Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies
Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies, starting in 2024, migrates to better secure itself from various unwanted things, including journal hacking and so on. To submit, the author, please visit the new website page of our journal at the link https://journal.unnes.ac.id/journals/rainbow MIGRATION OFFICIAL STATEMENT HERE Rainbow: Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies aims to provide a setting for scholars and researchers worldwide to share their experiences and interact on an academic platform. It publishes reports of original empirical studies, theoretical articles, methodological articles, case studies, and reviews under the umbrella of Literary theory, Linguistics, and Cultural Studies. Journal Name : Rainbow Journal of Literature, Linguistics and Culture Studies Editor in Chief : Henrikus Joko Yulianto, Ph.D. ISSN : 2252-6323 (print) 2721-4540 (online) Frequency of Publication : Biannually (April and October) Publisher : Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang Address : B8 Buliding 1st Floor, Kampus Sekaran, Gunungpati Semarang 50229, Indonesia Accreditation : Grade 3 (Sinta 3) - Indonesian Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education Abstracting & Indexing: Dimensions, Garuda, Sinta, DOAJ
Indonesian pre-service teachers’ strategy of using English as a medium in teaching a foreign language
This study aims to explore the type of Teacher Talk used by Indonesian pre-service teachers in teaching Indonesian as a foreign language (BIPA) in Australian classrooms. Here, the teachers used English to set a common language in the classroom. Open-ended questionnaires and interviews were conducted to find out the type of Teacher Talk and gain teachers’ perspectives during the teaching process from four participants. The data collected revealed six types of Teacher Talk they used in the classroom and were categorized using Flanders Interaction Analysis Categories (FIAC). It shows that using English in the classroom could develop comprehension interactions. Thus, it enhances students' willingness and confidence to interact and engage during the learning process. Moreover, using English to explain Indonesian helps students to understand the materials. Therefore, this study challenges existing hypotheses in teaching foreign languages and shows that using students’ first language also could help students in learning a new language. Even so, providing activities related to the target language is still important.
Copyright (c) 2026 Syakira Mumtaza, Girindra Putri Dewi Saraswati (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Psychoanalytic Reading on Sexual Obsession in Nabokov’s Lolita
This study aims to examine sexual repression and obsession in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Nabokov & Boyd (1996) by Vladimir Nabokov, focusing on how psychological mechanisms shape the novel’s central conflict, as well as Humbert’s behavior, which views repression and obsession as normal personality traits. This study analyzes the underlying forces of both repression and obsession and their influence on the way Humbert interprets reality, makes decisions, and interacts with others. This study employs a descriptive qualitative method, focusing on the analysis of non-numerical data in the form of narrative text with the aim of generating interpretive insights. The analysis utilizes Freud’s psychoanalytic framework, which is based on the concepts of the Id, Ego, and Superego, as well as repression and defense mechanisms. The findings of this study highlight three main points. First is the formation of the concept of “nymphlet,” which functions as a fantasy object constructed from past trauma related to the death of Ammabel Leigh. Second is the pedophilic desire that is continuously sustained by the Id’s impulses—unresolved and repeatedly overpowering his rationality and morality. Third, the unresolved conflict between the unconscious desires Humbert creates and existing social norms in public; instead, the ego manages this tension by rationalizing it, thereby perpetuating the conflict. Therefore, this psychological process demonstrates how obsession distorts Humbert’s perception of reality, enabling him to continuously justify his actions and engage in behavior that violates moral standards. This study concludes that the Freudian psychoanalytic framework is an effective way to interpret “Lolita”; thus, this study argues that obsession and repression are the underlying forces that create conflict in the novel.
obsession, repression, psychoanalysis, nymphet.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hendriansyah Rafi Prayoga (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Internalization of Barongan Art Values in Stimulating Children's Expression and Creativity
The Barongan traditional dance is not merely a folkloric entertainment spectacle, but rather an educational medium rich in philosophical, aesthetic, and psychomotor values. This study aims to analyze the process of internalizing Barongan artistic values and its impact in stimulating children's emotional expression and creativity. Using a qualitative approach with a case study method, data were collected through participatory observation of children's activities in dance studios, in-depth interviews with art educators, and documentation of children's expressive behavior. The results show that internalization of Barongan artistic values occurs through three main stages: value transformation (recognition of characters and movement patterns), value transactions (interactive practice processes), and transinternalization (characterization). The dynamic, spontaneous, and expressive character of Barongan provides a safe space for children to channel emotions, reduce anxiety, and explore body movements freely. This research makes a significant contribution to the field of early childhood education and arts pedagogy by demonstrating that traditional dance can serve as an integral instrument for psychological stimulation. These findings highlight the practical application of Barongan art in fostering emotional regulation, kinesthetic intelligence, and original and independent thinking in children. Furthermore, this research provides a model for cultural preservation that goes beyond passive conservation, positioning traditional art as a dynamic and relevant tool for holistic child development in the modern era.
Copyright (c) 2026 Hartono Hartono (Author); Agus Cahyono, Wahyu Beny Mukti Setiyawan, Siti Aesijah (Translator); Halimah Agustina, Fitrah Cyntha Dirna (Author); Vini Viodita, Saiful Fallah (Translator); Yudhistira Yossa Aidrajasa (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Women’s Psychological Resilience Against Intergenerational Trauma in Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s The Mountains Sing
This study examines the representations of intergenerational trauma and women’s psychological resilience in Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s The Mountains Sing. The relationships between a grandmother and her granddaughter, Dieu Lan and Huong, show that trauma may be passed down through generations along with the psychological resilience caused by historical trauma. This study investigates how family members’ psychological experiences are shaped by historical trauma caused by significant socio-political events, such as the Great Hunger, the Land Reform, and the Vietnam War. This study focuses on how important these events are in affecting family members’ dynamics throughout the story. Cathy Caruth’s trauma theory served as the theoretical foundation for the study, which employed a qualitative descriptive method through close reading of characterization, conversation, and descriptive passages. The results show that traumatic experiences and emotional suffering are passed down through generations through family narratives and inherited grief, while resilience is developed through the preservation of family continuity. The study concludes that women’s psychological resilience and intergenerational trauma are closely related because the same familial relationships that caused suffering also support the ability to persevere, adjust, and transform value for future generations.
Copyright (c) 2026 Sabrina Aulia Putri, Sri Sumaryani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Politeness Strategies to Express Emotion in Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty
This study aims to examine the politeness strategies found in the novel The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. In cross-linguistic pragmatics, politeness is a key element that functions as a system of interpersonal relations designed to minimize communication problems. For adolescents who are developing an awareness of social relationships and emotional regulation, politeness strategies are crucial for managing conversations in order to maintain connections and avoid misunderstandings. The objective of this study is to identify which strategies and the most frequently used strategies are employed by the teenage characters in this novel, namely Belly, Steven, Jeremiah, and Conrad. The theory employed is the politeness strategies framework by Brown & Levinson (1987), which comprises four strategies: bald on record, positive politeness, negative politeness, and off record. Using a qualitative descriptive method, 169 instances of politeness strategies spoken among the four characters were identified. Through the frequent use of positive politeness, the findings indicate that these characters tend to prioritize solidarity and closeness in their interactions. This study contributes to our understanding of how politeness strategies are represented in literary discourse, particularly among adolescent characters.
Copyright (c) 2026 Naura Makiya Faily, Almira Irwaniyanti Utami (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Virtue of the Green: Plant Agency and Interspecies Communion in Mary Oliver’s Devotions (2017)
This article conducts a close reading of Mary Oliver’s poetry collection, Devotions (2017), to elucidate a novel ecological ethic regarding trees and an interspecies love that transcends the confines of human-centric and anthropomorphic frameworks. While anthropocentric perspectives assert human supremacy through the exclusive possession of soul and intellect, Oliver destabilizes these assumptions. She hypothesizes the existence of plant souls and replaces traditional cognition with a value system rooted in ‘plant virtue,’ a concept that compels humans to question their own ontological hierarchy. This virtue of plants serves as a central thesis in her work, leading to a critical interrogation of dominant human practices, such as the consumption of vegetation. Finally, the article explores the vivid interspecies affection in Oliver’s oeuvre, specifically through the lens of queering the non-human. Her poetic engagement with flora opens new possibilities for human sexuality and intimacy with the botanical world. To substantiate these claims, this study employs the theoretical framework of plant humanities, conceptualized as a novel ecocritical approach aimed at dismantling the anthropocentric hierarchies often imposed upon the botanical realm. Furthermore, it utilizes the lens of “queering the non-human”—as articulated by scholars such as Giffney & Hird and Luciano & Chen—to elucidate how Oliver’s poetry envisions deeply “queer,” affective, and more hopeful modes of empathetic kinship with plant life.
Copyright (c) 2026 Thi Thai Ha Dang (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Struggle of Women Leadership in Intersectional Roles During World War II in Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale
In the wartime period, the restrictions of women become more complex as they are required to protect their families while adapting to unstable social and political conditions. Not only that, their experiences cannot be understood through gender alone, as multiple social identities often intersect and create overlapping forms of oppression. In Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale (2015), these complexities are portrayed through Isabelle Rossignol and Vianne Mauriac, French woman who lives under German occupation during World War II and become involved in wider responsibilities with the risks imposed by the Nazi regime. This study employs Kimberlé Crenshaw’s intersectionality theory to examine how the overlapping pressures intersect with social position to create more complex situations. Then, the study applies a qualitative approach using interpretive textual analysis to investigate the meanings embedded in the characters’ actions. As they face double oppressions in the occupied country, they transform into leadership roles such as decision-makers, strategists, and collaborators. In their new role, these women can pursue resilience through personal accountability, a tactical approach, and trust-building or solidarity. Then, these leadership transformations enable them to navigate every challenge in the demands of war while carrying greater responsibilities to resilience.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fanny Marizka (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Depiction of Grief and Its Articulation in Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
Grief is a common human experience that is frequently explored in literary texts through characters’ responses to loss. This study examines the depiction of grief in Train Dreams by Denis Johnson through Kübler-Ross's Five Stages of Grief model. Using a qualitative approach and a close reading technique, this study analyzes the passages that depict Grainier's emotional reactions after losing his wife and daughter. The findings indicate that Grainier's grief is mainly depicted through such stages of the process as denial, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. His grief is further intensified by his long-term isolation and previous experience of separation. The study also demonstrates that grief is initially articulated through self-directed speech, memories, and private reflection before developing into social articulation during Grainier’s conversation with Claire. These findings demonstrate that Train Dreams depicts grief as a sequence of psychological stages and a gradual narrative process through private experiences of loss that becomes expressible over time. The study contributes to the literary academic of grief by extending the Kübler-Ross model application beyond identifying emotional stages to show how grief develops and is progressively articulated within literary work.
Copyright (c) 2026 Febrian Rahmadani, Dr. Karina Hanum Luthfia, S.S.,M.A. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Flouting Maxim as Social Criticism: Rhetorical Manifestations in Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest
Language is not always used literally; speakers often communicate meanings that are not explicitly conveyed. This study investigates how flouting Grice's maxims functions as a pragmatic strategy generating social criticism in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). Previous research has treated Wilde's satire and irony as literary devices without examining maxim flouting as the underlying pragmatic mechanism, leaving a gap between pragmatics and literary studies. This study identifies flouting of the four Gricean maxims and examines how their rhetorical realization through irony, repetition, hyperbole, and simile contributes to criticism of Victorian norms on class, marriage, morality, and identity. Data were collected through close reading and analyzed in four stages: identifying flouting, examining rhetorical realization, decoding implicature, and categorizing social criticism. Findings show the quantity maxim is flouted most frequently, mainly through exaggeration, repetition, and irony, followed by relevance and manner, with no quality flouting found. Linking maxim flouting to rhetorical realization, this study offers a sociopragmatic model illuminating pragmatic deviation as a literary device, contributing to interdisciplinary work bridging pragmatics and literary criticism. The study concludes that Wilde's humor is a deliberate linguistic strategy exposing the falsity of Victorian aristocratic norms, rather than mere entertainment.
Copyright (c) 2026 Silva Rani, Almira Irwaniyanti Utami (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Influence of Id, Ego, and Superego on Love and Sacrifice in Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s Relationship in The Hunger Games
The purpose of this study is to examine how Sigmund Freud's psychological structures—the id, ego, and superego—affect how love and sacrifice are portrayed in Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark's relationship in Suzanne Collins' novel The Hunger Games. While psychoanalytic studies have concentrated more on the psychological problems of particular characters, previous research on this novel has typically centered on themes of dystopia, power, socio-political criticism, and survival techniques. Therefore, by investigating how Freud's personality structures interact with the dynamics of love and sacrifice in the two major characters' relationship, this study closes the research gap. The connection between Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as it is portrayed in the story, language, ideas, and deeds of the characters in the book is the subject of the study. This study combines a literary psychoanalytic viewpoint with a qualitative descriptive methodology. Freud's theory of personality structures, which includes the id, ego, and superego, was used to assess the data that was gathered using close reading methods and document analysis. The findings demonstrate how love in Katniss and Peeta's relationship arises from emotional dependence, protection, and caring in the face of harsh circumstances. Emotional drives and affective needs (id), logical assessments of reality and survival tactics (ego), and moral principles, empathy, and obligation to others (superego) all have an impact on their sacrifices. The results of the study also show that acts of love and sacrifice are produced by the dynamic interaction of the id, ego, and superego, which influence one another during the decision-making process rather than by a single personality structure acting individually. By showing that interpersonal connections in literary works can be comprehended through the intricate interaction of instinctual urges, logical considerations, and moral standards that determine character conduct, this research has implications for the advancement of literary psychoanalysis.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fidela Larissa Evelina Valda (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Emotional Denial as a Self-Defense Mechanism in Daisy’s Character in Picking Daisies on Sundays
Emotional denial is one of the psychological defense mechanisms that individuals use to cope with distressing emotions and threatening realities. This study examines emotional denial as a self-defense mechanism in Daisy’s character in the novel Picking Daisies on Sundays by Liana Cincotti. The objective is to analyze the forms of Daisy's emotional denial and explain how it functions as a self-defense mechanism. By using a qualitative descriptive method with a textual analysis approach, data were collected through close reading and documentation techniques, focusing on relevant dialogues, narrations, and character actions. The collected data were then analyzed using Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory, focusing on the concept of defense mechanisms as the theoretical framework. The findings reveal that Daisy’s emotional denial manifests through verbal rejection, avoidant behavior, and minimization of conflict, triggered by internal trauma, low self-worth, and external relational threats. This study concludes that emotional denial does not operate as a single reaction, but as a structured strategy combining verbal, behaviour, and thoughts. While this mechanism temporarily protects the character’s mind, it operates maladaptively by creating a continuous loop emotional avoidance that stops her personal growth and negatively affects her relationship with Levi.
Copyright (c) 2026 Tyana Putri Utami, Thohiriyah, S.S., M.Hum (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Class Anxiety: A Marxist Analysis of Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice
This study aimed to examine how socio-economic structures shape Mrs. Bennet’s psychological disposition and social behavior in Pride and Prejudice (1813). The analysis drew on Marxist literary criticism as its primary framework, supported by Bourdieu's concept of habitus, to investigate how material conditions produce class anxiety as both a psychological and behavioral phenomenon. The results showed that Mrs. Bennet's behavior is not a matter of personal character but a direct response to the material conditions that govern her existence. Her nervous temperament, obsessive concern with her daughters' marriages, need for social recognition, and fear of downward mobility reflect the internalized pressures of a class position that is economically precarious and socially uncertain. These findings suggest that class anxiety, as experienced by Mrs. Bennet, is a product of structural inequality rather than individual failing, revealing how deeply material conditions shape the way individuals think, feel, and act in Austen's depiction of Regency-era England.
Copyright (c) 2026 Davina Putri Wiendien, Thohiriyah S.S M.Hum (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Duality of Ernest Burhart in Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This study examines the fragmentation of self and the profound psychological contradictions of Ernest Burkhart's character in David Grann's novel Killers of the Flower Moon (2017). Filling the gap in previous research that mostly focused on the issues of postcolonialism, systemic exploitation, and racial violence at a macro level, this study specifically dissects the intrapsychic mechanisms of individuals experiencing personality splitting. This study is a descriptive qualitative study using a psychoanalytic literary criticism approach and Cartesian dualism. Data were taken from the main novel text and collected through close reading techniques, then classified the data to interpret the character's internal contradictions. The results of the study through the lens of Cartesian dualism show a distance between Ernest's mind (Res Cogitans)—which harbors affection, empathy, and genuine emotional dependence on his wife, Mollie—and the actions of his physical body (Res Extensa) that mechanically facilitate the conspiracy of the Osage family massacre. Furthermore, Freudian psychoanalysis diagnoses that this mind-body fragmentation is caused by the failure of the Ego's function in mediating the Id's material greed drive and the Superego's demands distorted by moral submission to William Hale's authority. The Ego's failure to compartmentalize these roles triggers a split in the ego, so that ethical consciousness loses its executive power and leads to total moral collapse. This research asserts that human emotions and morality will lose their ethical significance if the Ego is completely paralyzed in mediating the clash between internal desires and the pressures of external reality.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ringgo Ageng Pramana, Thohiriyah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Challenging Hegemonic Masculinity: The Resistance of Black Woman Battalion in The Six Triple Eight (2024) Film
This study examines the portrayal of hegemonic masculinity and the forms of resistance demonstrated by the all-Black women’s 6888th Battalion in the film The Six Triple Eight (2024) by Tyler Perry. This research focuses on the analysis of hegemonic masculinity, which perpetuates discrimination and marginalization within the gender hierarchy experienced by the 6888th Battalion. Primary data were collected from selected scenes in The Six Triple Eight (2024), including dialogue, character interactions, and visual representations related to hegemonic masculinity in the military. The data were analyzed using a descriptive qualitative approach that focuses on the narrative and visual elements of selected scenes, adopting Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity as a theoretical framework to interpret the findings. The findings reveal that hegemonic masculinity is reproduced through interconnected institutional practices, including unequal assumptions regarding competence, institutional surveillance, unequal institutional support, and the denial of female authority within the military. The film also portrays the resistance of the 6888th Battalion through professionalism, discipline, and collective solidarity, which challenge these institutional mechanisms. This study contributes to discussions of gender and military representation by demonstrating how hegemonic masculinity is maintained and contested through institutional practices in the film, extending previous studies that primarily emphasize intersectional discrimination.
Copyright (c) 2026 Za'imah Afifah Marzuqah, Thohiriyah (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Exploring Human Natures in The Contemporary Society through the Representation of the Characters in The Little Prince Novel
This study aims to examine how the various characters encountered by the protagonist in The Little Prince are portrayed. This is done with the aim of exploring the underlying meaning of these interactions and their reflection on Lacanian psychoanalysis. Specifically, this paper applies Jacques Lacan's psychoanalytic model, comparing the characters and their actions based on his three main registers, including Imaginary, Symbolic, and Real. This research paper uses a qualitative research approach related to textual analysis. This is done through close reading, character analysis, and direct application of Lacanian theory, using excerpts from the novel as primary evidence. The results show that the characters' actions and dialogues are representative of the psychological situations and deficiencies of contemporary adult society. Furthermore, the consequences of the protagonist's interplanetary journey in The Little Prince demonstrate profound psychological movements, the shock of Imagination, the disintegration of the Symbolic order, and a final encounter with the existential emptiness of Reality on the planet. Ultimately, this study is a critical reflection, and encourages adults to question the values ​​and principles accepted in society that they have adopted in contemporary life.
Copyright (c) 2026 Satria Aji Saputra, Imas Istiani S.S, M.A (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Deconstructing Moral Responsibility in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1913)
In determining the moral responsibility of an action, one may need to consider the possible conditions behind the action. Intuitively, an agent is morally responsible for an outcome only if an agent caused that outcome. However, there are possible conditions that can reject this perspective. Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray (1913) provides an illustration regarding the complex evaluation of moral responsibility. This paper used a descriptive qualitative method to explore and provide a deeper description of this phenomenon. Ethics perspective reveals that Dorian is morally responsible for his actions by the existence of dominant binaries such as free will, involve, and harm. However, a deconstructive reading shows that there are marginalized binaries that are visible in the novel which contradict with the dominant binaries, namely influence, uninvolved, and conscience. This exposes the instabilities of hierarchical binaries of free will/influence, involve /uninvolved, harm/conscience. Aligning with Derrida's conception of différance, rather than opposed to the initial evaluation, the instabilities between the hierarchical binaries shows that the moral responsibility of Dorian Gray is complex, unstable, and continuously developing, suggesting that deconstructive reading provides an effective method for exposing the limitation of fixed meaning in assessing moral responsibility.
Copyright (c) 2026 Wisnu Aji Prasetyo (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Questioning Social Expectation towards Masculinity in Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill
This study examines the depiction of masculinity and its resistance in Caryl Churchill's play Cloud 9 (1979). Social expectations rooted in patriarchal culture enforce rigid standards of masculinity from childhood, suppressing authentic identities to maintain gender conformity. Therefore, this research aims to 1) To identify how the masculine actions in the play differ from the expectations of the Victorian period and 2) To explore how these "different" versions of masculinity challenge traditional social standards and criticize patriarchal power. This study applies qualitative textual analysis and Lucy Nicholas and Christine Agius's theory of Global Masculinism as the basis of analysis with other supporting theories. The findings reveal that masculinity in Cloud 9 is not fixed or natural but constructed by society sustained through physical competence and emotional restraint. This play further demonstrates that it is the acts of resistance from characters that expose the fragility of masculinity. This study contributes to the study of gender and drama by offering new insights into how theatre can critique the persistence and adaptability of masculinist ideologies in the Victorian era.
cloud nine, global masculinism, masculinity
Copyright (c) 2026 Khalilah Aisyah Maharani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Persistence of Social Power in Post-Catholic Ireland: A New Historicist Study of Sally Rooney's Normal People
This study aims to examine how social power persists in post-Catholic Ireland as represented in Sally Rooney's Normal People (2018). Set against the backdrop of Ireland’s transition from a society strongly influenced by Catholic authority to a more liberal and secular social order, the novel reveals that the decline of religious influence does not necessarily eliminate mechanisms of social control. Using a qualitative descriptive method and Stephen Greenblatt’s New Historicist approach, this study analyzes how experiences of silence and shame function as manifestations of social power within contemporary Irish society. The findings indicate that power no longer operates primarily through religious institutions but through family structures, class hierarchies, educational environments, and cultural norms that shape individual behaviour and self-perception. These mechanisms are represented through the experiences of Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron, whose lives reflect the continuing influence of social regulation in post-Catholic Ireland. This study argues that secularization in Ireland has transformed rather than eliminated social control, revealing a gap between the image of a progressive society and the persistence of power relations in everyday life.
Copyright (c) 2026 Husein Asadus Shahra, Karina Hanum Luthfia (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Relation Maxim Flouting as an Avoidance Strategy Signaling Geralt's Moral Stance in "The Lesser Evil"
Conversational indirectness in literary dialogue often reveals more about a character than their explicit statements. This study examines how the flouting of the maxim of relation functions as a conversational avoidance strategy in Geralt's dialogue in "The Lesser Evil," a short story from The Witcher: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski, and how this strategy contributes to the construction of his moral character. Using a qualitative approach with purposive sampling, eleven utterances were selected from Geralt's dialogues with Renfri, Stregobor, and Caldemeyn based on their departure from conversational relevance, their function as avoidance, and their occurrence in morally complex situations. The data were analyzed using Grice's Cooperative Principle and Gushchina and Nikolaeva's avoidance strategy categories. The findings show that Geralt flouts the maxim of relation through topic shifting, indirect refusal, sarcasm, humor, and philosophical generalization, with each interlocutor eliciting a distinct avoidance pattern. These strategies generate implicatures that allow him to resist direct moral commitment while still implying a position. The study demonstrates that relation maxim flouting can function as a cumulative, discourse-level resource for character construction, extending Grice's utterance-level framework toward a broader application in pragmatic stylistics.
Copyright (c) 2026 Farrel Maulana Azhani, Almira Irwaniyanti Utami, S.Hum., M.Li. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Culinary Construction of Identity: Negotiating Korean American Immigrant Subjectivity in Zauner’s Crying in H Mart
This study investigates the role of food as the representation of Korean American identity in the memoir Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. The role of food as a cultural practice within a transnational context has been less studied than grief and emotional experience in the memoir. This study aims to examine how food serves as a means of sustaining and reconstructing cultural identity, memory, and a sense of belonging across different places. Employing a qualitative approach, the study focuses on analyzing the food narratives using the lens of close reading and interpreting them with the notion of transnationalism presented by Ulf Hannerz, specifically interconnectedness and mobility of meanings. The analysis suggests that the foods mentioned serve a purpose beyond simply sustaining life. Additionally, food was a means of preserving cultural heritage and remembering the past across multiple locations. Soy sauce, eggs, kimchi, sesame oil and cold radish soup are all dishes closely related to family tradition, intergenerational knowledge heritage and daily cultural activities. The study also reveals that H Mart functions as a transnational cultural space where individuals reconnect with cultural memories, identity, and a sense of belonging. Cultural meanings are constantly negotiated rather than established as a result of distance, loss, and attempts to maintain cultural links. The memoir demonstrates that Korean American identity is continuously shaped through everyday interactions with food, memory, and cultural practices. This study extends previous scholarship by showing that food functions as a transnational cultural practice that sustains identity across national boundaries.
Copyright (c) 2026 Meylani Meylani, Sri Sumaryani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Internalization of Racial Discourse in Mohsin Hamid’s The Last White Man: A Socio-Cognitive Analysis
This study aims to analyses the internalization of racial discourse in the novel and to examine how white supremacist ideologies shape the characters' social cognition. Using Teun A. Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach in Critical Discourse Analysis and a qualitative descriptive method, the study identifies the discursive patterns that produce anticipatory fear before actual physical discrimination occurs. The results show that racial discourse deeply navigates the characters' mental models, leading to the cognitive dehumanization of the 'Other' and melancholia over lost racial privilege. Moreover, the characters build in-group boundaries and generate apocalyptic paranoia to rationalize victimization. These cognitive manipulations are frequently used to legitimize prejudice and conceal historical guilt. In conclusion, these results reveal how racism works most subtly at the cognitive level, showing that character’s experience racial anxiety even in the absence of real conflict, because they view the loss of whiteness as an existential threat rather than a biological phenomenon. Significantly, this study extends CDA research by demonstrating that dismantling white supremacy requires deconstructing not only institutional racism but also the invisible cognitive frameworks that sustain racial hierarchies in everyday life.
Copyright (c) 2026 Fatchudin Rosyid, Ruly Indra Darmawan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Diving Into Emotions: An Illocutionary Acts Approach to Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack" Song Lyrics
Language conveys not only explicit meaning but also speakers' underlying intentions, which are examined in pragmatics through speech act theory, particularly the concept of illocutionary acts. This study investigates the types of illocutionary acts in Demi Lovato's Heart Attack, a contemporary English pop song that has received little attention from a pragmatic perspective despite extensive research on speech acts in song lyrics. It also explains how these acts interact to construct the song's central theme of fear of emotional vulnerability, providing a contextual interpretation beyond the classification of speech act types. This study employed a descriptive qualitative approach based on Searle's speech act theory. 25 utterances were identified and classified into four types of illocutionary acts: expressive (60%), assertive (24%), commissive (12%), and directive (4%), while no declarative acts were found. The predominance of expressive acts reflects the song's recurring emotions of fear, insecurity, and emotional restraint. These findings contribute to pragmatic research by demonstrating how illocutionary acts collectively shape meaning and emotional expression in contemporary popular music, extending existing scholarship on speech acts in song lyrics.
Copyright (c) 2026 Intan Ayu Destiani, Mohammad Ikhwan Rosyidi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Investigating Racism in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Racism remains a persistent global issue that affects individuals and communities through interpersonal discrimination and structural inequality. This study examines the representation of racism in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, focusing on the experiences of the protagonist, Arnold Spirit Jr. (Junior), as a Native American teenager navigating life between the Spokane Indian Reservation and a predominantly white high school in Reardan. The background of this study lies in the continued marginalization of Native American communities and the need to analyze literary works as reflections of racial realities. The purpose of this research is to identify and analyze the forms of racism depicted in the novel. Using a qualitative descriptive method and applying the racism theory proposed by Benjamin P. Bowser (2017) as the analytical framework, this study examines individual, cultural, and institutional racism portrayed in the narrative. The findings reveal that racism operates simultaneously at personal and structural levels, limiting opportunities while intensifying identity conflict.
Copyright (c) 2026 Shafadila Ariani Alfitria, Ruly Indra Darmawan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Alienation and Isolation: A Marxist Analysis in The Sea Speaks His Name by Leila S. Chudori
This study examines the representation of alienation and isolation in The Sea Speaks His Name by Leila S. Chudori through a Marxist perspective. It focuses on how socio-political conditions during Indonesia’s New Order era shape the characters’ experiences of disconnection from the self and society. Using a qualitative, library-based approach, the research analyzes selected dialogues, monologues, and narrative elements in the novel. Drawing on Karl Marx’s concept of alienation, the findings indicate that the characters experience various forms of estrangement, particularly in relation to identity, social relations, and agency. These conditions are closely associated with state repression and authoritarian control, which contribute to both physical and psychological forms of isolation. However, the effects of alienation are not uniform, as the narrative also presents moments of awareness and relational connection. Overall, the study suggests that the novel portrays alienation as a complex condition shaped by structural forces while still allowing space for human agency. In this way, literature functions not only as a reflection of socio-political realities but also as a medium for exploring the tensions between domination and resistance.
Copyright (c) 2026 Izra Sesafya Tsabit, Ruly Indra Darmawan (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Corpus-Based Analysis of Lexical Bundles in Traditional and Modern English Fairy Tales
Lexical bundles are sequences of words that frequently recur and play a key role in shaping natural language use. Despite extensive research on lexical bundles in academic and spoken registers, their use in literary texts, particularly fairy tales, remains underexplored. As a genre rooted in oral storytelling, fairy tales are characterized by linguistic patterns that may reflect the use of such bundles across different periods. This study aims to identify four-word lexical bundles in traditional and modern English fairy tales, focusing on their frequency, variation, and distribution. Using a corpus-based descriptive-comparative approach, two balanced corpora of 400 traditional and 400 modern fairy tales were analyzed, comprising approximately 2.53 and 2.55 million words, respectively. The bundles were extracted using AntConc based on frequency and dispersion criteria, and analyzed through Key Word in Context (KWIC) and collocate tools to examine variation and recurrent patterns of surrounding words. The findings reveal that lexical bundles are widely used in both corpora. Traditional fairy tales exhibit more bundle types, while modern fairy tales show slightly higher lexical diversity. In terms of variation, most bundles are phrasal and structurally incomplete, functioning as parts of larger syntactic units. Overall, the findings indicate both continuity and subtle change in the use of lexical bundles across the two periods
Copyright (c) 2026 Balqista Surya Azizah, S.S., Dr. Aprillia Firmonasari, S.S., M.Hum., DEA. (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Attitude Realization in Tempo.co’s News Coverage of Bahlil Lahadalia’s Doctoral Program: An Appraisal Analysis
News reporting does not merely convey facts but also realizes social evaluation through linguistics choices employed in news texts. This study analyzes the realization of attitude in the news coverage of Tempo.co concerning the controversy surrounding Bahlil Lahadalia’s doctoral program and to reveal how evaluative patterns represents the media’s stance toward the actors and intitutions involved in the debate over academic legitimacy. This research employs a qualitative descriptive approach using discourse analysis based on Appraisal Theory, paticulary the attitude subsystem comprising affect, judgement, and appreciation. The data consist of 282 evaluative clauses identified in 25 news articles published between October 16, 2024, and March 22, 2025. The findings show that judgement is the most dominant type of attitude, occurring in 218 clauses (77%), followed by appreciation (45 clauses; 16%) and affect (19 clauses; 7%). The dominance of judgement indicates that the news frames the issue as matter of compliance with academic norms, scientific integrity, and institutional accountability. Most evaluations are realized through inscribed attitude and attributed to external sources possessing symbolic authority. These findings suggest that evaluative language in Tempo’s reporting constructs a normative framework of academic legitimacy in the public sphere.
Copyright (c) 2026 Namira Az-Zahra, T. Thyrhaya Zein, Muhammad Yusuf (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A Corpus-Based Analysis of Prepositional Phrase-Lexical Bundles in Linguistics Research Articles Written by Indonesian Writers
This study examined the frequency and functional categories of 4-word PP-based bundles in linguistics research articles employed by Indonesian writers. The data were taken from a corpus comprising 116 articles with 602,421 tokens. The PP-based bundles were identified with the assistance of AntConc. Cut-off frequency and dispersion were applied to generate the list of bundles from the corpus. The identified bundles were then classified into functional categories proposed by Hyland. The findings reveal that only two out of three categories are identified: research-oriented and text-oriented. In terms of types, research-oriented and text-oriented bundles occur in nearly identical proportions. However, text-oriented bundles occur more frequently when token frequency is considered. Within the text-oriented category, framing signals emerge as the most dominant subcategory. Participant-oriented bundles are entirely absent, a result that may be influenced by the structural focus of the study.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurinsani Yaman, Ni Gusti Ayu Roselani (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Examining Transitivity In Arabic And Indonesian Education News And Its Implications For Mahārah al-Qirā’ah
Education news in international media plays a role in shaping public understanding of cross-language education policies and issues. Differences in linguistic structure have the potential to affect how reality is represented as well as the level of complexity of readers' understanding. This study aims to compare the transitivity system in Arabic and Indonesian educational news texts on BBC News and examine its implications for maharah qirā'ah. The study uses a descriptive qualitative approach with transitivity analysis in the framework of Systemic linguistics functional. Data in the form of 20 news (10 Arabic and 10 Indonesian) published in 2025–2026 were analyzed to identify the types of process, participants, and circumstances, then compared comparatively. The results showed that Arabic texts were dominated by material process that demanded accuracy in identifying actions and grammatical relationships, while Indonesian texts used more verbal process that emphasized the attribution of information sources. These differences have an impact on the reader's meaning processing strategy. Pedagogically, these findings confirm that learning maharah qirā'ah needs to integrate the practice of automating the recognition of Arabic verbal structures while strengthening the ability to integrate meaning between clauses so that the global understanding of news texts can be achieved effectively.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurul Fitriyah, Rinaldi Supriadi (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
READER RESPONSE ANALYSIS IN A LITTLE LIFE NOVEL BY HANYA YANAGIHARA
This research aims to analyze readers’ reactions to the plot of the novel, sensitive topics in the novel, and the way the author evokes readers’ imagination. The opportunity to analyze the novel from the viewpoint of the readers is presented by the positives and drawbacks noted by readers on social media. Fish’s theory of reader-response analysis in an interpretive community is then applied in this research. The participants of this study were six readers that are actively joined a book discussion over social media. In conducting this study, qualitative research design with research instruments in the form of Google Form questionnaire were employed. The result of this study shows that, generally, the readers expect an emotional and sad story from the novel and their expectations of the plot is fulfilled by the author. These pros and con’s opinion from the readers also represent the novel’s discussion and reviews on social media. The result implies that the novel’s tragic and melodrama story is the appeal of the novel itself, as the plot invites the readers to create mixed reactions that influence the novel’s popularity on social media when they reviewed it.
A Little Life; Reader Response; Stanley Fish; Torture Plot
Copyright (c) 2026 Desri Maria Sumbayak, Adinda Dwi Putri Sihite, Fikry Prastya Syahputra (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Critical Ecolinguistics Analysis on Tourism Brochure Translation: From Nature Appreciation to Adventure Consumption
This study critically examines the tourism brochure of West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, from Indonesian to English. It argues that the translator’s choice of strategies reshapes the region's ecological and cultural landscape in the target text. Employing Venuti’s domestication and foreignization strategies as well as Stibbe’s ecolinguistics framework, the analysis reveals shifts from narratives that encourage genuine nature appreciation to those promoting adventure consumption, thereby reinforcing an inherently anthropocentric worldview. Key findings unequivocally highlight a significant erasure of indigenous eco-technologies and local knowledge, exemplified by the generic rendering of terms like kelotok and perahu getek into simply “a boat,” and the mistranslation of the culturally vital sumpit (blowpipe) as “chopstick”. This linguistic simplification and misrepresentation contribute to the commodification of the region, framing it through an exotic-romantic imaginary that obscures its identity and complex socio-ecological realities. Furthermore, factual inaccuracies, such as the incorrect conversion of “hectares” to “acres,” disrupt narrative conviction and contribute to the institutionalization of natural spaces, presenting them as managed facilities rather than holistic ecosystems. The predominant reliance on domestication strategies effectively silences the environment, replacing rich, interconnected stories with a simplified, consumer-oriented discourse. This research critically underscores the urgent need for ethically and ecologically conscious approaches to tourism translation that actively resist anthropocentric biases, foster authentic representation, and ultimately promote genuine eco-cultural sustainability in promotional materials.
Copyright (c) 2026 Richard Ferry Nugraha, Novika Amalia (Author) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0