Language and the Upward Mobility in Social Classes: A Sociolinguistic Study at Dusun Tutuk-Jerowaru East Lombok

Abstract

This study is aimed to find out the influence of the upward mobility in social classes on the language style used at Dusun Tutuk community and also identify the factors that influence the upward mobility in social classes on the language style used. Then, analyze the relation between the upward mobility in social classes and the language style used at the community. Population of this study were the people at the village, the sampling technique was purposeful sampling, which allows the writer to sellect samples randomly from the population. This study is descriptive-qualitative design with focusing on the ethnography design. Observation, recording, interview and note taking were the technique of collecting the data. The result of the study showed that there are two language styles used: base alus or refine language and base jamak or non-refine language. Base alus belonged to the nobles and base jamak belonged to the non nobles. However, at Dusun Tutuk, Jerowaru East Lombok, base alus was not only used by the nobles but also by the non nobles when they interacted with both the nobles and the non nobles. These phenomena were influenced by three factors: educational level, religious level and social classes in community. Base alus was not only used by the nobles but also by the non nobles who had high education and who hold important political roles in the society and those included religius figures (e.i ustadz, hajj). The base jamaq was not only used by the non nobles but also by the nobles who had no power in the society, low income and low education. The study also found that language is a symbol of identity where style was used as one way of showing the identity of the speakers. In the sasak community, appropriate language should be used to appropriate persons, regardless of the status as nobels or non nobbles.