Tracing the Attributes of Sasak in the English of Peddlers

Abstract

This paper is aimed at depicting how attributes of Sasak was transmitted in the English of local peddlers within the Sasak-speaking community. This study adapted attribute as a suggested term by Irawan (2017) to mention features and characteristic representing Sasak, which covered linguistic and cultural representations conveying fourteen items in each representation – considered essential for people who attempt to acquire a foreign language. Thus, the appearances of the Sasak language (SL) attributes were discussed based on two fundamental assumptions, i.e. interference (Ellis, 2008) and conceptualization (Sharifian, 2007). Hence, based on the framework, this study investigated chunks (secondary data) taken from two studies by Suadiyatno (2011; 2014) observing the English
of peddlers in two tourism sites in Lombok, i.e. Kuta Beach and Gili Air Island. Results show that in terms of linguistic representation peddlers demonstrate overt and covert use of SL attributes. There were seven chunks indicated the overt use of SL attribute and seven
were classified as covert, in which both categories were identified to fit ten items in linguistic representation, including independently meaningful units, preposition, pronouns, qualifiers, noun, adjective, verb, adverb, article, and tenses. Furthermore, in terms of  cultural representation, this study found only belief as the only item to be transmitted into English, in which other items could not be identified due to that fact that data provided by Suadiyatno was not prepared for similar purpose as Irawan’s. Based on findings, this study concludes that the English of peddlers in Kuta Beach and Gili Air make use SL attributes (linguistic and cultural representations). Therefore, it can be stated that the English of the peddlers to some extent have demonstrated assumptions of English as an international language (EIL), in which local linguistic and culture (of Sasak) are communicated in English.