A.
TABOOS
The
term taboo was first introduced into European languages by Captain James Cook
and is mentioned in 1777 in a journal charting his third voyage around the
world as the captain of HMS “Resolution”. In Indonesia, the word “tabu/taboo”
also becomes well-known word to represent every oral or written word, activity,
person, and many more that perceiving have negative meaning or in extreme
thought, its can cause disaster.
Cook
realized that the term taboo was common throughout Polynesia and could be
applied to many different things, both animate and inanimate, living and dead.
It could mean something, or someone, that was set apart, or consecrated for a
special use or purpose. Every taboo has a “history or story” to answer the
question why those words or activities are forbidden to say or do. Some taboos
may have logical reasons but a lot of them more magical or mystical to
understand scientifically.
Taboos
are also more flexible than laws: they vary according to the formality of the
setting or the group that one is in. people who live in one culture or
geographical region will have different taboos with other cultures and
sometimes one word or activity is taboo in one community but in others not.
The
basic meaning in both Melanesian and Polynesian languages of taboo is “of
limits”. Something is off limit, of course, depending upon one’s perspective.
What is off limits for one person may be mandatory for another.
Frazer
(1995),which many of his researches were referred by various languages
classified into Austronesia language family as data source to discuss about
taboos in big perspective, divided taboo into:
1. Taboo
in action
2. Taboo
refers to individuality
3. Taboo
for things and cases, and
4. Taboo
in words
What
is the relation between taboo in action with sociolinguistic? This question
will appear quickly in our mind. To answer this question, we have to know what
is sociolinguistic first. Nababan said that sociolinguistic is the study of
language that relevant to the society. Language and society have strong bonded
relationship; language is created by social interaction. Different place,
condition or time in social interaction will change the way of using language.
This
mini-research aims to collect and explain taboo data in action on the same way
how people avoiding those actions because every taboo in action will cause
certain consequences. The special purpose of this mini research is 1) to
fulfill the mid-test assignment in Sociolinguistic class; 2) to know why taboos
in action can be found nowadays; 3) to know about do they still believe or not
believe in taboos.
The
data that collected in this mini-research is based on participants’ explanation
about why an activity is taboo and how they know it. Because the researcher has
very short time in finishing this mini-research, the participants are limited
just to 4 persons and will be interviewed randomly. The method used in
collecting the data is qualitative method, and of course, the analysis will be
based on qualitative data.
This
research only focuses on analyzing taboo in action. Based on consideration of
there are many kinds of taboos and the short time, this mini-research will be
only about taboo in action.
B.
DATA
Below
are the transcript of interviewing some persons from different background and
social status. The researcher uses Indonesian in this interviewing because all
the participants can’t speak English.
·
1st Participant
Description:
a woman, works as an Administration staff at a private English course.
Researcher
(R) : Mis kalau di rumah ada
pantangan-pantangan gitu?
Participant
(P) : aa maksudnya? Ngak boleh ngak… aa.
Apa.
R:
Contonya itu apa-apa aja mis?
P:
Pantangan… ya itu, ngak boleh keluar malam. Kecuali kerja atau sekolah. Selain itu
ngak boleh.
R:
Ngak boleh keluar malam, itu gara-gara apa? Alasannya kenapa?
P:
Alasannya?? Kau kok banyak kali pertanyaan kau ah!!!
R:
Iya, alasannya knapa??
P:
aa.. iya itu. Takut cewek. Pertama cewek. Kedua, karna ngak bagus cewek itu
keluar malam, kecuali kerja. Kerja okelah kan. itupun karna dijemput kerja kan.
kalau pulang malam pun dijemput. Kalau sekolah pun, kayak kuliah, pulang malam
pun dijemput, iya kan. kalau…..ngak dikasih factor keamanan ketakutan terjadi
kekmana-mana, karna cewek itulah. Kalau yang seperti ini misalnya mis, misalnya
mis….
P:
Kau ngeri kali penelitianmu yah.
R:
Mis Masitah kan tadi bilang kalau diakan di rumah dilarang, ngak boleh katanya
nyapu malam-malam.
P:
Malam. Itu ngak percaya kami. Itu dalam keluarga kami ngak percaya. Paling
kalau larangan itu aja.
R:
Larangan-larangan itu aja.
P:
a itu kalau pigi jauh-jauh itu ngak dikasih, kayak ama kawan ntah ke sembahe,
ntah ke Berastagi, itu kan ngak dikasih karna factor keamanan juga. Ya biasalah.
Kalau misalnya jahit malam-malam ngak boleh nanti itu.. ngak percayalah
keluarga kami kayak gitu paling itu ajanya.
·
2nd Participants
Description:
a women, works as a cleaning service at a private English course.
R:
buk, ibu apa, aaa kalau di rumah, itu ada larangan-larangan?
P:
larangan apa?
R:
Misalnya kalau malam-malam ngak boleh gunting kuku gitu?
P:
Zaman-zaman dulunya itu.
R:
Ibu percaya sekarang itu?
P:
Itu orang-orang dulunya itu, ngak.
R:
Sekarang ngak lagi? Ngak pernah ibu ajari anak-anak ibu?
P:
Diajari.
R:
Diajari juga? Tapi ngak percaya. Knapa diajari lagi?
P:
Tapi kadang-kadang kita, yakin juga sekali-sekali awak kan. itu semua, kalau
datang bapak (suaminya) bilang itu ngak ada semua takhyul. Itu disuruh
nengokkan, ngak boleh jahit malam, itu akibat ngak nampak nyucukkan lobangnya,
kena tangan. Itu nya itu dulu kan gitu. Kalau bapak gitu jawab dia kan.
dibilang anak ibu, “mak ngak boleh aku menjahit mak kalau hamil”. Setau mamak
bolehnya menjahit, aku menjahit ajanya dulu. Ngak taulah aku ku bilang. Ini
siapa yang bilang? Kakak. Dari mana pula dia tahu, kubilang. Aku aja mamaknya
ngak ada kubilang gitu. …….pulak awak nengoknya kan.
R:
Ngak boleh mandi-mandi waktu maghrib katanya bu.
P:
Memanglah setan.
R:
Jadi itu percaya ibu?
P:
Kalau kita sedang azan, jangan kita ke
kamar mandi lagi. Karna setan itu pun sholat juga kadang ke dalam dia kan
masuk, iya kan. situ Allahuakbar allahuakbar, jangan awak masuk situ, mau mandi
awak. Tunggu dulu habis azan baru masuk awaq. Kadang memang, aa itulah memang
belaga awak, dia lagi masuk, awakpun masuk. Belaga awak, kenak lah
bengkak-bengkak. Percaya jugak lah awak kayak gitu.
R:
Pernah kenak?
P:
Enggak lah. Orang tau udah peraturannya. Dulu di tempat ibu, ibu baru-baru di
situ. Memang adalah hantu di tempat ibu, iya kan. ditengoklah dah sholat,
ditengoknyalah udah jadi kawan lah, sekarang ngak ada lagi.
R:
Dulu waktu kecil, apa-apa aja yang dibilang sama ibu, orang tua-orang tua dulu?
P:
Hamil ngak boleh bukak pintu, karna
pintunya itu nanti ngak bisa dibuka. Maaf cakap ibu, pintu rahim ni ngak bisa
keluar anak. Ngak boleh. Makan, kau be… kalau kawin kau nanti kau ingat
cakap ibu ya, kau ingat cakap ibu ya. nanti
kalau istri hamil, jangan suka makan di mangkok yang kecil-kecil, harus besar.
Puri (pusat bayi) nya kecil nanti, payah. Naik ke jantung iya kan. ngak boleh
makan kerak orang, makan kerupuk jangek lagi ngak boleh, lengket nanti, puri
lengket.
R:
Kalau yang itu buk, kalau yang hamil ngak boleh membunuh hewan?
P:
Memang ngak boleh. Bapaknya pun ngak boleh.
R:
Jadi kalau motong ayam?
P:
Ngak boleh lah. Jangan suruh. Nokok-nokok apapun ngak boleh. Apalagi ntah nutup-nutup lobang tikus,
jangan. Ditutup lobang tikus, tertutup
nanti apamu tadi(rahim). Banyak larangan kalau lagi hamil. Ibu memang yakin
kalo cakap-cakap orang-orang tua dulu. Sukak ibu ngapain, kalau kita gadis, jangan suka sudut-sudutkan itu, sapu sekali nyapu
syap habiskan terus jangan ke sudut-sudut. Nanti orang minang awak
gantung-gantung. Langsungkan aja, niat awak kan sapu langsung ke luar.
R:
Jadi ini meragukan ibu ini. Tadi dibilang ngak percaya.
P:
Kek manalah dibilang, ngak percaya ngak percayalah, tapi ada juganya percaya
juga kan gitu.
·
3rd Participants
Description:
a woman, works as an administration staff at a private English course.
R:
kalau menurut mis, kenapalah ada seperti itu (larangan-larangan), logika ngak
itu?
P:
bisa juga logika, kita kan… mendengarkan
kata orang-orang tua dulu. Karna orang-orang tua dulu lebih duluan hidup mereka
daripada ketimbang kita, iya kan. dulu mereka sudah mengalami.
·
4th Participants
Description:
a woman, works as an administration staff at a private English course.
R:
Jadi kalau menurut mis, itu pantangan-pantangan itu dibuat untuk apa sebenarnya
mis? Logika ngak menurut mis, pantangan-pantangan yang dibuat itu?
P:
Ngak.
C.
DATA ANALYSIS
The
interviewing transcript above tells us that there are many perceptions about
taboo in action.
The
first interviewee believes in taboo but only which has logical reasons. Her
parents forbid her to hang around in the night without acceptable reasons
(study or work) because they afraid of something bad will happen against their
children, especially girls. She also said that her family doesn’t believe about
every taboo that relating to mystical thinking.
The
second interviewee hesitates to make sure in which corner is her position
against taboo that taught since she was child. Even though her husband told her
that those taboos are superstitious, she admitted and realized about how
difficult to disbelieve about what her ancient taught from generation to
generation. In the first interviewing she said that she doesn’t believe taboos
but in the end she gave different answer. We can see the list of taboos that
given by her:
1.
CAUSE: Kalau kita sedang azan, jangan
kita ke kamar mandi lagi. Karna setan itu pun sholat juga kadang ke dalam dia
kan masuk, iya kan. situ Allahuakbar allahuakbar, jangan awak masuk situ, mau
mandi awak. Tunggu dulu habis azan baru masuk awaq. Kadang memang, aa itulah
memang belaga awak, dia lagi masuk, awakpun masuk.
CONSEQUENCE:
Belaga awak, kenak lah bengkak-bengkak.
2.
CAUSE: Hamil ngak boleh bukak pintu,
karna pintunya itu nanti ngak bisa dibuka.
CONSEQUENCES:
Maaf cakap ibu, pintu rahim ni ngak bisa keluar anak.
3.
CAUSE: nanti kalau istri hamil, jangan
suka makan di mangkok yang kecil-kecil, harus besar.
CONSEQUENCES:
Puri (pusat bayi) nya kecil nanti, payah. Naik ke jantung iya kan.
4.
CAUSE: ngak boleh makan kerak orang,
makan kerupuk jangek lagi ngak boleh,
CONSEQUENCES:
lengket nanti, puri lengket.
The
third interviewee said that she believes taboos because they have been proven
by ancient people who lived before us. And of course she also taught about
taboos in action orally by her parents.
The
fourth interviewee said that she doesn’t believe in taboos because they are
illogical.
D.
CONCLUSION
Taboo
in action is the product of language and social belief. Why does taboo call as
a product of language? Taboos in action are bequeathed by old man to the young
man orally and it happens from one generation to the next generation. This also
becomes the strongest reason why we still can find taboos in action. We also
can realize that taboos in action are constructed by CAUSE and CONCEQUENCES
(often negative). For example, “If you kill snake while you are pregnant
(CAUSE), your baby will have permanent disability (CONSEQUENCES-often
negative). As a social belief, most of people who live in the society will
avoid of doing the “CAUSE” because they believe to the old people and afraid of
“CONSEQUENCES”.
One
interviewee still believes taboos in action because have been proven by ancient
people. Two interviewees don’t believe taboos because mystical and illogical.
The last, one interviewee believes a few taboos because still logical and doesn’t
believe the illogical ones.
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE
THEORY
http://www.pps.unud.ac.id/thesis/pdf_thesis/unud-141-1510460293-bab%20ii.pdf.
Downloaded on Friday, April 22, 2016, 2:29:26 PM.
http://badanbahasa.kemdikbud.go.id/lamanbahasa/produk/1303.
Downloaded on Friday, April 22, 2016, 3:27:08 PM.
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