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Ecopragmatic roles of insect lexicons: A case of Indonesian Javanese Penginyongan parikan

  • Chusni Hadiati

    Chusni Hadiati is a lecturer at Linguistics Department of Faculty of Humanities, Jenderal Soedirman University, Central Java, Indonesia. She earned her Doctorate in Linguistics with a focus on pragmatics and cultural linguistics from Universitas Indonesia in 2016. Her doctoral research examined the intersection of language, identity, and local wisdom as reflected in the traditional selling and buying in Banyumasan or Penginyongan. She highlights how linguistic creativity in oral genres embodies ecological values, moral codes, and community solidarity – an approach later developed into her research framework on “ecopragmatics”. She frequently collaborates with local and international scholars on interdisciplinary projects that bridge linguistics, anthropology, and environmental humanities.

     EMAIL logo     , Raden Pujo Handoyo

    Raden Pujo Handoyo serves as a lecturer at the English Study Program of Jenderal Soedirman University. He earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in Linguistics in 2023. His research interests reflect a commitment to exploring how language functions not only as a system of communication but also as a vehicle for cultural expression and identity. His work in translation studies focuses on the challenges and strategies involved in transferring meaning across languages, particularly in contexts where cultural nuances play a significant role. In applied linguistics, he investigates practical applications of linguistic theory in areas such as discourse analysis.

         , Usep Muttaqin

    Usep Muttaqin is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the Faculty of Humanities, Jenderal Soedirman University. He earned his Master’s degree in Linguistics from Universitas Gadjah Mada. He is also currently a Fulbright Ph.D. scholar in Linguistics at the University of Kentucky, USA. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of Pamasa: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat from 2023 to 2024 and is currently the Managing Editor of J-Lalite: Journal of English Studies.

         , Nadia Gitya Yulianita

    Nadia Gitya Yulianita is a lecturer at the English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Jenderal Soedirman University. Her research and community service interest focus on translation studies and linguistics. In addition, she is also keen on exploring issues related to translation and culture, linguistic approach in translation, translation pedagogy, and translation technology.

         and Jumanto Jumanto

    Jumanto Jumanto has been a Professor of Linguistics (Guru Besar), especially of Linguistics (Pragmatics) and English Language Teaching for graduate and postgraduate studies, since 1992. He completed a PhD in Linguistics (Pragmatics) from Universitas Indonesia in 2006. He currently serves as Director of CoE (Center of Excellence) (2024–2025), Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Semarang, Indonesia. Professor Jumanto is also a member of Advisory Board of English Studies Association in Indonesia (ESAI) (2017–2022; 2022–2027), and the President of Indonesian Pragmatics Association (Ina-PrA) (2022–2027). His research interests include pragmatics, pragmatics within ELT, discourse analysis, semiotics, translation practices, Cross-Cultural Understanding (CCU), Cross-Cultural Mis-Understanding (CCMU) or Cultural Shocks, and verbal and non-verbal communication.
Published/Copyright: December 3, 2025
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Intercultural Pragmatics
From the journal Intercultural Pragmatics Volume 22 Issue 4

Abstract

This study investigates the ecopragmatic roles of insect lexicons in Penginyongan parikan, a traditional rhymed couplet from the Banyumas region of Central Java, Indonesia. Drawing on Capone’s concept of pragmeme and Wong’s triple articulation framework, parikan is examined as a culturally situated speech act where linguistic form, meaning, culture, and ecology intersect. Using qualitative participant observation across 16 rural villages, 128 speakers contributed examples of parikan containing insect references. Analysis integrates speech act theory, ecopragmatics, and ethnolinguistic perspectives. Findings reveal that insect lexicons serve ten illocutionary functions – including stating, asserting, lamenting, and flirting – while embedding ecological knowledge and social norms. Insects such as kinjeng (dragonfly), buli (cicada), ampal (beetle), and coro (cockroach) operate across three interconnected levels: ecological (species traits and environmental context), cultural-symbolic (moral values, social etiquette), and linguistic-aesthetic (rhyme, rhythm, mnemonic appeal). These eco-pragmemes enable indirect communication that preserves social harmony, aligns with Javanese tata krama (politeness), and sustains environmental literacy. The study shows how parikan transforms everyday ecological references into culturally intelligible metaphors, facilitating emotional expression, social negotiation, and moral instruction without direct confrontation. By preserving insect nomenclature in poetic discourse, Banyumas communities maintain an oral archive of ecological observation, despite environmental change and lexical attrition. This work contributes to pragmatics by expanding the typology of pragmemes to include environmental encoding, and to ecolinguistics by demonstrating how poetic tradition functions as a medium for ecological knowledge transmission and cultural resilience.

Keywords: ecopragmatics; insect lexicon; Javanese poetry; Penginyongan parikan ; pragmeme; speech acts
Corresponding author: Chusni Hadiati, Linguistics Department, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Indonesia, E-mail:

About the authors

Chusni Hadiati

Chusni Hadiati is a lecturer at Linguistics Department of Faculty of Humanities, Jenderal Soedirman University, Central Java, Indonesia. She earned her Doctorate in Linguistics with a focus on pragmatics and cultural linguistics from Universitas Indonesia in 2016. Her doctoral research examined the intersection of language, identity, and local wisdom as reflected in the traditional selling and buying in Banyumasan or Penginyongan. She highlights how linguistic creativity in oral genres embodies ecological values, moral codes, and community solidarity – an approach later developed into her research framework on “ecopragmatics”. She frequently collaborates with local and international scholars on interdisciplinary projects that bridge linguistics, anthropology, and environmental humanities.

Raden Pujo Handoyo

Raden Pujo Handoyo serves as a lecturer at the English Study Program of Jenderal Soedirman University. He earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees in Linguistics in 2023. His research interests reflect a commitment to exploring how language functions not only as a system of communication but also as a vehicle for cultural expression and identity. His work in translation studies focuses on the challenges and strategies involved in transferring meaning across languages, particularly in contexts where cultural nuances play a significant role. In applied linguistics, he investigates practical applications of linguistic theory in areas such as discourse analysis.

Usep Muttaqin

Usep Muttaqin is an Assistant Professor in the English Department at the Faculty of Humanities, Jenderal Soedirman University. He earned his Master’s degree in Linguistics from Universitas Gadjah Mada. He is also currently a Fulbright Ph.D. scholar in Linguistics at the University of Kentucky, USA. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of Pamasa: Jurnal Pengabdian kepada Masyarakat from 2023 to 2024 and is currently the Managing Editor of J-Lalite: Journal of English Studies.

Nadia Gitya Yulianita

Nadia Gitya Yulianita is a lecturer at the English Literature Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Jenderal Soedirman University. Her research and community service interest focus on translation studies and linguistics. In addition, she is also keen on exploring issues related to translation and culture, linguistic approach in translation, translation pedagogy, and translation technology.

Jumanto Jumanto

Jumanto Jumanto has been a Professor of Linguistics (Guru Besar), especially of Linguistics (Pragmatics) and English Language Teaching for graduate and postgraduate studies, since 1992. He completed a PhD in Linguistics (Pragmatics) from Universitas Indonesia in 2006. He currently serves as Director of CoE (Center of Excellence) (2024–2025), Universitas Dian Nuswantoro, Semarang, Indonesia. Professor Jumanto is also a member of Advisory Board of English Studies Association in Indonesia (ESAI) (2017–2022; 2022–2027), and the President of Indonesian Pragmatics Association (Ina-PrA) (2022–2027). His research interests include pragmatics, pragmatics within ELT, discourse analysis, semiotics, translation practices, Cross-Cultural Understanding (CCU), Cross-Cultural Mis-Understanding (CCMU) or Cultural Shocks, and verbal and non-verbal communication.

  1. Research funding: We would like to express our gratitude to the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) Unsoed for funding this research under the scheme Riset Pengembangan Unggulan, decree no: 3715/UN23.14/PN.01.00/2018 and grant no: P/788/UN23/14/PN/2019.

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Published Online: 2025-12-03
Published in Print: 2025-09-25

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Introductory Notes
  3. Introductory notes
  4. Research Articles
  5. Ecopragmatic roles of insect lexicons: A case of Indonesian Javanese Penginyongan parikan
  6. Of saints and ancestors: The ethnopragmatics and cultural semantics of religious terms
  7. “We are in African society, women normally soft-pedal”: Cultural orientations in the construction of justice in Nigerian adjudicative discourses
  8. A socio-cognitive approach to mistranslation: A case study of Chinese classical poetry
  9. Quasi-proper names, linguistic use, and contextuality
  10. Book Reviews
  11. Gila A. Schauer: Intercultural Competence and Pragmatics
  12. Teun A. van Dijk: Social movement discourse: An introduction
  13. Istvan Kecskes: The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics
  14. Stella Bullo & Derek Bousfield: Talking in Clichés: The Use of Stock Phrases in Discourse and Communication
  15. Cornelia Ilie: Questioning and answering practices across contexts and culture
  16. Louise, Cummings: Introducing Pragmatics: A Clinical Approach
  17. Jeannette Littlemore, Marianna Bolognesi, Nina Julich Warpakowski, Chung-hong Danny Leung & Paula Perez Sobrino: Metaphor, metonymy, the body and the environment: an exploration of the factors that shape emotion-colour associations and their variation across cultures
  18. Schröder, Ulrike, Adami, Elisabetta, and Dailey-O’Cain, Jennifer: Multimodal Communication in Intercultural Interaction
  19. Nicola Halenko and Jiayi Wang: Pragmatics in English Language Learning
  20. Kasia M. Jaszczolt: Semantics, Pragmatics, Philosophy: A Journey through Meaning
  21. Piotr Stalmaszczyk: The Cambridge Handbook of the Philosophy of Language
  22. Corrigendum
  23. Exploring emoji usage in intercultural CMC: Insights from Colombian and Argentinian learners of German
https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2025-4002
Keywords for this article
ecopragmatics; insect lexicon; Javanese poetry; Penginyongan parikan; pragmeme; speech acts

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Introductory Notes
  3. Introductory notes
  4. Research Articles
  5. Ecopragmatic roles of insect lexicons: A case of Indonesian Javanese Penginyongan parikan
  6. Of saints and ancestors: The ethnopragmatics and cultural semantics of religious terms
  7. “We are in African society, women normally soft-pedal”: Cultural orientations in the construction of justice in Nigerian adjudicative discourses
  8. A socio-cognitive approach to mistranslation: A case study of Chinese classical poetry
  9. Quasi-proper names, linguistic use, and contextuality
  10. Book Reviews
  11. Gila A. Schauer: Intercultural Competence and Pragmatics
  12. Teun A. van Dijk: Social movement discourse: An introduction
  13. Istvan Kecskes: The Cambridge Handbook of Intercultural Pragmatics
  14. Stella Bullo & Derek Bousfield: Talking in Clichés: The Use of Stock Phrases in Discourse and Communication
  15. Cornelia Ilie: Questioning and answering practices across contexts and culture
  16. Louise, Cummings: Introducing Pragmatics: A Clinical Approach
  17. Jeannette Littlemore, Marianna Bolognesi, Nina Julich Warpakowski, Chung-hong Danny Leung & Paula Perez Sobrino: Metaphor, metonymy, the body and the environment: an exploration of the factors that shape emotion-colour associations and their variation across cultures
  18. Schröder, Ulrike, Adami, Elisabetta, and Dailey-O’Cain, Jennifer: Multimodal Communication in Intercultural Interaction
  19. Nicola Halenko and Jiayi Wang: Pragmatics in English Language Learning
  20. Kasia M. Jaszczolt: Semantics, Pragmatics, Philosophy: A Journey through Meaning
  21. Piotr Stalmaszczyk: The Cambridge Handbook of the Philosophy of Language
  22. Corrigendum
  23. Exploring emoji usage in intercultural CMC: Insights from Colombian and Argentinian learners of German
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