Phatic Communion in the Perspective of Language Dignity

Journal of Language and Literature Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019 ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)

R. Kunjana Rahardi [email protected] Indonesian Language and Literature Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University

Abstract

The efforts to dignify the Indonesian language must not stop at the elaboration of grammatical rules. The Indonesian grammatical rules have long been standardized but it is still debatable whether the Indonesian language has achieved its dignity or not. As a rule, the dignified language should carry the various functions which cater to several different interests and is learned by the wider audience. The formulation of rules interconnecting with language use as in the pragmatic studies must be promoted. Essentially, the linguistic study and pragmatic study of language have the same purpose despite their different manners of doing it.

Keywords: phatic expression, dignify, language functions, pragmatic phenomena

Introduction in the educational domain. In terms of a small number of references for phatic expressions, it In the monography entitled Kelas Kata is expected that the research on phatic dalam Bahasa Indonesia (Word Classes in the expressions funded by the research grant from Indonesian Language) written in a bid to fulfill the Directorate of Research and Community the Alexander von Humbolt research grant in Services, Kemristek, DIKTI, can be conducted Johann Wolfgang Goethe University, Frankfurt successfully for three consecutive years and am Main, West Germany in 1985, Prof. Dr. reference books on Indonesian phatic Harimurti Kridalaksana affirmed that the expressions will soon be published. phatic category was a relatively new invention in the Indonesian linguistics (2008, p. 120). It Discussions on phatic expressions are was true what the Indonesian renowned inseparable from the issues of language linguist had said as up to today there has been function and dignity. While Kridalaksana said only a little research on phatic expressions. that phatic categories function to initiate, Undeniably, several papers on a similar topic sustain, and assert communication (2008, p. were written. Some scientific studies were also 114), Sudaryanto (1990, p. 95) affirms that the conducted in the form of undergraduate thesis, intrinsic function of language is to humanize graduate thesis, and dissertations. However, human beings to live with and for others. In the the quantity and quality of the study are far writer’s opinion, to live for and with other from being considered significant. human beings, one must be first and foremost able and willing to communicate with others. In anticipating the signs of low interest in In the discussions on the language functions the study, in the past one year the writer has which are interrelated with language status, been specifically investigating phatic either as a national or official language, the expressions in the language, particularly those issue of language dignity has become essential

91 Journal of Language and Literature ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) R. Kunjana Rahardi to discuss, because the dignity of a language, or In Sudaryanto (1990, p. 33), the term the lack of it, depends highly on and is “communion” refers to the “personal determined by the beauty and eloquence of the encounter phenomenon; a face-to-face word in serving its functions. encounter between two people.” Thus, ‘communion’ is not the same as In the writer’s opinion, the beauty and ‘communication’ which essentially means ‘the eloquence of the language in carrying out the transfer of information, ideas, thoughts’, which functions are by the clarity and establishment is referred to as ‘communication of thought,’ of the language rules. The clear and by Abercrombie (1998). This prominent established rules of language are non- linguist affirms that language does not merely negotiable in order to raise the dignity of a function as a means to communicate language. Therefore, the prolonged efforts to information, ideas, thoughts, but above all, it is standardize the language rules through a means to place ‘others as equal.’ various means, despite rejections and disloyalty from the language users in In the writer’s opinion, the process to employing the language rules to produce make someone equal as others is only possible utterance and to create exchanges, must be when the addresser and addressee are able stirred up again through more effective and willing to cooperate and to treat other strategies. Hence, the Indonesian language will people as equals. Thus, the cooperation to not be a foreign language in its own country in make others equal can only be achieved when the future to come. there is an ‘encounter’ between them to cooperate. The writer’s opinion is In this brief note, the writer intends to corroborated by Abercrombie (1998) that ‘ties elaborate the pragmatic phenomena, namely of the union’ means union in encounter to phatic function, in the constellation of build agreements. functions and dignity of the Indonesian language. The unclear language rules and its Phatic communion, according to Richards limitation in sustaining the identity of et al. (1985, p. 214), is ‘a term used by the semantic meaning referred to as ‘the fuzziness British-Polish anthropologist Malinowski to of grammatical categories’ by Leech (1982, p. refer to communication between people which is 25), particularly related to the speaker’s not intended to seek or convey information but meaning, can be explained through this has the social function of establishing or language study using a pragmatic approach. maintaining social contact.’ They assert that the main purpose of phatic communion is neither to ‘seek information’ nor ‘to transfer From Phatic Communion to Phatic information’, but it aims to “establish and Communication preserve sociability.”

The term phatic communion was initiated Consequently, the English utterance “How by Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski, a Polish are you?” which is translated into Indonesian anthropologist who undertook an “Apa kabar?” is not necessarily meant to seek ethnographic work in Trobriand Islands, for the addressee’s ‘information’ or ‘news’. Melanesia in 1923. From his ethnographic Similarly, in an encounter, someone greets study, the well-known anthropologist ‘Sehat-sehat saja Bapak!”, the addresser does introduced two language functions, namely (1) not necessarily seek information about the pragmatic function and (2) magical function. addressee’s ‘health condition,’ but it is meant The term ‘phatic’ is derived from the verb in to merely ‘build sociability’ with the addressee. Greek, which means ‘to speak’, while the term Therefore, it would be strange for a university ‘communion’ means ‘the creation of ties of student who addresses the lecturer in a union’ (Abercrombie, 1998). Further, the term campus lobby by greeting, ‘Selamat pagi, Pak!’ ‘phatic communion’ is understood as (Good morning, Sir!) and is responded curtly ‘establishing an atmosphere of sociability by the professor who says, ‘Sudah siang kok rather than communicating ideas’ (Mey, 2008, pagi!’ (It’s noontime already!). p. 673). 92

Journal of Language and Literature Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019 ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)

The Javanese rural community is well- in pragmatics must be interconnected with the known for their friendliness and they usually pragmatic context, which essentially consists exchange pleasantries among neighbors, such of sets of assumptions (Rahardi, 2015), both as addressing the neighbor who is on her way personal and communal. On the other hand, to the market by saying, “Tindak peken, Bu!” lingustic meaning is understood dyadically as (Are you going to the market?). In the same proposed by Buhler and Revesz. friendly manner, the phatic expression will be responded with an utterance “Injih! Monggo! Linguistics does not involve the contextual (Yes, I am. See you later). Therefore, even dimensions in the form of sets of assumptions, though the addresser has already known that which are defined by Parker (1986), Wijana the addressee is going to the market, the (1996), and Rahardi (2015; 2016) as triadic in friendly question still needs to be expressed to nature (triadic meaning). The phatic ‘preserve sociability.’ Someone who is not phenomenon belongs to the linguistic entity familiar with the importance of sociability will with a triadic dimension. reply rudely, ‘Orang jelas-jelas sudah tahu saya mau ke pasar kok malah tanya begitu?’ (It is Understanding the phatic intention as clear that I am going to the market. Why do you uttered by the addresser is impossible to be need to ask?). It would be strange to respond done if the focus is only on the linguistic rudely to questions about his/her wellbeing to markers. In the Javanese language, the form establish small talk or to maintain sociability ‘monggo’ or ‘sumonggo’ in the utterance or by saying, ‘Sehiiittttt! Orang jelas jalannya exchange has various pragmatic meaning begini kok ditanya sehat-sehat saja!’ (I am interpretations. This happens because the sooooooo healthy, you know? Can you see that variety of pragmatic meanings is determined I can walk just fine? Why do you ask whether I by the different assumptions which essentially am healthy or not?) underlie the contexts. Thus, interpreting the intention of ‘monggo’ is not first of all In the previous studies, such as a study by determined by the spatio-temporal contexts Kridalaksana (2008, pp. 119-121), some phatic which involve the dimensions of time and markers have similar forms as interjections. In place (Alan, 1986), or the social-societal an utterance and in a certain exchange, the contexts as elaborated by Hymes (1972), but it phatic markers such as ‘ah, eh, halo, ya’ overlap is determined by the different sets of with interjections. Some discourse markers assumptions being the essence of the are actually phatic markers, such as ‘mbok, deh, pragmatic contexts proposed earlier by kek, tho, ding, dong, kan, kok’, while some Rahardi (2016). others are pure interjections such as ‘aduh, idih, wah, aduhai, wahai, bah, ih, nah, syukur, Similarly, in the Indonesian language, the astaga’. Understanding of the ‘clearcut forms ‘Ayo, lah!’ and ‘Lha, ayo lah!’ have identity’ and ‘overlapping identity’ is different pragmatic meanings. Understanding important as the clear identity and language the speaker’s intention or the pragmatic structure will have great influence on the meaning through speakers’ exchanges interpretation of linguistic forms. guarantees the accuracy of interpretation than through the speaker’s utterance. The reasons In relation to that, as a rule, phatic behind this are the breadth and width of the communion has a communicative dimension, contexts, both linguistically (co-text) – either whereas interjection has an emotive linguistic or paralinguistic in nature—and dimension. Phatic communion is commonly extralinguistically – either social, societal, used in spoken contexts and tends to be non- situational or pragmatic, which will determine standard in nature. Therefore, phatic the accuracy of interpretation of the speaker’s communion is signaled by sociolect and meaning or speaker’s sense. regional dialects. Linguists have not investigated phatic Further, it should be clear that the communion in the pragmatic perspective. linguistic phenomena in the pragmatic domain Bousfield (2008) argued that there has been a are not the same as the linguistic phenomena discrepancy between the study of language in the linguistic domain. The intrinsic meaning impoliteness and language politeness since

Journal of Language and Literature ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) R. Kunjana Rahardi

Fraser (1999) elaborated four major assumptions (Rahardi, 2015). Pragmatics perspectives, namely: (1) the social norm within the social and societal contexts should review, (2) the conversational-maxim view, (3) be based not merely on the situational context the face-saving view, dan (4) the conversational but it must also involve the contexts in the contract view. It can be concluded that the social and societal dimensions, referred to as study of linguistic phatic communion is left the indexical contexts (in Rahardi, 2015). behind compared to studies on other pragmatic phenomena and it tends to be To illustrate, the utterance ‘Sampun- deserted by the language researchers. sampun, mboten sah repot-repot’ (Please, no! Don’t bother yourself with me’ uttered by a Concerns over the low quantity of research Javanese guest is clearly ‘culture-specific’, in on language phatic communion were which culture is embedded in its meaning. expressed by Kridalaksana (2008) and Although a guest actually needs water in the hammered down by Rahardi (2015) that the hot and humid weather, as a rule, the utterance study of phatic communion is one of the above is appropriately said to manifest deserted pragmatic phenomena which needs politeness containing the dimension of phatic to be promoted. This concern is in line with the function. In the general pragmatic study, for previous explanation, in which the issues of instance, in respect to Grice’s work on phatic communion is closely related to the cooperative principles, particularly the maxim language functions. The phatic communion in of quality, the above function is clearly in the pragmatic perspective which tends to be contradictory to the Grice’s maxim of quality. deserted is the manifestation of language In Grice’s cooperative principles, such disfunction which is contradictory to the utterance is deemed to violate the maxim of efforts to promote and optimize the language quality because the maxim requires someone function to raise the language dignity. to say ‘apa adanya’ (be truthful) in order to honor the maxim of quality.

Ideas of Pragmatic Universal and Phatic In line with the specific and universal Universal dimensions of pragmatics (Du Bois, 1998), phatic functions evidently have the universal Pragmatics, in the writer’s idea, has two dimensions instead of specific ones. It is clearcut dimensions, namely specific argued that it is undeniable that phatic dimension and universal dimension. The functions are specific in nature because phatic pragmatic specific dimension shows to us that functions are essentially culture-specific set all aspects of pragmatic, such as the scope, the against the specific social backgrounds. That principles, the maxims, and the phenomena being said, it is confirmed that in its latter must apply specifically and specially. The dimension, phatic function is culture-specific. existence of certain community and culture In the culture-specific dimension, the which is unique and specific in nature will manifestation of phatic function in a given automatically determine the manifestation society and culture will be different from that and identity of the pragmatic form (Du Bois, in another culture. 1998). The culture-specific Pragmatics brings impetus to pragmatic studies in the culture- In a community whose level of survival is specific dimensions (Leech, 1983), which leads low, such expression as ‘silakan dimakan saja to the pragmatic studies in the specific semua’ (Please eat them all) does not always dimensions, called sociopragmatics. have a pragmatic force as manifested in its literal linguistic form. It is possible that the The fundamental difference between the contrary happens, that is ‘jangan dimakan general pragmatic studies and the specific semuanya’ (Don’t eat them all). This is true in pragmatic studies in the specific social and the Javanese expression, such as ‘dipun agem societal contexts can be clearly seen. The kemawon sandalipun’ (Please wear the general pragmatic studies must be based on sandals) when the guest enters the living the situational context which essentially room, which does not necessarily mean to consists of personal and communal sets of request the guest to keep wearing the sandals 94

Journal of Language and Literature Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019 ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) when entering the living room. On the into ‘gi’, and each has a different implicature, contrary, what is actually meant is to signal the which is defined as context-embedded in guests to leave the sandals outside the host’s language. The emerging language living room, especially when the living room is manifestation shows different pragmatic covered with beautiful carpet and shiny tiles. meanings. The form ‘selamat pagi’ implies the ‘normal’ utterance, while the form ‘pagi’ Rahardi (2006; 2016) mentioned that such implies an ‘abnormal’ intention, and lastly, the society is a community living with a form ‘gi’ clearly implies a ‘very abnormal’ ‘samudana’ (ambiguity, insinuation) cultural intention. background. It is clear that the speaker’s intention in a specific social and cultural The elaborated linguistic forms and the context is not sufficiently explained in a more restricted linguistic forms, which imply the general context, which is defined by Leech variety of speaker’s intentions, is one of the (1983) as speech situational context. The markers that phatic functions contain situational context dimension proposed by universal dimensions. This phenomenon can Leech (1983) does not accommodate the be found in many languages in the world. In specificity and particularity previously English, the forms ‘good morning’ and mentioned in Rahardi (2016) and ‘morning’ to greet definitely have different consequently, to study the pragmatics within speaker’s senses. Du Bois (2008) confirms that the specific and unique dimensions, a the most fundamental pragmatic universal is combination of situational and socio-cultural that all human language have pragmatics. In contexts must be prepared, or what is relation to that, it is suffice to say that all mentioned previously as the indexical human languages have phatic phenomena. contexts. When pragmatic is culture-specific, phatic functions must also be unique and culture- The next question is: where is the specific. universality of the phatic functions? The answer is that first, phatic function is not Second, the phatic phenomena have the separated from the linguistic entity. The aspect of context dimensionality. One language contexts being constituted to understand the applies a different dimensional aspect from speaker’s intention in the study of phatic another language. To illustrate, in Indonesian, functions should be embedded, integrated, and there are several words to represent different inseparable from the identity of the language interpretation of personal deixis. Address itself. Such contexts are called context- terms ‘dab’ and ‘cho’ may have similarity in embedded in language (Du Bois, 1998). The terms of dimensions of social distance. An embedded context in the language is not expression ‘mau ke mana, dab?’ and ‘mau ke necessarily the same as the intralinguistic mana, cho?’ can be easily interpreted as having context or internal context commonly the same personal deixis referring to close understood as co-text. The intralinguistic social distance. Compared to the Javanese context or internal context, as a rule, precedes greeting ‘badhe tindak pundi, Bapa?’, the and/or follows a certain language form being differences in the dimensionality understood to find the linguistic and semantic interpretation between ‘dab’, ‘cho’, and ‘bapa’ meanings. Unlike the co-text identity, shown in the excerpt above can be found in ‘integrated’ or ‘embedded’ linguistic contexts many languages. Speaking of phatic functions, are constituted in the linguistic signs, keeping in mind that all languages have certain structure, rules, and process of the language. ‘context dimensionality’ in interpreting the linguistic meaning, as one of the pragmatic In relation to this, Du Bois (2008) states phenomena, phatic functions carry the context that: ‘…rather, it concerns context imbedded in dimensionality as well. language—contextual implications located in The third is the grammaticality fact. In terms of linguistic signs, structures, rules, and processes.’ pragmatic universality, Du Bois (2008) asserts Hence, the Javanese language has language that ‘a key reason for the pervasiveness and forms of utterance in the phatic context such as centrality of pragmatic universals is that there ‘selamat pagi’ and ‘pagi’ or maybe shortened exists a prominent mechanism for embedding

Journal of Language and Literature ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online) R. Kunjana Rahardi pragmatic dimensions within the linguistic Considering the aspects of language structure: grammaticization.’ Pragmatics and dignity, the writer asserts that Indonesian is grammaticality are in fact inseparable and qualified as a dignified language. The closely intertwined. Pragmatics is not Indonesian language has clear linguistic rules. necessarily understood as the study of the The Indonesian language carries various external structure of language but the study is different interests and serves many functions, inevitably related with the internal structure both as a national language and an official of language. Suffice to say that certain language. However, it does not mean that the linguistic forms determine the language’s efforts to dignify the language must end here. pragmatic meaning. However, the contrary is As mentioned previously, the study of phatic true that the pragmatic force and meaning functions in the Indonesian language has not determine the linguistic forms used by the been widely conducted as it is considered a speakers. The same goes with the phatic new field of study. It is thus urgent to phenomena, in which the speaker’s intention investigate the matters in depth so that the in using certain phatic functions will usage rules of the pragmatic phenomena, i.e. determine the linguistic forms. On the phatic functions, will be discovered soon. contrary, the linguistic forms used by a speaker determine the phatic pragmatic It is clear, thus, that phatic functions whose functions. All languages are identified to have purposes are to initiate, sustain, and reinforce phatic universality mentioned earlier. communication among the speakers and addressees are in line with the inherent Therefore, it is not automatically said that language functions, namely being men and pragmatic is merely a context-bound, instead women for and with others. Being men and of context-free, study of language; and the women for and with others mean being with contexts refer to the extralinguistic contexts. others in a close encounter or, in the case of The understanding of the pragmatic issues phatic functions, ‘communion’. In the which is focused on the extralinguistic communion, communication takes place, even contexts only will tend to mislead as it tends to when the communication is not meant to oversimplification. To respond to this, Du Bois transmit information but simply to break the (2008) states that “Pragmatics in this sense ice. cannot be reduced to extralinguistic, ‘real world’ knowledge, as something outside the In respect to this, Leech (1983) mentioned domain of language; rather it concerns context the maxim of phatic which governs that embedded in language.” someone must avoid the silence. The avoidance of silence, or speaking incessantly is clearly in contradictory to the maxim of Phatic Functions in the Tapestry of the quantity which expects the speaker to give as Promotion of Language Dignity much information as is necessary for their interlocutors to understand their utterances, As discussed in the previous parts, a but to give no more information than is dignified language is among others the one necessary. The violation of the maxim of which has clear linguistic rules. The rules are quantity can be overcome and explained by not only intertwined within the linguistic saying that if the avoidance of silence does not dimensions, but they must also intertwine have a specific illocutive purposes, then it with the extralinguistics. The clear rules allow merely serves the functions of ‘initiating, language users to enjoy the ease of learning the reinforcing, and sustaining’ communication. language. The linguistic rules are codified Hence, it must be said that it does not violate through standardization. The extralinguistic the Maxim of Quantity in Grice’s Cooperative rules are formulated in the regular concrete Principles. use in the society. When these have been done well, the extensive and pervasive use of language will be achieved. This means that the language may express various interests and intentions, functions and purposes. 96

Journal of Language and Literature Vol. 19 No. 02 – October 2019 ISSN: 1410-5691 (print); 2580-5878 (online)

Conclusion many different functions, or has it catered many diverse interests, or is it studied by a As a conclusion, it must be asserted again wide audience. In the writer’s opinion, the that the efforts to dignify the Indonesian linguistic rules intertwining with the language language cannot stop when the linguistic rules use as shown in the pragmatic phenomena are described in terms of linguistic definition. need to be promoted continuously. The The Indonesian grammatical rules have been pendulum of language study which has swung specified and codified for a long time. to the linguistic issues related to usage, Nevertheless, the debate remains in whether optimization of language functions, has the Indonesian language has truly been a become the right momentum to dignify the dignified language, or whether it has served so Indonesian language more perfectly.

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