"Hot" in the life of javanese society: Lexica, meanings, and relations

Javanese language is one of ethnic languages in Indonesia. As a productively used language by its 68,200,000 speakers according to 2015 UNSD (United Nations Statistics Division), Javanese language has been passed down from generation to generation. Javanese language is known for its detailed vocabulary because Javanese society always name every event, object or feeling that they experience in life with a particular lexicon (Suwadji, 1995). Therefore, Javanese language is known for its richness in vocabulary. As an ethnic who live in a tropical country, Javanese society is always in contact with heat; thus, they have various lexica representing "hot" in meaning. Panjebar Semangat magazine in 2011-2015 noted that there are 20 lexica representing "hot" in Javanese society. These lexica have been analyzed using componential analysis theory by Nida (1975) and language function theory by Gobard (1976). Both theories are used to distinguish the components of each lexicon and their relations to the life of Javanese society. For example, mongah-mongah ('hot'), gumatel ('hot'), and nguntar-untar ('hot') are lexica which have 'hot' as a common component, yet they have different diagnostic components and supplemantary components. Javanese society understand the lexicon gumatel is used to define the state of heat of morning sun around 10.00 am, while mongah-mongah is used to define the state of heat that comes from boiling water, while nguntar-untar is used to express the heat in the heart that, which refers to anger. The findings show that Javanese speakers are a detailed society since they use various lexica to refer to various situations. Such diverse use of lexica signifies Javanese society' s main characteristics, which are meticulousness, closeness to nature, and accentuation of interpersonal harmony.