Exploring The Variety of Local Languages in Larangan Cirebon

Larangan Village, located in Harjamukti Subdistrict, Cirebon City, is one of the areas that has a rich culture and strong local traditions. A striking aspect of village life is the everyday use of diverse languages, which reflect the community’s cultural and social identity.

The most dominant language spoken by residents of Larangan Village is Cirebon. This language is a dialect that developed from Javanese with a strong influence from the local culture of the north coast of West Java.

Cirebon language has its own characteristics, both in terms of vocabulary, intonation, and speech style, which distinguishes it from standard Javanese and Sundanese.

The use of Cirebon language in daily conversation is one of the characteristics of the Larangan community, especially in the family environment and interactions between residents. In addition to Cirebon, some people also use Bahasa Indonesia, especially in formal contexts such as education, government and public services.

Schools and institutions use Indonesian as the main language, uniting people across ethnicities and generations. Due to its proximity to Sundanese-speaking areas, some residents of Kelurahan Larangan also understand or speak Sundanese.

Interaction with residents from neighboring areas with Sundanese backgrounds, whether due to family, work or social relationships, enriches the linguistic abilities of the local community. In some contexts, especially in more pluralistic communities, the mixed use of Cirebon, Sundanese and Indonesian often occurs naturally.

This linguistic diversity not only demonstrates cultural richness, but also reflects the openness and tolerance with which the people of Larangan interact with each other. The ability to adapt to various local languages is a social force that strengthens relationships between residents.

This also proves that language is a vital part of cultural identity that continues to grow. The people of Kelurahan Larangan show that language is not just for communication, but a heritage they actively preserve.

Language Variation in Cirebon’s Larangan Village

Larangan residents clearly show this variation through the vocabulary they use in their daily lives. We can categorize this language variation into three types, namely:

1. Langauge variation based on Lexical

Lexical differences can be seen in the different vocabulary although they have the same meaning. For example, the word “Alir” is called Mili by Interviewee 1 and Ngalir by Interviewee 2. This shows the variety of word choices in the language of the Larangan community.

2. Language variation based on Morphology

In the morphological aspect, variation occurs due to differences in word form or the use of affixes. For example, “Apung” remains in Respondent 1, but becomes Ngapung in Respondent 2. This reflects differences in word structure between speakers.

3. Langugae variation based on Phonology

Phonological variation can be seen in differences in pronunciation, such as “How much” is pronounced Pira and Piro. Although the sounds are different, the meaning remains the same, indicating differences in pronunciation between speakers.

Author: Fadlilah Junianto