ISSN: 2527-8037

Proceedings of the First Reciprocal Graduate Research Symposium between University Pendidikan Sultan Idris and Syiah Kuala University, February 26-28, 2016, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia

SPEAKERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS ACEHNESE DIFFERENT DIALECTS

Zulfadli

Syiah Kuala University, Banda , [email protected]

Abstract

The is devided mainly into four different dialects: North Acehnese, Pidie dialect, Greater Acehnese, and West Acehnese. This study aims at investigating the attitudes of speakers of Acehnese towards the dialect differences of the language. The data were obtained through semi-structured interview method. The results of the study showed that mostly the Acehnese speakers regard North Acehnese as ‘good’ and ‘standard’, ‘refined,’ and polite. Meanwhile, they perceived the West Acehnese as a stigmatised dialect (e.g. kasar ‘rough’, impolite, and inferior), and therefore they also judge its speakers negatively, stereotyping them as ‘crude’.

Keywords: language attitudes, Acehnese dialect differences, stigmatized dialect.

INTRODUCTION Acehnese is the most widely spoken language in the Province of Aceh, in addition to other indigenous languages such as Gayonese, Aneuk Jamee, Alas, Kluet, etc. The majority of Acehnese speakers live in coastal areas in the Province, but they have also spread along the outer southern, western, and northern coastal fringes of Aceh. The number of Acehnese speakers is approximately 2.4 million (Arka, 2008, p. 67). Apart from within the Province of Aceh, Acehnese is also spoken by those of Acehnese descent who have lived in Kampung Aceh (Village of Aceh) in Yan district in Kedah, Malaysia (Yusuf, Pillai & Ali, 2012, p. 1). Acehnese consists of several dialects. According to Durie (1985, p. 4), the work of Hurgronje (1892), has been “rich in dialect variants” of Acehnese around Banda Aceh and coastal areas. Cowan (1981) has also divided Acehnese into four main dialects: banda or Lowlands (Baroh) language, Upper Country (Tunong), Pidie/Pase, and Daya. This division at least provides a picture of dialect distribution in the region.

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Speakers’ attitudes towards Acehnese different dialects by Zulfadli

Ali, et al. (1983) claims that the Acehnese language is divided into several geographical dialects: Greater Aceh, Pidie, Peusangan, Pasai, East Timur, and West Aceh. They also consider Peusangan and Pasai, spoken in North Aceh, as separate dialects. Akbar, et al. (1985), on the other hand, include the dialects of Peusangan, Pasai, and East Aceh in the North Aceh dialect because they have similar characteristics. Ali and his colleagues also mention the Pidie and Greater Aceh dialects, but not the West Aceh dialect. Surprisingly, however, Akbar, et al. (1985) suggested three dialects spoken in West Aceh: Kuala Daya, Lam No (or Lamnoe), and Lam Me dialects. These dialects, according to them, are located in Jaya district, which used to be the Jaya subdistrict of the West Aceh district. Following the proposals of Cowan (1981), Ali, et al. (1983), and Akbar, et al. (1985) on the divisions of Acehnese dialects, Asyik (1987) divides Acehnese into four dialects: Banda Aceh, Pidie, Pase, and Meulaboh. Even though the number of dialects remains the same as proposed by Cowan, there are some differences in Asyik’s classifications which seem to be more straightforward and clearer. He includes Banda into the Greater Aceh dialect, which covers Greater Aceh, Banda Aceh and Sabang, with some 452,000 speakers. Asyik also separates the Pidie and Pase dialects into two separate dialects; Pidie, which is used in the Pidie area (about 512,000 speakers), and the Pase or North Aceh dialect, which is used in North Aceh and East Aceh (about 1,400,000 speakers). The other dialect mentioned by Asyik (1987) is the West Aceh dialect, covering western and southern Aceh, with about 540,000 speakers. The number of speakers of each dialect is approximate. These figures are based on the population of areas where the four dialects are spoken, and taken from the results of the population census in 2010 (BPS, 2010) (see Zulfadli, 2014). The differences across dialects occur mainly in, among other things, aspects of the phonological system, grammatical rules and lexical distinctions (Zulfadli, 2014). The pronunciation system and vocabulary dissimilarity have served as obvious and salient distinctions in Acehnese dialects (Al-Harbi, 2002). It can be seen, for example, in the use of keh in the North Aceh dialect, balum in the Pidie/Greater Aceh dialect, and ipôk in the West Aceh dialect for ‘pocket’. With the various characteristics of each Acehnese dialect, people can generally identify the dialect background of an Acehnese speaker when they listen to the language variation he/she uses. Towards certain speakers of different dialects, the Acehnese people have different reactions and opinions. Based on the daily experience, I observed that speakers of Pidie and North Aceh dialects, for example, react unfavourably towards the dialects of West Aceh. The reactions and opinions that the people have towards a language variety is usullay referred to attitudes. These attitudes are the combination of feeling and judgement (Ajzen, 2005, p. 3). In regard to attitudes towards language, people usually do not only judge the language as a medium, they also evaluate the users of the language. Such attitudes are often expressed towards the language itself, the speakers or their ethnicity (Klerk & Bosch, 1994, p. 50). The attitudes towards a language may be based around spelling, grammar, lexical items, pronunciation or accent, as well as the speed with which someone speaks (Garrett,

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Proceedings of the First Reciprocal Graduate Research Symposium between University Pendidikan Sultan Idris and Syiah Kuala University, February 26-28, 2016, Tanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia

2011, p. 2), and listeners can respond in immediate reflex ways to particular linguistic features, quickly evoking particular attitudes, judgements and connection or disconnection with the speaker. The attitudes of people towards language usage are usually based on whether the status of the variant is high or low. When a sub-group of a speech community thinks it is higher in status it tends to believe that its language variety is superior, and therefore they feel favourable and positive towards it. There are, of course, other factors that may influence peoples’ attitudes towards language difference, such as the country of origin of speakers, sociopolitical relationships between countries, and the reasons for speakers coming and staying in the destination country (Szecsy, 2008, p. 45). These factors will contribute to the attitude of people towards certain language varieties. Studies of language attitudes have mainly explored the occurrence of stigmatisation of linguistic minorities (Giles & Billings, 2004). The attitude that is shared by the Acehnese towards the dialect differences as mentioned above is investigated in this study. It needs to be done so that the question whether the speakers of Acehnese really perceive the West Acehnese as stigmatized can be answered.

METHODOLOGY In order to obtain the data on the attitudes of Acehnese speakers towards the dialect differences (North Acehnese, Pidie dialect, Greater Acehnese, and West Acehnese) in the language, semi-structured interview methods were used. To meet the suggested criteria, a series of questions were designed and asked in relaxed conversations regarding the respondents’ language background and their beliefs to the dialect differences in Acehnese. Those who participated in semi-structured interviews had lived in Banda Aceh for at least three years. They were randomly chosen based on the criteria that they had previously studied or they are still studying in Banda Aceh. During this stay in the city, they had gotten in touch with people from different dialect backgrounds. The number of people in this category was 94, including 36 males (38.3%) and 58 females (61.7%). Their age range was 21-35 years old and the mean age was 25 years.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION The speakers of four different dialects of Acehnese (North Acehnese, Pidie dialect, Greater Acehnese, and West Acehnese) are readily mutually intelligible and, as their names suggest, they have arisen in different geographical regions of the province. The identification of Acehnese people through dialect can be seen solely on the basis of the use of trilled [r] in North Acehnese in place of the West Achenese uvular [ʁ], without needing any other differentiating dialect markers. Speakers of West Acehnese are stigmatised by North Acehnese speakers. The majority of North Acehnese people regard the West Aceh dialect as kasar ‘rough’, impolite, and inferior, and therefore judge its speakers negatively, stereotyping them as ‘crude’. The notions of halus ‘refined’ and kasar ‘rough’ are commonly used

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in Indonesian society when people are asked to give their opinion towards a certain language or language variety. When some people listen to speakers of low prestige varieties, they promptly form conclusions about the personality of these speakers, and associate them with certain stereotypes such as ‘uneducated’, ‘impolite’, etc. Giles and Coupland (1991, p. 58) argue that it is very easy and quick for someone to “stereotype others’ personal and social attributes on the basis of language cues and in ways that appear to have crucial effects on important social decisions made about them.” Attitudes toward language can manifest in many ways. Korth (2005, p. 24) suggests that the attitudes of a larger group play a dominant role in individuals taking a stand accordingly. He continues that it is very common for the speakers of the “dominant language group” to believe that their language is better compared with the “non-dominant language group”, and the minority group also believes that their language is not as good as the majority group’s (p. 24). The majority of research participants in this study said that the West Aceh dialect is considered to be poor, rough, etc., in terms of word choice and the use of pronouns. These factors have sometimes led them to make fun of West Aceh dialect speakers. These are comments and reactions that are common among people in Banda Aceh when they listen to West Aceh dialect speakers. These comments and reactions were observed and speakers of West Acehnese were forthcoming during interviews. Residents of Banda Aceh mostly laugh really loudly when they listen to West Acehnese words or terms, which are regarded as ‘rude’ and ‘vulgar’. Based on the interviews conducted with both North and West Acehnese speakers to explore their attitudes toward different dialects in the Acehnese language, in general, the majority of Acehnese people believe and agree that the variety of Acehnese which is ‘good’ and ‘standard’ is the North Aceh dialect. Figure 1 below shows that more than 50% of respondents interviewed from four different backgrounds agree that the North Acehnese dialect is preferred and standard.

Figure 1. Acehnese perceptions towards North Aceh dialect.

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It is interesting to note that the positive attitudes toward North Aceh dialect are not only expressed by people from the region itself; people from Banda Aceh/Greater Aceh, Pidie, and West Aceh admitted that this dialect is much more ‘refined,’ polite, and standard. As shown in the figure above, from interviews conducted with people from the western coast of the Province of Aceh, who speak West Acehnese and had lived in Banda Aceh for at least five years on average, the majority agreed that North Acehnese is good, and may be considered as standard. From the questions asked during interviews with Acehnese respondents regarding their opinion on a ‘refined’ dialect of the Acehnese language, it is found that the North Aceh dialect is most favourably preferred (see Figure 2 below). This figure shows that there are some respondents who are non-committal. It also shows that none of the respondents regard the Pidie dialect as refined.

Figure 2. Responses towards refinement of Acehnese dialects.

The majority claim and believe that the dialect of West Aceh is rough. According to one of the interviewees, when asked which dialect is regarded as rough, she rhetorically said that:

Meuseuki brat untuk tameu-aku kareuna nyoe meunyangköt kehormatan basa nenek moyang, teutapi apa boleh buat, Nagan Raya daerah teumpat lôn lahe na corak gaya peugah haba nyang bacut gasa. ‘Even though it is difficult to admit the truth due to the courtesy and integrity of the language of our forebears, my birthplace Nagan Raya has eventually a little rough speech style’

Nagan Raya belongs to the West Aceh dialect. The overall responses of Acehnese speakers towards the West Aceh dialect when they were asked their opinion on the dialect ‘roughness’ can be seen in Figure 3 below.

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Speakers’ attitudes towards Acehnese different dialects by Zulfadli

Figure 3. Bar graph showing percentage of rough Acehnese dialect.

It can be seen from the above figure that same number of respondents from Banda Aceh think that Pidie and West Aceh dialects are rough. It also shows that more West Aceh respondents think that the West Aceh dialect is rough. It suggests that a strong internalised negative view was expressed by the speakers of West Aceh themselves. Besides regarding the West Acehnese as a rough dialect, Banda Aceh/Greater Aceh speakers with the same percentage also thought that Greater Aceh dialect is rough. Furthermore, there are many respondents, especially North Acehnese, who abstained from giving their opinion and thus maintained a neutral or non-committal position. The figure also shows the very interesting result that no one held that the North Aceh dialect is ‘rough’. Reasons are put forward by the Acehnese people for their attitudes regarding the quality of the West Aceh dialect. These show that the dialect of West Aceh holds this inferior and stigmatised position. Firstly, the West Aceh dialect has an irregular way of pronouncing /r/, and it is different from the North Acehnese dialect and Bahasa Indonesia. North Acehnese speakers say that the West Acehnese dialect, with the uvular [ʁ] feature, sounds very unpleasant. Some of the interviewees state that the people from West Aceh suffer from a lack of ‘vitamin R’, which means they are not able to produce [r] correctly. This ‘strange’ pronunciation leads the non-West Acehnese to believe that the West Aceh dialect is very shameful. Secondly, the West Aceh dialect uses some words which are regarded as rude in the North Aceh dialect, such as kah ‘you-vulgar,’ku ‘I-vulgar,’ ipôk ‘pocket,’ and other swear words or terms. A West Acehnese interviewee disclosed that the West Aceh dialect has strong swear words and terms which precisely convey the real meaning of one’s feelings. When someone gets really angry, for example, the phrases that are used to express this state or feeling are those used in West Acehnese exclusively. According to this interviewee, the combination of these words and terms are well spoken in the West Aceh dialect with its typical intonation, which is rarely found in the North Aceh dialect.

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CONCLUSION This study has investigated a stigmatised variety of Acehnese spoken in West Aceh, Indonesia. By comparing this dialect with the North Aceh dialect, which has been studied and documented comprehensively by a number of linguists, several findings have emerged. Some features of West Acehnese may provoke different types of attitudes from North Acehnese speakers. In other words, different attitudes are associated with different linguistic features. Attitudes and reactions towards the speakers of the stigmatised West Acehnese dialect trigger a range of observable behaviours. Each of these differences between the dialects have different implications. Certain features characterise West Acehnese speakers as ‘rude’ and ‘impolite’. Others features (e.g. uvular [ʁ]) are regarded by some as a speech impediment and not thought of as being inherently rude or impolite, but they are sources of confusion, amusement, ridicule, etc. The realisation of the rhotic as a uvular fricative [ʁ] in West Acehnese has sparked the negative judgement of West Acehnese speakers by North Acehnese. It is one of the first signals that shows speakers of the mainstream dialect that a person is from West Aceh or Greater Aceh. This feature is presumed to be the marker of a speaker’s dialect background identity. The speakers of West Acehnese use uvular fricative [ʁ] in the West Acehnese dialect is considered as stigmatised. They are easily recognised as a member of a minority Acehnese dialect. They are regarded as ‘deficient’ people as a result of their perceived inability to produce the ‘prestigious’ alveolar trill, despite the fact that they produce this very same trill when they speak Bahasa Indonesia. Of the four different main dialects of Acehnese spoken in the Province of Aceh, the North Acehnese is considered to be the neutral, general, and standard dialect because it is commonly used for public speaking and in formal venues. It is the North Aceh variety, for example, that is often heard in radio broadcasts, especially for news-reading on the official Republic of Indonesia radio station in Banda Aceh. The local television station, Aceh TV, generally uses the standard dialect of North Aceh when broadcasters read the news in Acehnese.

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