Language varieties and youthful involvement in Indonesian fiction

Abstract

This article explores new functions served by language varieties in fiction. Focusing our analysis on two types of texts in Indonesian - teen fiction and comics - we examine the interplay between standard and colloquial varieties to show how they are used together with non-verbal elements to promote youthful involvement. We identify three ways in which involvement is created in the texts: through free indirect discourse, non-verbal cues, and the gradual building of empathy indicated by shifting perspectives. We show that shifts from narrator's to character's perspective are shifts in alignment. By shifting to colloquial language, the narrator aligns their perspective with that of both the ch..