Padang Restaurant Names in Surabaya: a Linguistic Anthropology
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Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature 15 (1) October 2020 98-103 P-ISSN 1858-0157 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/LC E-ISSN 2460-853X Padang Restaurant Names in Surabaya: A Linguistic Anthropology Dwi Windah Wulansari* Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia *Email: [email protected] DOI https://doi.org/10.15294/lc.v15i1.25151 Submitted 29 June 2020. Revised 7 August 2020. Accepted 19 September 2020 Abstract This study examines the naming of Padang restaurants in Surabaya. The results show that there are two strategies that business owners use in naming their Padang home businesses, namely by using convergence and divergence strategies. The choice of name related to the convergence strategy is the name of the owner; prayer and hope; place name; natural conditions; words that are allocated with food; words that reflect nationalism. Whereas the selection of names using the divergence strategy relates to the names of relatives, names of kings and respected people; place name; names related to togetherness and circumstances; and the name that is allocated with the taste of food. Semantically, the word used in naming Padang restaurants refers to a concept that describes the norms, values and outlook on life of the Minangkabau people. Keywords: divergence; convergence; Minangkabau; restaurant INTRODUCTION the time when something was made, what is the main object, and also describes its own quality. When we hear the word Padang, the thing Allan (2001, p. 88) argues that many things that comes to mind is of course Padang special- can be given certain names, including building ties such as Padang rice, Padang satay, or side names. Allan added that the form of the name is dishes with coconut milk. Many Minangkabau determined by the particular (variety of) language people wander because of their belief that wan- being used, and its reference is fixed by the norms dering is a place to prove one’s self, with their suc- and conventions of that language. So a name will cess in wandering, then that person can be consi- be very much determined by the particular type dered independent by the people in his village so of language used by the name giver and also in- that it becomes a prestige for themselves (Marta, fluenced by cultural custom values or certain ag- 2014, p. 34). Opening a Padang restaurant is one reements. of the main efforts undertaken by overseas people The name Padang is not only known as the from Minangkabau. The procedures for naming capital of West Sumatra Province, but is also kno- Padang restaurants reflect how ethnic attitudes wn as the name of a restaurant outside the city toward the language they use in overseas land, of Padang. Referring to Bove’e and Till’s comme- so that it will prove that the Minangkabau people moration, the placement of the word “Padang” can adjust to overseas land. Because essentially on the restaurant’s nameplate is a symbol that the giving a name is part of language activities. Lan- public has understood as a name that contains a guage is the most important element of a culture message that is cheap, halal, and serves a varie- (Koentjaraningrat, 1981, p. 57). ty of dishes so that there are many choices, and Each name has a reason why the owner are easily accepted by anyone’s tongue (Syarief, gave it and also has its own meaning. There is a 2002). The interesting thing about Padang res- tendency for the naming of Padang restaurants to taurants that we often encounter is the service always refer to something related to kinship. Ac- that serves dishes very skillfully by carrying ten cording to Danesi and Perron (199, p. 151), name to fifteen plates of side dishes on both arms. The giving is extended across cultures to encompass task of carrying side dishes on both arms seems inanimate referenta. When this is done, the ob- difficult, but in that difficulty there are two great jects somehow take on, as if by magic, as animate values that must be realized for the guest. First, quality of their own. So the naming is based on the value of respect, which has the nuances of of- Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature 15 (1) October 2020 98-103 fering to respected guests, the second is the value tegies and identification strategies. Adaptation of speed which proves that there is a concise way strategies can be called speech language theo- to serve food (Rahmat, 2017, p. 24). ry. This theory focuses on accommodation and In Surabaya itself there are many Padang adaptation put forward by (Giles, 1991). This restaurants that prove the number of Padang theory is derived from conversation accommoda- people who migrate to Surabaya. There are seve- tion theory. According to this theory, the speaker ral Padang restaurants with a variety of different uses linguistic strategies to reach agreement or to names. The names of Padang restaurants are not show differences in his interactions with others. just mere names, but the names reflect the linguis- Agreeing is expressed by convergence. Meanwhi- tic phenomena associated with place names, reli- le the divergence is done as a statement to reject gion, names of relatives, and names of respected (Gudykunst, 2002, p.187). people. Convergence is often referred to as an in- Giving a name based on the name of the teractive model that prioritizes change, exchange, place to eat aims to provide information on the comparison of behavior patterns that represent a origin of the owner of the place where the food society and produces communication that lasts all came from, so that it is more recognized by the the time by establishing a focus, namely recipro- wider community. There are places to eat that cal relationships (Liliweri, 2001, p. 84). Conver- serve Minangkabau specialties in the form of res- gence can occur positively when the communi- taurants, restaurants, ampera, lapau rice, kadai cator acts in a style similar to the communicant, rice, and kapau rice. and will be negative if it is done to humiliate, te- Restaurants can be defined according to ase, or demean (West & Turner, 2008, p. 225). the food and drinks sold as well as the way they Convergence is a strategy that someone does in are served and the services provided to custo- adapting to others, and divergence is the absence mers who come to enjoy a meal or just to relax of an effort from he speaker to show equality bet- but the prices incurred by visitors are also slightly ween them, or there is no concern if there is no more expensive. Meanwhile, a restaurant can be accommodation with each other. defined as a place that serves simple dishes and Divergence is communication away, be- provides a place to enjoy a meal by setting a cer- cause the speaker shows the difference to the tain cheaper rate. Restaurants usually specialize other person (Littlejohn & Foss, 2008, p. 153). in types of food such as Padang restaurants. Not Language divergence is done by the speaker if he much different from a restaurant, Ampera is also wants to emphasize differences or widen social a place to eat Padang which means an abbrevi- distance with the speaker. This convergence and ation of the Mandate of the People Suffering. divergence strategy is used to find out how langu- Ampera also serves dishes for the middle class or age represents social distance in a society. Giles group at relatively cheap prices compared to ot- et al. (1991) provide some notes on the problem her dining places. of convergence and divergence. Three of them Therefore, it is very interesting if the na- are closely related to this research, namely: 1. mes of Padang restaurants are examined from Speakers do not always need to do language con- anthropological linguistic studies. According to vergence in speaking because not every speaker (Kridalaksana, 2011, p. 144), anthropological lin- is able to do imitations; 2. There are different guistics is a branch of linguistics that studies the motivations for this divergence and convergence variety and use of language in culture and langu- problem. Very necessary to maintain identity but age features related to social groups, religions, oc- meaningless if the speaker is hostile to the inter- cupations, or kinship. While (Lauder & Lauder, locutor; 3. Convergence is not always seen as pos- 2007: 231) explain that linguistic anthropology is itive, and divergence is always seen as negative, one of the branches of linguistics that examines unless the convergence or accommodation is in- the relationship between language and culture, tended to ridicule or denigrate certain variations especially to observe how language is used in eve- of the language. ryday interactions as a tool in social action. Research on the naming representation has Good interaction between individuals has been carried out by experts for example in (Ari- been shown when the Minangkabau will open a bowo, 2017) study entitled Linking Arabic, Islam, business on an overseas land, so that it will pro- and Economy: Onomastics on Business Name of ve that they can adjust to the overseas land. In People of Arabic Descent in Indonesia which interacting with individuals and in groups with analyzes the use of Arabic in the store naming other communities, language speakers can do system in the Kliwon Market. The next research two kinds of strategies, namely adaptation stra- by (Sudaryanto, 2017) entitled Nama-Nama 99 Language Circle: Journal of Language and Literature 15 (1) October 2020 98-103 Geng Sekolah Di Yogyakarta: Kajian Linguistik rious information will produce and determine a Antropologi represents these names into several relationship between two or more individuals, so categories.