Linguistic Reflections of Cultural Ethics: Social Assistance Discourse in Surakarta
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18326/jopr.v7i1.86-106Keywords:
Ethnolinguistics, Bansos, Cultural values, Socio-political, Presidential ElectionAbstract
This ethnolinguistic study explores the cultural, moral, and socio-political dimensions of social assistance discourse among citizens of Surakarta, Indonesia. Critical to addressing economic inequality, social assistance programs are examined through linguistic analysis of discourse digital ethnographically observed from January to March 2024, coinciding with increased political activity surrounding the presidential election. Data are drawn from social media discussions, which reveal the complex interaction between Javanese cultural values and contemporary socio-political realities in shaping perceptions of social assistance distribution. The results show that people in Surakarta view social assistance as a political ploy that exploits people's daily living conditions and ultimately violates moral values. The combination of Javanese and Indonesian terms reflects ethical considerations and community expectations of fairness and integrity in the distribution of social assistance. An analysis of cultural meanings identified three cultural interpretations: the politicization of social assistance, economic dependence in everyday life, and moral judgments embedded in the ethical framework of Javanese culture. Governments must adopt culturally sensitive policies that integrate local moral frameworks into aid distribution strategies, promoting transparency and accountability. By understanding the dynamics of these different languages and cultures, policymakers can design more compelling, ethically grounded social assistance initiatives that align with the values of the community in Surakarta and its surrounding areas.
References
Abdullah, W. (2013). Etnolinguistik: Teori, metode, dan aplikasinya. Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta: Jurusan Sastra Daerah Fakultas Sastra Dan Seni Rupa. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=51671839727510613&hl=en&oi=scholarr
Abdullah, W. (2016). Ethnolinguistic study of local wisdom in ex-residency of surakarta. Humaniora, 28(3), 279–289.
Aminudin, M. Z., & Hadiningrum, L. P. (2019). Pengelolaan ZIS dalam Upaya Meningkatkan Kesejahteraan Masyarakat dan Penanggulangan Kemiskinan (Studi Deskriftif dan Preskriptif di BAZNAS Kabupaten/Kota di Eks-Karesidenan Surakarta). ZISWAF: Jurnal Zakat Dan Wakaf, 6(1), 80–100.
Andriyanto, O. D., Subandiyah, H., & Hardika, M. (2022). Ethic Values in Modern Javanese Literature Works: Identity and Character Education in the Digital Era. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 106–119.
Aryani, Y. C., & Zuber, A. (2017). Budaya Kemiskinan di Kota Surakarta (Studi Etnografi di Pinggir Rel Palang Joglo, Kadipiro). DILEMA, 32(2), 64–79.
Diaz, S. T. (2023). Implementasi program keluarga harapan (PKH) dalam upaya pengentasan kemiskinan di kecamatan Banjarsari Kota Surakarta tahun 2020-2021. https://digilib.uns.ac.id/dokumen/detail/97661/
Duranti, A. (2011). Linguistic anthropology: Language as a non-neutral medium. The Cambridge Handbook of Sociolinguistics, 28–46.
Foley, W. A. (2015). Anthropological linguistics and field linguistics. In The Routledge Handbook of Linguistics (pp. 250–263). Routledge. https://api.taylorfrancis.com/content/chapters/edit/download?identifierName=doi&identifierValue=10.4324/9781315718453-16&type=chapterpdf
Harsono, I., Purnama, I., Firmansyah, M., Irwan, M., & Sutanto, H. (2024). Pengaruh Belanja Pendidikan, Belanja Kesehatan Dan Belanja Bantuan Sosial Terhadap Indeks Pembangunan Manusia Di Provinsi NTB Tahun 2013-2022. Management Studies and Entrepreneurship Journal (MSEJ), 5(1), 802–810.
Hestiyana, H. (2021). KONSEP ILMU PENGETAHUAN LOKAL DALAM LEKSIKON PENANDA WAKTU DAN MUSIM SUKU DAYAK MERATUS [The Indigenous Knowledge Science Lexicon Marking the Time and Season of the Meratus Dayak Tribe]. TOTOBUANG, 9(2), 211–224.
Irawanto, D. W., Ramsey, P. L., & Ryan, J. C. (2011). Challenge of leading in Javanese culture. Asian Ethnicity, 12(2), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631369.2011.571829
Jebadu, A. (2024). Bansos Rusakkan Suara Hati. INDONEWS. ID. http://repository.iftkledalero.ac.id/id/eprint/2075
Lalira, J. E. (2022). Toponymy of Garden Names at Lahu Village. Phonologie: Journal of Language and Literature, 2(2), 230–241.
Launa, L., & Lusianawati, H. (2021). Potensi Korupsi Dana Bansos Di Masa Pandemi Covid-19. Majalah Semi Ilmiah Populer Komunikasi Massa, 2(1). https://jurnal.kominfo.go.id/index.php/mkm/article/view/4095
Lestari, O., Khoirunnisa, K., & Jazeri, M. (2022). Lingual Units in the Mitoni Ritual in Javanese Community in Lamongan District: An Ethnolinguistic Study. 2nd International Conference on Languages and Arts across Cultures (ICLAAC 2022), 121–133. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/iclaac-22/125978235
Magnis-Suseno, F. (1997). Javanese Etics and World-View. The Javanese Idea of the Good Life. Penerbit PT Gramedia Pustaka Utama. http://repo.driyarkara.ac.id/61/
Mahendra, D., Azzahra, F., & Khasanah, E. N. U. (2021). Nama Makanan Olahan Buah Pisang: Studi Etnosemantis. Widyaparwa, 49(2), 184–198.
Mardatila, A. (2024, January 30). Kontroversi Bansos di Kandang Banteng. Detikx. https://news.detik.com/x/detail/spotlight/20240130/Upaya-Gerus-Suara-Ganjar-di-Kandang-Banteng/
Mardikantoro, H. B., & Siroj, M. B. (2019). Lingual Units of Disclosures of Coastal Community’s Views on the North Coast of Central Java toward the Sea. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Badrus-Siroj/publication/336870320_Lingual_Units_of_Disclosures_of_Coastal_Community's_Views_on_the_North_Coast_of_Central_Java_toward_the_Sea/links/5db7ccab299bf1a47bfa11fa/Lingual-Units-of-Disclosures-of-Coastal-Communitys-Views-on-the-North-Coast-of-Central-Java-toward-the-Sea.pdf
Noerkaisar, N. (2021). Efektivitas penyaluran bantuan sosial pemerintah untuk mengatasi dampak Covid-19 di Indonesia. Jurnal Manajemen Perbendaharaan, 2(1), 83–104.
Nurjanah, E., Arif, M., & Dev, S. Me. (2019). Analisis Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Tingkat Kemiskinan Di Karesidenan Surakarta Pada Tahun 2013–2017 [PhD Thesis, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta]. https://eprints.ums.ac.id/id/eprint/75434
Parameswari Widarukmi, L., & Daryono Soebagiyo, Me. (2015). Analisis Faktor-Faktor yang mempengaruhi Tingkat Kemiskinan di Kota Surakarta Tahun 1995-2013 [PhD Thesis, Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta]. https://eprints.ums.ac.id/id/eprint/39158
Pebrianto, R., & Dahlan, S. (2024). Analisis Sengketa PHPU Pilpres Tahun 2024 dalam Perspektif Hukum Progresif: Studi Kasus Putusan MK No: 1/PHPU. PRES-XXII/2024. Jurnal Risalah Kenotariatan, 5(1), 84–103.
Pradita, L. E., & Jendriadi, J. (2024). Metafora Bahasa Lokal Magelang dalam Perspektif Ekolinguistik. Journal of Education Research, 5(1), 466–478.
Prasetyo, M. A., & Setiawati, E. (2021). WAROK REPRESENTATION IN THE ART OF REOG PONOROGO (ANTROPOLINGUISTIC STUDY): REPRESENTASI WAROK DALAM KESENIAN REOG PONOROGO (KAJIAN ANTROPOLINGUISTIK). Jurnal Kata, 5(2), 333–346.
Rizal, M. (2020). Javanese culture in internal control in government bureaucracy. Third International Conference on Social Transformation, Community and Sustainable Development (ICSTCSD 2019), 35–41. https://www.atlantis-press.com/proceedings/icstcsd-19/125931186
Sibarani, R. (2004). Antropolinguistik: Antropologi linguistik, linguistik antropologi. Poda.
Steacy, L. M., Rigobon, V. M., Edwards, A. A., Abes, D. R., Marencin, N. C., Smith, K., Elliott, J. D., Wade-Woolley, L., & Compton, D. L. (2022). Modeling Complex Word Reading: Examining Influences at the Level of the Word and Child on Mono- and Polymorphemic Word Reading. Scientific Studies of Reading, 26(6), 527–544. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2022.2077109
Suprapto, S., Widodo, S. T., Suwandi, S., Wardani, N. E., Hanun, F., Mukodi, M., Nurlina, L., & Pamungkas, O. Y. (2024). Reflections on social dimensions, symbolic politics, and educational values: A case of Javanese poetry. International Journal of Community, Culture & Language, 12(1), 15–26.
Wardani, M. M. S. (2020). An Ethnolinguistic Study of Form and Reference Name of Fish and Seaweed Category. Jurnal Lingua Idea, 11(1), 44–60.
Zustiyantoro, D. (2024). Recommendations without action: Criticism of the Javanese Language Congress and the Javanese Cultural Congress in Indonesia. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 11(1), 2313843. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2024.2313843
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Teisar Arkida, Fitri Anekawati, Wakit Abdullah Rais

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
License and Copyright Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
- That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.
Copyright
Authors who publish with JOURNAL OF PRAGMATICS RESEARCH agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.