Register Moderasi dalam Ekologi Tutur Jawa: Bahasa Indonesia sebagai Strategi Negosiasi Keakraban dan Hierarki

Abstract

This study examines Indonesian as a register of moderation within the contemporary Javanese speech ecology by focusing on the distribution of language registers in the novel Jegingger. Using a qualitative interpretative approach based on literary linguistic reconstruction, the study demonstrates that language choice is not random but is distributed according to the social spaces of narration, namely the village and the city. The findings show that in the village setting, language functions to reinforce primordial hierarchies through religious registers, whereas in the urban setting, Indonesian and elements of English operate as moderation strategies that negotiate merit-based and symbolic hierarchies in a non-confrontational manner. Indonesian does not function merely as a neutral language but as a mediating register that enables speakers to manage social distance when ngoko is too intimate and krama is too hierarchical. This phenomenon reflects the emergence of post-feudal linguistic agency, namely the capacity of modern Javanese speakers to reconfigure social relations through non-feudal register choices without sacrificing politeness. This study contributes to the development of the concept of moderation register and broadens the understanding of the role of the national language in the transformation of Javanese speech ecology.