Corpus Linguistic Analysis of Emotional Lexicon and Stylistic Features in Contemporary Javanese Poetry: A Case Study of 'Crita Marang Aku'
Keywords:
corpus stylistics, Javanese poetry, emotional lexicon, semantic fields, vernacular literature.Abstract
This study examines the linguistic features and emotional lexicon employed in the contemporary Javanese poem 'Crita Marang Aku' (Tell Me) through integrated corpus linguistic and stylistic analysis frameworks. Javanese, spoken by approximately 68 million speakers, faces significant sociolinguistic pressures toward Indonesian, yet continues as a medium for contemporary poetic expression. Using corpus-based stylistic methodology on a 9-line, 48-token poem written in ngoko (informal) register, this research analyzes lexical frequency patterns, emotional vocabulary distribution, grammatical structures, phonological devices, and thematic construction. Findings reveal that the first-person pronoun 'aku' (I/me) demonstrates the highest frequency (6 occurrences, 12.5%), establishing intense subjective positioning. The cultural-philosophical lexeme 'lila' (willing/to willingly allow) appears 3 times (6.25%), encoding voluntary acceptance central to the poem's self-sacrifice theme. Semantic field analysis identifies four primary domains: suffering ('siksa'/tortured, 'ora ana sisa'/nothing remains), volition ('lila', 'bisa'/can), possession ('duwekmu'/yours, 'ragaku'/my body, 'sukmaku'/my soul), and idealization ('kaendahan'/beauty, 'durung kasunyatan'/not yet reality). Grammatical progression moves from imperative mood through declarative assertions to passive construction, structuring a narrative arc from interpersonal request to ultimate self-dissolution. Phonological analysis demonstrates concentrated /a/ vowel usage (35.4% overall, 64.3% in final couplet), creating open acoustic texture that reinforces emotional vulnerability. The poem's structure follows a trajectory from communication request through imaginative idealization to embodied presence culminating in self-obliteration. These findings contribute to understanding how contemporary Javanese poets employ linguistic resources to construct emotional intensity, demonstrating language vitality in creative contexts despite broader sociolinguistic shift pressures.
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