DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L313.29
Authors: Flora
Abstract:
The statement that structure of a language determines the way in which the speakers of that language view the world is still debatable and it reminds us to the linguists, Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Lee Whorf.
The objectives of this study are : (1) to describe the kinship systems of Batak Toba-Samosir and (2) to analyze how the people construct the kinship system. The data were gathered from 2 (two) informants who are considered valid . The technique used in gathering the data was by asking a question,: “How does someone call….
The result of the study shows that there are 30 kinds of kin in Batak Toba-Samosir ethnic. The kinship systems are based on blood or descent, marga (family name) and the relation in the society. Kinship Systems of Batak Toba-Samosir Ethnic is created because of the culture. In other words culture makes people create the address form. To put it differently, there is a reciprocal between language and culture. Language is important for a culture to develop, and culture makes the society create the terms of address.
In this culture it is not polite to call the name of adult or married people, but marga (family name..
One interesting way in which people use the address form is the word that looks plural. In Indonesian language, the plural forms is usually formed by repeating the word; bapak (father) and bapak-bapak (fathers). But this does not happen to Batak-Toba language. The word Amang which has meaning “father”, it does not mean that amang-amang means fathers but husband. The same thing also happens to the word inang (mother). Inang-inang means wife not mothers. There is one address form in Indonesian that Batak people avoid when they speak Indonesian language because it is considered taboo.
Keywords:
kinship, batak toba-samosir, marga (family name), addresing
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