Semantic and Phonological Relations of Javanese Wangsalan Elements

Abstract

This paper is designed to describe the Javanese traditional formula famously known as wangsalan with the attention focus on the relation of its three-element structure, i.e. description, referent, and intention. The data presented in this article are mainly gathered from websites, Javanese lesson books, and Javanese song lyrics. Firstly, the elements of wangsalan are classified into three categories, i.e. description, referent, and intention respectively. Further, through careful investigation, the semantic and phonological relation between description and referent elements, and referent and intention elements are analyzed using contrasting method. Eventually, the research finds that the relation of description and referent elements is semantic, but the relation of referent and intention elements is phonological in character. The semantic relation can be distinguished into periphrastic, metaphorical, similarity, synonymous, and onomatopoeic relations, while the phonological relation can be differentiated into partial and total homophonic relations.

Keywords

• wangsalan; semantic; phonological; relation; semantis; fonologis; relasi;