Pragmatic uses of demonstratives in Cirebon Javanese conversation

Abstract

This study examines demonstratives in the variety of Javanese spoken in the region of Cirebon, on the north coast of the province of West Java. After introducing the demonstrative paradigms found in Cirebon Javanese, this study analyses their functional distribution in conversational discourse based on the taxonomy of demonstrative functions presented in Diessel (1999). The use of demonstratives with reference to first and second person and the role of demonstratives in conversational interaction is also discussed. Cirebon Javanese has a three-way demonstrative system with a number of variant forms. The medial forms are by far the most frequently occurring demonstratives in the conversationa..