Dialectal variation in Javanese of Kendal, Centra Java

Kendal is a regency on the north coast of central Java between Batang and Semarang. Javanese is the language used throughout central Java with several dialects postulated. A number of these dialects of Javanese are spoken in areas neighboring Kendal: the Semarsuradupati dialect in the east, the Pekalongan dialect in the west, and the Wonosobo dialect in the south. Kendal is of interest from a linguistic perspective because it is obviously situated in the context of areas where geographical variation is known to exist, but we do not yet have any dialectology or other studies that give a clear picture of what the language situation in Kendal is like. This study attempts to provide just such a picture, based on field work for language mapping. The research uses established methods in dialectology to gather data on 236 words consisting of 200 Swadesh basic words, 11 prepositions, greetings and reference words, and 25 words from the semantic field of kinship. The results go to show whether there is any variation at the level of dialect of Javanese in the area and also identify a number of lexical items or phonemic features that are distinctive of the area. The analysis and discussion also draw on evidence from lexicography, natural environment features and cultural and historical factors.