THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN THE DIALOGUE OF THE STORY OF BARIDIN AND RATMINA: A FUNCTIONAL PRAGMATIC APPROACH

Abstract

This research aims to examine the pragmatic relationship between language and culture as reflected in the dialogue of Baridin and Ratmina, a traditional Javanese narrative, focusing on the use of honorifics, politeness strategies, face-threatening acts, and code-mixing to negotiate power, social distance, and emotional expression. This study employs a qualitative descriptive approach grounded in functional pragmatics, with data collected from six selected narrative scenes and analyzed through discourse analysis without involving direct participants. The findings reveal that honorifics function as pragmatic tools to both mitigate and intensify face-threatening acts, as Baridin employs personal address forms to challenge social hierarchy while Ratmina reasserts her social status through direct rejection and sarcastic laughter. In addition, code-mixing serves as a symbolic marker of modern aspirations and social distinction while reinforcing criticism of behavior considered inappropriate within traditional cultural contexts. This research is applicable in the fields of linguistics, literature, and cross-cultural communication, offering insights for educators, researchers, and students in understanding pragmatic strategies within narrative discourse, particularly in traditional texts that reflect social hierarchy and cultural values. The novelty of this study lies in its integration of functional pragmatics and cross-cultural understanding in analyzing written literary dialogue, demonstrating how pragmatic negotiation of power, identity, and cultural transition is represented beyond spoken interaction.