METAPHORS AND DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS IN THE JAVANESE PROVERBS

Abstract

The current study investigated directive speech acts and metaphors in the Javanese Proverbs. In order to fulfill this goal, the researcher identifies the structural forms, the communicative function, the felicity conditions and the metaphor mapping. The felicity condition will explore four components: a) propositional content, b) preparatory condition, c) sincerity condition, and d) essential rule. Besides, the metaphor mapping will identify three components: a) objects/ idea, b) meaning, and c) mapping process. The current research would be designed as qualitative research. The researcher had choosen the purposive proverbs from the collection of Pitutur Luhur Budaya Jawa (has been composed by certain writers). Due to the investigation, the researcher found some findings:a) there would be two structural forms of the Javanese proverbs (declarative and imperative), b) there were four communicative functions or directive speech acts in the proverbs (prohibition, requirement, command, and suggestion), c) the researcher found that the Javanese proverbs contain the direct and indirect speech act. Beside those findings, the researcher also investigates certain animals and plants (as metaphorical expressions or idea) in the Javanese proverbs such as 1) kebo gupak (buffalo) and tiger (macan) as the people whose bad behaviour, 2) gagak (crow), timun (cucumber), and ant (semut) as the poorer/the weaker people, 3) merak (peacock), duren (king fruit), and elephant (gajah) as the richer people/ the stronger people, 4) mushroom (jamur) as the best result, 5) watang (stalk) as the difficult step or effort, 6) snake (ula) as the figures/ common people, 7) candlenut (kemiri), 8) bebek (duck), 9) kidang (deer).