Linguistic identity construction through the fishermen’s lexicon in Kampung Bugis Juru Seberang: An Ethnolinguistic study of the coastal community of Tanjung Pandan

Abstract

The use of language in fishing communities is closely associated with the knowledge and social experiences developed through sustained interaction with the marine environment. However, fishermen’s lexical practices involve more than the identification of marine species, as particular lexical forms may also distinguish members of the community from speakers outside the fishing group. This study aims to examine how fishermen’s fish-name lexicon contributes to the construction of linguistic identity in Kampung Bugis Juru Seberang, Tanjung pandan. An ethnolinguistic approach was employed to analyse 10 fish-name lexicons, with Giles and Johnson’s ethnolinguistic identity theory providing the analytical framework, particularly the concepts of psycholinguistic distinctiveness, perceived group boundaries, and ethnolinguistic differentiation. The findings show that the fish lexicon functions as a shared linguistic repertoire through which fishermen organize and communicate knowledge developed from their occupational engagement with the coastal environment. The recognition and use of particular fish names create a form of shared lexical knowledge that distinguishes community members from speakers who do not share the same linguistic repertoire. This lexical distinction becomes more significant in interaction across group boundaries, where local terms may be maintained in in-group communication but adjusted or explained when addressing outsiders. These findings indicate that fishermen’s linguistic identity is constructed not simply through the existence of local fish names, but through their shared use, recognition, and differentiation in social interaction. The fish lexicon therefore represents an ethnolinguistic resource through which occupational knowledge is shared and linguistic boundaries are negotiated within the coastal community.