Pragmatic Dynamics and Genealogical Legitimacy: An Analysis of Directive Speech Acts in the Batak Toba’s Marria Raja Forum
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: As the sociolinguistic bedrock of Batak Toba society, the Dalihan Na Tolu (DNT) kinship system dictates speech authority and politeness strategies. This study examines how DNT’s relational structure shapes illocutionary legitimacy within the Marria Raja forum—a customary pre-funeral deliberation. Using an exploratory qualitative approach and an embedded case study of 236 directive utterances, the research integrates Searle and Vanderveken’s speech act theory with Brown and Levinson’s politeness framework. The findings reveal that illocutionary force is strictly a byproduct of genealogical position rather than individual verbal frequency. The Dongan Tubu group (specifically the Suhut Spokesperson) dominated directive production (56.8%) as the discursive architects of consensus. Meanwhile, the Hulahula exercised normative authorization through permit functions, while the Boru utilized high-mitigation strategies (beg, supplicate) to uphold the Somba marhulahula ethos. The prevalence of tell, permit, and ask sub-acts indicates that customary decision-making relies on information coordination and collective consensus (Manat) rather than imperative commands. This research contributes a "Kinship-Based Politeness Model" to cultural pragmatics, asserting that directivity in communal societies is a dynamic, relationally-situated practice defined by situational role rotation.
Institution: Sebelas Maret University
Language: English
Subfield: Language and Linguistics
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7225233152
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