interaction theory and comparison theory) are reviewed in this study to determine whether the domain within which metaphors are interpreted is semantics or pragmatics.

Six Javanese rhetorical forms are described because these rhetorical forms contain metaphorical expressions as their basic elements. The description of these rhetorical forms include their physical forms and communicative functions.

The analysis in this study is primarily based on a wide range of written and oral texts from Central Java and the western part of East Java. Directions for future research are suggested for further study.