JANTUH BEBASA MASYARAKAT MELAYU DI PEDALAMAN KAPUAS HULU, KALIMANTAN BARAT.

Riam Panjang Malay is a remote Malay community located upriver of Kapuas, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. This paper discusses a sociolinguistic issue in this inner rural community, namely, the Jantuh Bebasa or language politeness. In Riam Panjang, Jantuh Bebasa is expressed through the use of verbal and non-verbal languages. The use of verbal language for politeness purposes including the choice of appropriate address terms, meanwhile bebasa through non-verbal communication is related to the attitudes or actions performed in social interactions. In terms of scope, the study of Jantuh Bebasa is focused on the choice of proper terms in concordance with social status and family strata. This paper also discusses the compound form of certain words in a politeness discourses (i.e jantuh ingka'). Analysis of face-to-face interviews and obervations of in-situ experiences found that Jantuh Bebasa in Riam Panjang is closely related with the locals' beliefs. The violation of Jantuh Bebasa can be condemned by society and may bring misfortune, that is, busung to those who violates this taboo as well as go againstto kesupan, a customary law. Hence, the older generation demands the transmission of bebasa culture to the younger generation in order to retain this great moral value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]