Text, Context and Meaning

  Telangkai Bahasa dan Sastra, April 2014, 1-8 Tahun ke-8, No 1 Copyright ©2014, Program Studi Linguistik FIB USU, ISSN 1978-8266

  

IDENTITY AND IDEOLOGY OF TOBA BATAK IN ―O TANO BATAK‖

SONG LYRICS

Arsen Nahum Pasaribu

  

Universitas Sisingamangaraja XII

  

  

Abstract

This study draws on Systemic Functional Linguistics of Halliday to

investigate the identity and ideology of Toba Batak Society in the traditional

song lyrics. The data of the study are lyrics of “O Tano Batak” taken

purposively. The data analysis is based on the transitivity and thematic

analysis as the description of the identity of Toba Batak Society and the

description is interpreted to find the ideology of the text, based on the

cultural context. The finding shows the strong occurrence of mental and

relational process within the text. This is related to the theme of the song “O

Tano Batak” that illustrates the identity of TBS that relies on the description

of the actor‟s passion and desire to visit the land of Batak. In cultural

context, the song lyrics of “O Tano Batak” indicate the encouragement for

TB people to visit and to never forget their hometown, land of Batak.

  Key words: Identify, Ideology, Toba Batak, Song Lyrics, SFL

  INTRODUCTION

  Oral tradition (henceforth OT) is the cultural heritage of a nation that is tied to day-to-day activities derived from its own belief and ways of life that are arbitrary. OT is handed down from generation to generation through diverse forms, such as: dance or/and singing, lamentation, script and so forth. In Toba Batak Society (henceforth TBS),

  

Martumba , for instance, is a dance and singing combination which is categorized as OT

  of TBS. OT is created by a society and at the same time, is the description of the society in some respects: identity and ideology.

  Through out OT, like traditional songs, dance, poetic rhyme, and so forth, the identity and ideology of the society can be manifested. Most of the traditional songs are performed in the traditional ceremonies talking about daily lives, belief and more detailed unique activities of the society that are different from other societies. That is to say OT is a vital mean of communication that bring identity and ideology of a society.

  The existence of OT has been wiped out by the modernity. The inventions in technology and information, such as television and internet has enabled people around the globe have access to the information they deliver. The information has gradually changed the way of life and cultural foundation of a society that lead to endangerment of its existence. This reality has been notified by UNESCO, and brought it up as the serious issue and concern in accordance with its endangerment. In Indonesia context, OT has much transformed into ―new looks‖ that are much influenced by outer cultures leading to

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  the ―fake originality‖ of the traditions. Rhythmic and melodic traditional instruments, such as gong, wooden trumpet have much changed to electronic instruments.

  This condition has brought about the change within social identity and ideology that are adhered to OT. The cultural originality of a society is in the crucial level that directly or indirectly contributes to the characters of a nation. The character building of a nation is not rooted in its rich traditions but in the tradition that is contaminated and tends to be occupied by outer traditions. Thus, the study on oral tradition needs enhancement to anticipate the social and cultural ―catastrophes‖ that are waiting for.

  In accordance with the phenomena, the inquiry on Toba Batak (henceforth TB) traditional songs is therefore significantly carried out to find out the identity and ideology of TBS and the early identification of the change has occurred. By carrying out the study on it, it is expected that the awareness of TB people, especially young generation toward TB‘s songs will increase and the appreciation of this ‗cultural heritage‘ will arise. This study draws on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) of Halliday to find out linguistic description of the identity and ideology of TBS.

  REVIEW OF LITERATURE Language in SFL Perspectives

Halliday (1994: xvii) defines language as a system for making meaning: semantic system for encoding the meaning it produces. The term ‗semantics‘ does not simply refer

  to the meaning of words; it is the entire system of meanings of a language, expressed by grammar as well as by vocabulary.

  Systemic Functional Linguistics sees language in four respects: (1) language use is functional; (2) its function is to make meanings; (3) the meanings are influenced by the social and cultural context in which they are exchanged; (4) the process of using language is a semiotic process of making meanings by choosing. In sum, language use is functional, semantic, contextual and semiotic that can be regarded as a functional- semantic approach to language (Eggins, 2004:3).

  The notion of language use is functional is that the fundamental purpose that language has evolved to serve is to enable us to make meanings with each other. In other words, language users do not interact in order to exchange sounds with each other or words or sentences, but meanings. Then the main purpose of language is making meaning with its particular context. The meaning making is realized by word selections (p. 11)

  Text, Context and Meaning

  Text is a unit of language in use; it is not grammatical unit but semantic unit; it may spoken or written, prose or verse, dialogue and monologue; it is not defined by its size but by realization; it may be in the form of a word or a clause or a sentence that forms a unified whole (Halliday & Hasan, 1976: 1-2).

  Context is very essential within language use. Meaning can be lost or obscured or ambiguous without context of language use (Enggins, 2004: 8). A similar point can be made with conversational example. Consider this following sentence:

  ―I love apple‖

  Telangkai Bahasa dan Sastra, Tahun Ke-8, No 1, April 2014

  Without context, this sentence is obscured or ambiguous in a number of respects. This sentence might mean:  the apple fruit  the gadget brand of ‗apple‘  the brassier brand of ‗apple‘, and other possible meanings.

  Language context is divided into two respects: context of situation and context of culture. In other words, all meaning is situated in a context of situation and that of culture. Context of situation can be specified through use of register variables: field, tenor and mode. Whereas context of culture what we can mean through: being ―who we are‖, doing, ―what we do‖, and saying ―what we say‖ (Gerot and Wigness, 2000: 10-11). In addition, context of situation produces semantic meaning, while context of culture produces ideological meaning (Enggins, 2004: 11-12) Context of situation is tied to transitivity comprising of filed, tenor and mode.

  Field refers to what is going on, including: activity focus (nature of social activity) and object focus (subject matter). Tenor refers to the social relationships between the agents taking parts that are termed as: status or power (that is agent roles, peer or hierarchic relations); affect (degree of like, dislike or neutrality); and contact (frequency, duration and intimacy of social contact). Finally, mode refers to how language is being used, whether: the channel of communication is spoken or written; and the language is being used as a mode of action or reflection (Gerot and Wigness, 2000).

  Meaning, according to Halliday (1994), is realized in lexicogrammar which is termed as metafunction of language, namely: (1) ideational function which is divided into experiential and logical functions that realize ideational meaning, (2) interpersonal function to present interpersonal meanings and (3) textual function that describes textual function. Ideational function is concerned with the function to describe the experience, interpersonal function is the function of exchanging the experience and textual function that is to organize the experience.

  In sum, language is the source for making meaning. Meaning is realized in the metafunction of language. Text without contexts (situational context and cultural context) will result in the obscure and ambiguous meanings. Thus text, context and meaning are three inseparable components of language within SFL perspective that entwine one with the others. The following diagram will show the relationship of the three components.

  Context Text Semantics Lexicogrammar (meanings) (wordings)

Field Ideational Transitivity

  (what‘s going on) (process, participants, circumstance) Tenor Interpersonal Mood and Modality (social relations)

  (speech roles, attitudes) Mode Textual Theme, cohesion (contextual coherence)

  Figure 1. The realitionships between context, meaning and wording (Gerot &Wignel, 2000: 1)

  Arsen Nahum Pasaribu Text, Identity and Ideology

  As described above, text is the unit of language in use whether spoken or written method. Text is never free of context. In cultural context (register and genre), text brings ideology. As Enggins (2004: 10-11) as serts that ―no text can be ‗free‘ of context, so no text is free of Ideology‖.

  Hornby in

  Oxford Advance Learner‟s Dictionary of Current English defines

  identity as ―who somebody is, what something is‖. Based on the definition, identity is within the domain of the text with context of situation. The description of identity is realized in the ideational meaning that relate to context of field, tenor and mode that describe what something is or the topic of a text or who somebody is (Gerot &Wignell, 2000: 12).

Ideology is defined as a system of coding orientations which makes meaning selectively available depending on subjects‘ class, gender, ethnicity and generation. Thus

  all texts manifest, construe, renovate and symbolically realize ideology (Martin, 1992: 581). Van Dijk (1998, 2006) conscisely defines ideology as system of ideas and system of belief. His definitions of ideology are viewed from different perspectives: (1) ideology is belief system; (2) ideologies (belief systems) are not personal, hence socially shared by of the members of collectivity of social actors; (3) not any kind of social shared beliefs, such as sociocultural knowledge or social attitudes, can be categorized into ideology, but rather more fundamental or axiomatic; and (4) ideologies are gradually acquired and (sometimes) changed through life or life period (van Dijk, 2006: 115-116). Furthermore, van Dijk (2006: 117) seeks to view ideologies from different perspectives that people sometimes misidentify their presence or existance.

  1. Ideologies are not personal belief of individual people, but social belief of group or institution,

  2. They may be sometimes ‗negative‘ or ‗positive‘ (for instance, communist ideologies and anticommunist ideologies),

  3. They are not some kind of ‗false consciousness‘ 4.

  They are not necessarily dominant, but may also define resistance and opposition,

  5. They are not the same as discourse or rather social practices that express, reproduce or enact them, and

  6. They are not the same as any other socially shared beliefs or belief systems. Based on the definition and explanation above, it entails that the ideology within a text is much influenced by social strata and cultural background of a society. Thus, the ideology analysis is above the context of situation, which is within cultural context. The relationship of the three elements: text, identity and ideology is well described throughout the following figure.

  Telangkai Bahasa dan Sastra, Tahun Ke-8, No 1, April 2014 Genre Ideology

  (ideological meaning) Register

  Tenor, field, Mode Identity (semantic meaning)

  Text Lexicogrammar

  Figure 2 The relationship between text, identity and ideology (adapted from Martin, 1992: 496)

  Figure 2 shows the text with situational context (tenor, field, mode) will depict semantic meaning as the identity. Then semantic meaning is interpreted based on cultural context (register and genre) to find out the ideology within the text.

  METHODOLOGY

  The design of the study is qualitative descriptive drawing on Sistemic Functional Linguistics theory of Ha lliday. The data of the study are the song lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖ taken purposively. The data are then analyzed throughout lexicogrammar within situational context and cultural context to find out the identity and ideology within the song lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖.

  DATA AND ANALYSIS Data

  The data of the study are the song lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖ Batak Toba Language English Translation

  O tano batak haholonganku. O land of Batak is my love Sai na masihol do au tu ho. I always belong to you Dang olo modom dang nop matakku.

I can‘t sleep even I am sleepy Sai namalungun do au. I always miss you, want to visit you

  Sai naeng tu ho.

  When the sun rises Molo dung bissar mataniari. Shining on the rice field Lao manondangi hauma i. There are many experiences in life Godang do ngolu siganup ari. That make me despaired to visit you Mambahen masihol do au.

  Sai naeng tu ho.

  O tano batak andigan sahat. Dapothononku tano hagodangan ki. O tano batak sai naeng hutatap. Au on naeng mian di ho. Sambulon hi.

  Behaver Carrier

  Actor: goal Material Au on naeng mian di ho Carrier Circumstance as attribute Sambulo hi Identifying: value

  Actor: goal Material O tano Batak sai naeng hu tatap

  Token: value Identifying: circumstance Dapothononku tano hagodangan ki

  Actor: goal Mambaen masihol do au Material Sai naeng to ho Senser: phenomenon Mental: affect O tano Batak andingan sahat

  Sai na malungun do au Senser Mental: affect Sai naeng to ho Senser:phenomenon Mental: affect Molo dung bissar mataniari Actor Material Lau manondangi haumai Actor: goal Material Godang do ngolu siganup ari

  Behavioural Attri: circumstance

  O tano batak haholonganku Token Relational: identifying: possesive Sai na masihol do au to ho Senser: phenomenon Mental: affect Dang olo modom nang nop matakku

  Molo dung bissar mataniari. Lao manondangi hauma i. Godang do ngolu siganup ari. Mambahen masihol do au. Sai naeng tu ho.

  Text Participant Process

  1. Transitivity Analysis

  Situational Context

  When the sun rises Shining on the rice field There are many experiences in life That make me despaired to visit you O land of Batak when is the time I will come back to the land where I grew up. O land of Batak, I really want to see you. I will be in you, my heart.

  O land of Batak when is the time I will come back to the land where I grew up. O Tano Batak, I really want to see you. I will be in you, my heart.

  O tano batak andigan sahat. Dapothononku tano hagodangan ki. O tano batak sai naeng hutatap. Au on naeng mian di ho. Sambulon hi.

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  Telangkai Bahasa dan Sastra, Tahun Ke-8, No 1, April 2014 Based on transitivity analysis, it is found the percentage of process as follows.

  Process Number Percentage

  Material 5 35.71% Mental 4 28.57%

  Relational 4 28.57% Behavior 1 7.14 %

  The transitivity analysis shows the highest percentage of the process is material process which is 37.71%, then mental and relational process that shares the same amount of percentage at 28.57 %, eventually followed by behavior process at 7.14 %. That percentage indica tes that the lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖ show the strong combination of mental and relational process. It entails that this song describes the strong feeling and relation of the actor ‗au‘ or ‗hu‘ (I) toward the object ‗Tano Batak‘ (Land of Batak).

  2. Thematic Analysis Themes Rhemes

  O tano Batak Haholonganku Sai na masihol do au tu ho Dang olo mudom nang nop mataku Sai na malungun do au Sae naeng to ho Molo dung binsar Mataniari Lao manondangi Haumai Godang do ngolu siganup ari Mamben masihol do au tu ho O tano Batak andigan sahat Dapothononon ku tano hagodangan ki O tano Batak sai naeng hu tatap Au on naeng mian di ho Sambulo hi

  Based on the thematic analysis, the lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖ show the theme: land of Batak that is really missed by the actor (I). He cannot sleep to keep his desire to visit land of Batak. The beauty of the scenery (the sunshine) and life experience make him miss his hometown, land of Batak.

  Cultural Context

  Toba Batak is one of Batak clans that resides in highland of western part of North Sumatra. The land of TB is known as stony area that make living so hard to carry out. The hardship of life has encouraged the TB people to go out from their home town to find a new life. Many of TB people now have been successful in other places out of their hometowns. The lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖ show the ideological perspective of TB people that is the wealth, fame and many children in the place out of the hometown cannot resist

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  their strong desire to visit land of Batak. This song reminds and encourages TB people that live out of their hometowns to go home or visit their hometown, ―Tano Batak‖.

  CONCLUSION

  The text analysis, transitivity analysis, shows the strong occurrence of mental and relational process within the text. This is related to the theme of song ―O Tano Batak‖ that illustrates the identity of TBS that relies on the description of the actor‘s passion and desire to visit the land of Batak. In cultural context, the song lyrics of ―O Tano Batak‖ indicates the encouragement for TB people to visit and to never forget their hometown, land of Batak.

  

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  Gerot, L & Wignell, P. (2000) Making Sense of Functional Grammar. Australia: AEE Publishing _nd

  Halliday, M.A.K. (1994). An Introduction to Functional Grammar, (2 ed.). New York: Oxford University Press

  Halliday, M.A.K. & Hasan, R. (1976) Cohesion in English. London: Longman _rd Hornby, A.S. (1986). Oxford Advance ed.)

Learner‘s Dictionary of Current English, (23

  UK: Oxford University Press Martin, J.R. (1992). English Text: System and Structure. Amsterdam: John Benjamin Publishing Company.

  Van Dijk, T.A. (2006). Ideology and Discourse Analysis. In Journal of Political Ideilogies , 11,2 pp. 115-140. Van Dijk, T.A. (1998). Opinions and Ideologies in the Press. In Bell, Allan and Peter

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