CULTURAL CONCEPTUALIZATION IN THE LEXICON OF TRADITIONAL KITCHEN UTENSILS AMONG THE MALAY COMMUNITY OF BELARAS BARAT VILLAGE: A CULTURAL LINGUISTICS STUDY

Abstract

This study aims to examine the cultural conceptualizations embedded in the lexicon of traditional kitchen utensils used by the Malay community of Belaras Barat Village, Mandah District, Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau Province, Indonesia. The study employed a qualitative approach using a Qualitative Content Analysis design. The data consisted of lexical items referring to traditional kitchen utensils, collected through participant observation, in-depth interviews, and field documentation. Informants were selected through purposive sampling and included customary leaders, native speakers, and community members knowledgeable about the use of traditional kitchen utensils. Data analysis followed the interactive model proposed by B. Miles et al. (2014), comprising data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing. The interpretation was guided by the Cultural Linguistics framework developed by (Sharifian, 2017), particularly the concepts of cultural categories, cultural schemas, and cultural metaphors. The findings indicate that the lexical items rage, anak gileng, anak leng, anak lesong, and balang serahi function not merely as labels for material cultural objects but also as representations of the Malay community’s collective cultural knowledge system. The analysis identified two principal cultural categories, namely storage containers and food-processing utensils. In addition, several cultural schemas emerged, including responsibility, hard work, mutual cooperation, leadership, and wisdom, which subsequently give rise to particular cultural metaphors. These findings demonstrate that the lexicon of traditional kitchen utensils serves as a medium for transmitting cultural values and preserving the collective memory of the Malay community. This study contributes to the development of Cultural Linguistics by elucidating cultural conceptualizations represented through the lexicon of local material culture.