Journal of Language and Literature Studies
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203 research outputs found
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Representation of Javanese Beliefs in the Film Sumala (2024):Magical Realism
No full textThe phenomenon of the representation of local beliefs in modern Indonesian films shows a tendency to combine traditional elements with contemporary storytelling styles, but studies that specifically examine this combination through the perspective of magical realism are still limited. This study aims to reveal how the film Sumala (2024) represents Javanese beliefs through three main elements of magical realism according to Wendy B. Faris, namely the irreducible element, merging realms, and disruptions of time, space, and identity. The study uses a qualitative descriptive method with data sources in the form of scenes, Dialogues, and visual symbols in the film. Data are analyzed through a process of reduction, classification, interpretation, and drawing conclusions based on the theory of magical realism and the concept of Javanese beliefs. The results show that Sumala presents magical objects, spiritual rituals, and human interactions with spirits as magical elements that are naturally accepted in the story world. This representation illustrates the Javanese view of life that emphasizes the balance between the rough universe and the subtle universe as an important part of the cosmological order. This study concludes that the magical elements in Sumala not only function as narrative aesthetics but also play an important role in preserving Javanese spiritual and cultural values. This finding has implications for strengthening film and cultural studies, particularly regarding the representation of local wisdom in modern Indonesian cinema
The Palestinian-Israeli Ceasefire Proposal: Van Dijk's Critical Discourse Analysis of Al-Arabiya's Reporting
No full textThe ceasefire proposal between Israel and Palestine shocked the world's residents because of the pros and cons of several related parties. Israel and Hamas as the target parties showed different responses to the proposal agreement presented by President Biden in his speech. So, this research is certainly considered interesting because it concerns the most important world phenomenon that has succeeded in shaking the global community. This research uses a qualitative method that aims to describe and analyze the discourse on this ceasefire proposal with the reactions of certain parties as stated in the Al-Arabiya news text based on Teun van Dijk's critical discourse analysis through the text dimension. The results showed the following data findings: 1) macrostructure (theme); 2) superstructure (scheme) includes summary (title and lead) and story (comment and situation); 3) microstructure four studies include semantic (background, detail, intent, presupposition, and nominalization), syntax (sentence form, coherence, and pronoun), stylistic (lexicon), and rhetoric (graphic, metaphor, and expression). The three structures have various elements with their characteristics to form the entire discourse content cohesively and relate to each other. Especially in the title and lead of the discourse, Al-Arabiya journalists have indirectly summarized the responses of those who accept or reject President Biden's statement after understanding the news content
Aesthetic Reception and Interpretation of the Mamaca Oral Tradition in Pamekasan, Madura
No full textThe mamaca tradition, a vibrant form of Islamic oral literature, endures as a living cultural and spiritual expression in Bandaran Village, Pamekasan Regency. This study explores its reception and sustainability using qualitative methods grounded in the aesthetics of literary reception. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and documentation, then analyzed through an interpretive reception framework to uncover how audiences derive meaning from mamaca performances within social and religious contexts. The findings indicate that mamaca is not merely a literary expression but also a medium for moral education, religious contemplation, and the reinforcement of cultural identity. The interactive role of the tokang maca (reciter) and tokang tegghes (interpreter) fosters dialogic engagement between sacred texts and the audience. Through various tembang (verse songs) such as Artate, Kasmaran, Durma, Salangit, Pangkur, and Sinom, audiences reflect on themes of divine love, struggle, spiritual yearning, youthful vigor, and moral virtues rooted in Islamic values. The presence of Arabic loanwords in mamaca exemplifies linguistic Islamization and connects the tradition to the broader Malay-Islamic literary heritage. Functioning as a historical agent of Islamization and a cultural archive, mamaca preserves communal memory and moral instruction akin to syair and hikayat. The study identifies six distinct reception patterns shaped by audiences’ expectations, revealing both passive appreciation and active reinterpretation. This reception-focused lens offers new insights into Islamic oral traditions, highlighting their adaptability, intergenerational transmission, and potential for integration into educational and digital platforms to ensure their relevance in contemporary Muslim societies
Pertamina Systemic Corruption: Van Dijk`s Critical Discourse Analysis on Indonesia Al-Youm`s Reporting
No full textThis study investigates how corruption in Indonesia is portrayed in Arabic-language media by analyzing a news article from Indonesiaalyoum.com that reports on systemic corruption at Pertamina involving the son of businessman Riza Chalid. The research aims to uncover how media discourse, particularly in international Arabic outlets, constructs and communicates corruption as a deeply entrenched societal issue. The study employs Teun A. van Dijk’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework, focusing on three structural levels—macrostructure, superstructure, and microstructure—to dissect the textual and contextual elements of the news report. The analysis is further enriched by examining aspects of social cognition and situational context, offering insights into how media narratives influence public understanding and shape international perspectives. The study's findings reveal that the article strategically utilizes framing, lexical selection, and narrative organization to expose power relations, elite collusion, and economic injustice. These elements work together to reinforce anti-corruption discourses while highlighting the role of influential figures in perpetuating systemic problems. The study concludes that Arabic-language media serves not only as a platform for information dissemination but also as a critical actor in uncovering ideological undercurrents and influencing global perceptions of national governance. The research contributes to broader discussions on media, power, and transnational discourse on corruption
Exploring the Relationship Between English Slang on Social Media and Language Acquisition Among Teenagers
No full textThe phenomenon of slang usage on social media has become an integral part of teenage life. Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X (Twitter) serve as communication hubs that foster informal and creative language expressions, including slang. Although often seen as non-standard language, slang reflects social dynamics and group identity and has potential implications for English language learning, particularly in vocabulary acquisition and communication skills. This study aims to examine the correlation between the use of slang on social media and English language learning among teenagers. It further investigates whether this correlation is positive, negative, or neutral in terms of language acquisition outcomes. The study adopts a quantitative correlational approach using a survey design. Participants include over 300 teenagers aged 15 to 18 years who are active on social media and enrolled in English language learning programs. Data were gathered using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire consisting of two sections: frequency of slang usage and its perceived influence on English learning. Data analysis involved Pearson Product Moment correlation tests with assistance from SPSS software. Preliminary findings show that teenagers frequently use slang in digital communication, especially in the form of abbreviations and word modifications. This research contributes to the development of curriculum and learning strategies that are more contextual and relevant to the digital lives of adolescents. Slang can be selectively utilized to increase students' motivation and engagement in learning English. However, the scope of this study is limited to adolescents in the JABODETABEK area, so the results need to be generalized with caution. Further research with a more diverse sample is recommended to expand the findings. It provides a basis for designing instructional strategies that leverage slang as a learning tool while mitigating its adverse effects on formal language skills
A Jungian Psychological Study of Nora Seed’s Introverted Personality in The Midnight Library: A Literary Analysis
No full textThe phenomenon of introverted personality represents a significant area of inquiry in both psychology and literary studies, as it captures the complexity of individuals characterized by introspection and emotional sensitivity. In Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library, the protagonist Nora Seed embodies introverted tendencies through her inner conflicts and existential pursuit of meaning. This study aims to examine the representation of Nora Seed’s introverted personality by employing Carl Gustav Jung’s psychological typology, with a specific focus on the four primary functions: thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuition. Jung’s framework is employed in this analysis because it offers a comprehensive theoretical lens for understanding the internal dynamics of literary characters, in contrast to other psychological approaches that predominantly emphasize observable behavior. Methodologically, this research adopts a qualitative descriptive-analytical design, involving close reading, systematic note-taking, and thematic coding of relevant textual evidence from the novel. The findings demonstrate that Nora exhibits all four introverted functions: a proclivity for logical reflection prior to action (thinking), the deep and nuanced processing of emotions (feeling), heightened attentiveness to sensory detail (sensing), and the interpretation of lived experiences through symbolic and abstract possibilities (intuition). The study concludes that Nora Seed represents the individuation process of an introverted subject, a portrayal that not only advances psychological literary criticism but also contributes to broader scholarly discourse on mental health and self-acceptance within contemporary society
Defining the Idiot for Africa’s Political Advancement: A Literary Analysis of the Title of Asare’s Ananse in the Land of Idiots
No full textThe study of literary titles in literature is not new but has become prominent in modern space of literary analysis. People no longer see literary titles as mere appendages with which they identify a literary work, but rather, they look at it as a roadmap to the consumption of the text. A. careful analysis of a literary title as a paratext, provides a clear picture of the narrative and highlights expectations for reading such a text. This is what has made the study of titology relevant in literary studies and literary stylistics. The objective of this paper is to examine how Asare uses the title: Ananse in the Land of Idiots to portray the characters and their actions in the play; to establish a relationship between the title of the play and its meaning; and to add style with meaning to the overall understanding of the play. The research involved here is qualitative in nature and a close reading method of the primary source and ideas from Genette and other leading critics on the theory of titology are used to study how the title reflects the actions of the characters throughout the play. After a careful analysis of the play in relation to its title, it is revealed that the title does not just identify the drama work. Rather, the title is reflected throughout the plot of the play and adds a metaphorical meaning as well as style to the drama piece. It is concluded established that Asare coins this title stylistically to prompt African leaders and their citizenry about their actions and inactions that facilitate the manipulation of Africa by the West. This implies that a titological approach to literary titles holds the potential of revealing hidden meanings in literary works which are often overlooked
Differentiated Assessment In EFL Classroom in Indonesia: Prospects and Challenges
No full textDifferentiated assessment has emerged as a pivotal component within the realm of English Language Teaching (ELT), particularly in the culturally diverse landscape of Indonesia. This paper reviews the prospects and challenges associated with implementing differentiated assessment practices in Indonesian EFL classrooms. Indonesia's linguistic diversity, with over 700 languages spoken across 17,000 islands, coupled with ongoing educational reforms, presents both opportunities and obstacles for differentiated assessment adoption. The paper begins by outlining the potential benefits of differentiated assessment in Indonesia, emphasizing its alignment with learner-centred pedagogy and its ability to cater to diverse learning styles and abilities. Through various assessment methods and tasks, educators can provide equitable opportunities for students to showcase their language proficiency while fostering a constructive learning atmosphere. However, the implementation of differentiated assessment faces significant challenges within the Indonesian EFL context. Deeply ingrained traditional evaluation methods, influenced by standardized testing, pose resistance to change. Moreover, infrastructural limitations, including inadequate teacher training and resource constraints, hinder effective implementation. To address these challenges, the paper proposes strategies such as comprehensive teacher training, curriculum adaptations, and community engagement. By equipping educators with the necessary skills and resources, promoting inclusive curriculum design, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders, the adoption of differentiated assessment can be facilitated
Exploring Turn-Taking Strategies Utilised by Pre-Service Teacher in Indonesian EFL Setting: A Conversation Analysis
No full textIn the teaching-learning process, a classroom conversation is managed by the teacher to attain specific purposes. The success of teaching-learning process, in addition, requires teacher-student interaction to gain relevant experiences in students’ target language. During the class, taking-turn will likely happen in a classroom interaction. However, during this class, the teacher-student turn seems to be asymmetrical. The teacher tends to be the main speaker allocating the turn to maintain teacher-student interaction. This research, further, aims at exploring turn-taking strategies utilised by EFL pre-service teacher. The researcher utilises a qualitative research approach with a conversation analysis. The data used in this research is unscripted-recorded classroom video. Furthermore, the data is transcribed into conversational data to obtain the data of turn-taking strategies utilised by pre-service teacher in EFL classroom setting. In analysing the data, the researcher ulitises Sacks’ framework (1984). Based on the result of data analysis, it is found that there are seven turn-taking strategies utilised by pre-service teacher in EFL classroom settting. These are adjacency pairs, addressing term, utterance in-completor, repair technique, possible pre-closing, overlaps, and tag question. In addition, the teacher mostly uses question-answer adjacency pairs during the teaching-learning process. This, however, leads to asymmetric turn between teacher and students. The teacher seems to be more dominant to initiate and take turn during classroom conversation. Possible pre-closing, on the other hand, is the least turn-taking strategy used by the pre-service teacher in the teaching-learning process. This turn used by pre-service teacher to close or end a conversation in the teaching-learning process. Since this research has dealt with pre-service teacher, the results will be beneficial for the pre-service teacher to manage turn-taking strategies in EFL classroom setting to ensure the classroom interaction and conversation symmetrical
Unveiling Hidden Meanings: A Semiotic Exploration of Central Java’s Islamic University Logos Through Peirce’s Lens
No full textIn the modern era, logo perception has become crucial as logos serve as visual representations of an institution's identity and values. This research emphasizes the critical role of logo symbolism in shaping the identity and communication strategies of State Islamic Universities (UIN) in Central Java, Indonesia. Despite its significance, there is a notable research gap in the semiotic analysis of these logos, particularly concerning the integration of Islamic identity with local cultural heritage. This study aims to decode the implicit meanings in the logos of UINs in Central Java, examining how these symbols reflect both the universities’ Islamic values and their modern, inclusive identities. Employing a qualitative descriptive methodology with semiotic analysis based on Charles Peirce’s semiotics theory and also Cerrato’s color theory, data were collected through documentation techniques from online repositories. The analysis covered logos from UIN Walisongo, UIN Raden Mas Said, UIN Salatiga, UIN Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri, and UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid. Findings reveal that each logo carries layered symbolic meanings, incorporating symbols that reflect Islamic values while harmonizing with local culture. Elements such as gunungan, flowers, and color schemes (green, white, yellow, orange, gold, and black) are prevalent, symbolizing a commitment to preserving cultural values and advancing progressive Islamic education. This study highlights the importance of understanding logo symbolism for reinforcing institutional identity and enhancing public perception, offering insights that could strengthen the global competitiveness and appeal of UINs