Javanese language used by orphan children living in Panti Asuhan Sunan Ampel in Jalan Sumbersari Malang

ABSTRACT

Javanese language is one of the familiar regional languages existing in Indonesia, which is considered as the biggest regional language that should be preserved, cultivated, and developed. It is a language, which uses politeness in its communication. The way someone speaks determines his or her social status in his or her community. Before speaking, someone should understand and know well with whom they are talking. S/he cannot speak as s/he wills without any attention to the culture that exists in Java. In communication, Javanese people, at least, use three kinds of Javanese speech levels. They are Ngoko, Madya, and Krama. These three speech levels are different in their use. They determine the social relationship between the speaker and the listener of the language.

This research aimed at answering the following two research problems: the first was what Javanese speech levels do orphan children living in Panti asuhan Sunan Ampel use? And the second was why do they use Javanese speech level in their daily communication?

To conduct this research, descriptive qualitative was used. It is called qualitative since it deals with language phenothena that are spoken by orphan children living in Panti Asuhan Sunan Ampel living in Jalan Sumbersari Malang. It is called descriptive since this research is designed to obtain information concerning the current status phenomenon and is directed toward determining the nature of situation as if exists at the time of study

In this research, the researcher made himself as the main or key instrument of the research (human instrument). The ways to collect the data were participant observation and unstructured interview. In participant observation, to collect the data, the researcher used audiotape recording, but it was not the primary way to record the data since it was used only periodically in order to provide additional records or documentation of an event. The primary way to record the data in this research was through field notes. In addition, in interview, to collect the data the researcher used unstructured interview. It means that the researcher chose several children of the orphan children (13 children) to be the informants who could help the researcher to gain the data by giving their reasons and perceptions why they used Javanese speech levels in their daily communication. ,The classifications of these informants were those who were still in junior high school, senior high school and university. This was because they already studied Javanese language lesson when they were in elementary school. Therefore, the researcher was sure that they had already known the reasons why they used Javanese speech levels in their daily communication. The informants were chosen purposively and could represent the other orphan children who came from many different parts of Indonesia. Besides, to support their reasons, the researcher also asked their teacher whose name is Mahfudz to be the informant who had known well the children and the way they spoke their language in their daily conversation.

And the results of this research were that orphan children living in Panti Asuhan Sunan Ampel used Ngoko speech level when they communicated to those who had been familiar and had close relationship with them, such as their manager (Abah), ustadz (Mahfud), friends, Panti Asuhan servant (Bulek), and neighbors (Mak Ten and Cak Doel). Their reasons to use this speech level were that they were lack of understanding about Javanese language, and the use of this speech level indicates that there was no distance among them and those whom they communicated to. This was because they already had close relationship and intimacy to each other. ,They used Madya speech level when they communicated to those whom they respected but still had close relationship with them, such as their managers (Mbak Udhoh, Pak Shodiq). Their reason to use this speech level was that they wanted to respect the people whom they communicated to and had close relationship with them. And they used Krama speech level when they communicated to the people whom they appreciated and respected so much, such as the chairwoman of Panti Asuhan Sunan Ampel (Hj, Sutik/Umik) and the servant of the Panti Asuhan (De Mini). Their reasons to use this speech level were that they knew that the people whom they communicated to had higher social classes than they and didn’t have close relationship with them.