Pemertahanan Bahasa Jawa di Kelurahan Bah Guru Kecamatan Raya Kahean Kabupaten Simalungun

Abstract

This study was motivated by concerns about the decline in the use of Javanese in the multi-ethnic community of Bah Guru Village, Raya Kahean District, Simalungun Regency. The aim is to describe the form of Javanese language maintenance, the attitudes of speakers, and the factors that influence its sustainability. This study uses Joshua A. Fishman's (1991) language maintenance theory, which emphasizes the importance of language use in various social domains. The method used is a mixed method with data collection techniques in the form of questionnaires, interviews, and observations of adolescents, adults, and parents. Data analysis was carried out quantitatively and qualitatively. The results of the study show that Javanese is still maintained in the family and religious domains by adult and parent groups, while Indonesian is more dominantly used by adolescent groups, especially in education and social domains. The community's attitude towards Javanese is relatively positive. Factors that influence language maintenance include intralinguistic factors (code switching and code mixing) and extralinguistic factors (identity, mixed marriages, number of speakers, geographical location, and social mobility). Intergenerational inheritance and social environmental support are the main keys to maintaining the sustainability of the Javanese language.