The Difference Between Balinese Language And Sundanese Language

ABSTRACT

This research is aimed to find out the lexical meaning and connotative meaning of Balinese language. Balinese language is one of the traditional language in Indonesian country which an unique thing because of the historical of these language are had been influenced not only by the Balinese language itself, but there are an influenced from Sundanese language and also Javanese language, so there will be several meaning or words which has the same meaning but difference pronunciation or the difference meaning but has the same pronunciation. The researcher not only analyzed the lexical meaning of it, but the researcher also compared those meaning with Sundanese language. To analyze the connotative meaning, the researcher used the connotative semiotic theory by Roland Barthes. Based on the theory the researcher also input the history of Balinese language itself.

RESEARCH BACKGROUND

Language is a system that consists of the development, acquisition, maintenance and use of complex systems of communication, particularly the human ability to do so; a language is any specific, example of such a system. The scientific study of language is called linguistic. Many definition of language have been proposed. Henry Sweet, an English stated: “Language is the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words. Words are combined into sentences, this combination answering to that of ideas in thoughts.” The American linguists Bernard Bloch and George L. Trager formulated the following definition: “A language is a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social groups cooperates.” Most people, when asked what language is for, reply that the function of language is to express and communicate meanings. Certainly this ability to express meaning is an indispensable aspect of language. Most of other functions of language would scarcely be available to us if our utterance were not capable of carrying meaning.

And human language is arguably the single most remarkable characteristic that we have, the one that most truly sets our species apart. Our faculty of languages, which has usually take for granted, exhibits a number of properties which are remarkable, even astonishing. Without language, we could hardly have created the human world we know. Our development of everything from music to warfare could never have come about in the absence of language. More than any other single characteristic, then, language is what makes us human. And human language is unique. One of those languages which has an unique thing is Balinese language which will be analyze by the researcher. Balinese language is one of the traditional languages in Indonesian country which had been maintained by the ethics of Bali. Balinese language as the mother tongue or first language for most of the people in Bali, it is widely used as a communication tool in the several activities indoors and also outdoors in social activities in Balinese people.

Based on the explanation above, the purpose of this study is to analyze the lexical meaning from several words on Balinese language which has the same pronounce but has the different meaning. In this research the researcher also explained about the historical of Balinese language, it is because Balinese language had been influenced by Javanese language. Understanding the difference between denotation and connotation is important to understanding definitions and how concepts are used.

The data for this paper were gained by library research by collecting the sources of information about the history of Balinese language and also the words which will be analyze by the researcher. The researcher point of view or opinion about the presented data and information, comparative study between Balinese language and Sundanese language which has several similar meaning of those words.

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

Semiotics the word semiotics is derived from the Greek, semion, which means “sign” or seme which means “sign interpreter”. Semiotic basically result from classical study and scholastic on logical, rhetorical and poetic art. However, sign according to old time definition still means a thing that denotes another thing. If the sign is implemented in language, number, word and sentence will not have meanings in themselves. Signs just have meaning (significant) correlating to its reader. The reader himself connects the sign to what is signified (signifie) according to the convention in language system. Semiotic is a science or analysis method that is used for studying signs. Signs are a tool which we use for finding the way in this world, in the middle of human life and together with the human life. Semiotic in Barthes definition, semiology, basically tries to learn how humanity signify things. To signify, in this case, can’t be associated with to communicate. To signify means that objects is not only bringing the information, but also constituting the structural system form signs.

A sign signifies other thing beyond itself and meaning is a relationship between an object and idea with the sign. This basic concept is held up together with many other theories that correlate with symbol, language, discourse, non-verbal shapes and theories that explain how sign connect to its meaning and how sign is arranged. A sign is any physical form that has been imagined or made externally (through some physical medium) to stand for object, event, feeling, that is known as referent, or for class of similar (or related) object, event, feeling etc., Known as referential domain. In human life, sign serve many functions. They allow people to recognize pattern in thing. Connotation is thus context-dependent. Signs are more “polysemic” – more open to interpretation in their connotations than their denotations. Denotation is sometimes regarded as a digital code and connotation as an analogue code (Wilden 1987, 224). As Roland Barthes noted, Saussure’s model of the sign focused on denotation at the express of connotation and it was left to subsequent theorists (notably Barthes himself – drawing on Hjelmslev) to offer an account of this important dimension of meaning (Barthes 1967a, 89ff). in analyzing the realist literary text Barthes came to the conclusion that connotation produces the illusion of denotation, the illusion of the medium as transparent and of the signifier and the signified as being identical (Barthes 1974, 9).

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Thus denotation is just another connotation. Such a process leads to the powerful illusion that denotation is a purely literal and universal meaning which is not at all ideological, and indeed that those connotations which seem most obvious to individual interpreters are just as natural. Connotation and denotation are often described in terms of levels of representation or levels of meaning. Roland Barthes adopted from Louis Hjelmslev the notion that there are different orders of signification (Barthes 1957, 124; 1961; 1967a, 84 – 94; 1976b, 27ff; Hjelmslev 1961, 114ff). Connotation is a second order of signification which uses the denotative sign (signifier and signified) as its signifier and attaches to it an additional signified. Connotation is not a purely paradigmatic dimension, as Saussure’s characterization of the paradigmatic dimension as ‘associative’ might suggest.

Denotation is when you meant what you say, literally. Connotation is created when you meant something else, something that might be initially hidden. The connotative meaning of a word is based on implication, or shared emotional association with a word.

From this understanding it can briefly concluded that semiotic is a branch of linguistics regarding study of sign. Therefore the researcher intends to present a study of the concept of lexical meaning and connotative meaning from several words in Balinese language.

METHOD

Research Design

In this research the researcher focuses and analyzes on the lexical meaning of Balinese language. The researcher used descriptive qualitative for this research. Qualitative research has its deep roots in the study of culture in anthropology. Qualitative research is concerned with in-depth understanding of the issue under examination. It relies heavily on individuals who are able to provide rich accounts of their experiences. For this reason it usually works best with small numbers of individuals. Qualitative research aims to examine a ‘process’ or the ‘meanings’ that people give to their own social situation. It does not require a generalization of the findings as in positivist science (Hesse – Biber & Leavy 2005, p.70).

Descriptive analysis research described about Balinese language connotative meaning on the several words which has the same pronounce but different meaning with the other language, one of them the researcher choose Sundanese language to compare with Balinese language.

Data Collection

The researcher collected the data in the following step. First, the researcher reading all data sources. Second, selected the appropriate sources for this research. Next, choose several words of Balinese language in the Dictionary of Balinese language. The last, the data to be arranged systematically in accordance with the research focuses. To arranged the data, the researcher defined about lexical meaning.

FINDING AND DISCUSSION

Balinese language has an influenced of Balinese culture which remains sustainable and thrives in Bali. We can see from the number of speakers, the influenced of Balinese language has been approximately half a million people and has a written tradition, so Balinese language is the largest regional language from several traditional languages in Indonesia. Balinese language has variation which is little bit difficult from the other language because there are “sor - singgih” or in English language its meant politeness which had been created by the speakers. Generally, we could differentiate the variation of Balinese language into three aspects as regional, social, and temporal. The temporal aspect has given the indication to the historical and development of languages itself, although in general meaning or restricted meaning. As temporal aspect, Balinese language has been distinguish into two model, the first one is Ancient Balinese language and the second one is Mula Balinese language or Aga Balinese language, tengahan Balinese language or Kawi Balinese language, and Kepara Balinese language which has been called Baru Balinese language or Balinese Modern language. As regional aspect, Balinese language divided into two dialects are Aga Bali (Dialek Pegunungan) and Dataran Bali (Dialek Umum) which has their own dialect. And as social aspect, there are two systems which had an impact in the level speech of development of historical in Bali itself.