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ELS Talk 2024 (Language and Relationships: Understanding Kinship Terms Across Cultures)

11/10/2024 WIB

On Friday, October 11, 2024, the English Language Studies (KBI) program at Sanata Dharma University hosted a public lecture titled "Language and Relationships: Understanding Kinship Terms Across Cultures," presented by Prof. Yoshimi Miyake from Akita University. The event was held in a hybrid format at the Palma Room, Graduate Building, Campus II, with 31 participants from various educational institutions, including Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Nusa Nipa Maumere, UPN Veteran Yogyakarta, Universitas Widya Dharma, Universitas Katolik Widya Karya, SMA Pius Bakti Utama Bayan, the Sanata Dharma Language Institute, and Universitas Bangka Belitung. The event began with opening remarks by the Master of Ceremonies, Hana Ristami, a KBI student, followed by an introduction of the speaker by the Moderator, Agustinus Hardi Prasetyo, a lecturer in the KBI program.

In her presentation, Prof. Miyake explored the use of kinship terms across different cultures, focusing on address terms used by romantic and married couples in Javanese and Balinese, and comparing them to those in Japanese. She first categorized kinship terms into two types: reference terms—used to talk about people—and address terms, which are used to directly address others. Prof. Miyake’s analysis concentrated on address terms, examining how they reflect cultural norms and interpersonal relationships within these linguistic communities.

A key theme in her discussion was the concept of teknonymy, where people are addressed based on their familial roles within the nuclear family. In Javanese, kinship terms like "father," "mother," "brother," and "sister" are commonly used to address family members, highlighting the central role that familial hierarchy plays in Javanese society. Younger family members are often addressed as "little brother," "little sister," "son," or "daughter," further reinforcing these familial structures.

Prof. Miyake contrasted this with the situation in Japanese, where there has been a marked shift away from using kinship terms when addressing non-family members. While it was once customary to address strangers or acquaintances using terms like "uncle" or "aunt," this practice has significantly declined in modern Japanese society. Today, Japanese speakers prefer more neutral or formal address terms, reflecting a shift toward less personal forms of address in public or professional settings.

Another important point raised by Prof. Miyake was the alternation of first and second-person pronouns, particularly in East and Southeast Asian languages, where address terms are often used in place of personal pronouns. This phenomenon has been observed in Javanese, Balinese, and Japanese, where kinship terms are sometimes substituted for pronouns in conversation. This practice illustrates how these cultures prioritize social roles and relationships over direct personal reference.

Prof. Miyake also introduced the concept of the "imposter" situation, where speakers refer to themselves using non-first-person pronouns or kinship terms. This can occur when someone refers to themselves in the third person or uses a familial title, like "father" or "mother," to describe their role. This practice, she argued, complicates the conventional understanding of self-reference and reflects the social hierarchy embedded in language use. (SG)

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