Let's "Misuh" Together: Using Verbal Abuse in Suitable Moments

speak verbal abuse

Words are the vehicles by which we exchange our thoughts and feelings with others. Words can communicate our perspective about something to someone. The messages can be positively and negatively. Good words communicate good messages and bad words shows bad messages. In reality, such interpretations can be wrong. Words, both good and bad words, can have different messages depend on the contexts we uttered the words. It also happens in uttering verbal abuse. The messages of the verbal abuse do not always bad. Verbal abuse can show intimate of a relationship, politeness, amusement, etc. It depends on the context. So, this paper tries to analyze Javanese verbal abuse meaning in different context using pragmatics analysis. The analysis uses speech act theory. The information of this paper will help communicator to create a communication into situations where the right words, spoken in the right way, at the right time.

Verbal abuse or pisuhan (in Javanese language) is often used in the daily life. Every language in the world including Javanese language has verbal abuse. Verbal abuse is unique words expressed culture where the verbal abuse used. It is unique because the verbal abuse often comes from strange vocabulary of a language. Because the uniqueness, the verbal abuse became very popular. Verbal abuse give special sensation toward communicators used it in a communication.

            Even if verbal abuse is popular, verbal abuse is bad word in social values and norms. The vocabulary used in verbal abuse often a prohibited vocabulary in a society. Verbal abuse is used usually to communicate bad expression for someone. By using verbal abuse someone can be hurt. Moreover, verbal language can create not only individual conflict but also horizontal conflict among the society.

            On the other hand, sensations of verbal abuse can create an intimate relationship and amusing condition. People, especially male; often use it to express their intimateness with other men. In a comedy program on TV, verbal abuse also often uttered as a trigger in making funny condition. In this part, verbal abuse is needed and must be kept.

            The goodness and badness of verbal abuse depend on the context where, when, and with whom it is uttered. The contexts must be analyzed in order to be able to create a good communication. Theory in linguistics which can analyze relation between words, contexts, and meaning is pragmatics. Pragmatics theory has several steps in analyze meaning. One of them is speech act. Speech act differ an utterance into locution, illocution, and per locution. By using the part of speech act, the relations between context and meaning will be seemed clearly.