REPRESENTATION OF JAVANESE LANGUAGE MAINTENANCEIN LOCAL NEWSPAPERS IN CENTRAL JAVA

Abstract

Local newspapers can be the media for maintaining local or indigenous languages since the newspapers, in one hand, are directed or addressed to the local audiences of the newspapers, but, on the other hand, they must present what is happening in the country or in the world. These two missions influence the language they use. This paper aims at presenting how Javanese shows its strengths even though it has a small portion in the local newspapers in Central Java. Observation method, page filing and note-taking techniques are used to collect the data. The data are the Javanese expressions taken purposively in all rubrics of the local newspapers. The newspapers taken randomly in terms of the dates of publication are Suara Merdeka, Jawa Pos Radar Jawa Tengah, Jawa Pos Radar Kudus, Jawa Pos Radar Banyumas, Jawa Pos Radar Tegal, Solo Pos, Satelit Pos, Wawasan, and Tribun Jateng. Referential identity, distributional, and abductive inferential methods are used for analyzing the data. The result shows that Javanese has a very small portion to be preserved in the local newspapers in Central Java. It is represented in the names of the rubrics, in the text body, and in the title of the news or articles. Javanese expressions can express social and cultural identities of the Javanese society. The models of Javanese language maintenance can be indicated through the use of Javanese in the words expressing thoughts, feelings, and experiences, in short stories, in Javanese variety profile, in Javanese cultural words, in language contat of Javanese and bahasa Indonesia, in the government policy, and in the object of the study.