Schematic Structure and Linguistic Realizations of Divorce Case Examination at Medan Syari'ah Courtroom: Systemic Functional Linguistic Study Approach

Abstract

The settlement of divorce cases for Muslims in Indonesia is carried out through syari’ah courts. This study aims to investigate the schematic structures of the talaq divorce case examination and their linguistic realizations in the syari’ah courtroom. A descriptive qualitative design was applied in this study. The data were collected through observation, interviews, and text analysis with a forensic linguistic approach using Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) theory. All participants involved in interviews provided informed consent, and participation was entirely voluntary. Measures were taken to ensure confidentiality by anonymizing participants’ identities and securely storing all collected data. A purposive sampling technique was used to select five talaq divorce case proceedings from different syari’ah courts across Indonesia, representing diverse regional backgrounds and linguistic nuances. This sample size was considered sufficient for in-depth qualitative analysis, allowing the identification of recurring schematic patterns and linguistic features. Methodologically, linguistic categorization was carried out by coding courtroom discourse into ideational, interpersonal, and textual metafunctions as proposed by SFL. Each clause was analyzed for its transitivity patterns, mood structures, and thematic progression to uncover the rhetorical and social dynamics of courtroom interaction. The findings of the study revealed that there are four types of schematic structures in talaq divorce case proceedings at the courtroom, namely T-1, T-2, T-3, and T-4 schematic structures. The findings are justified by SFL theories. However, in the context of an SFL-based study, a new finding was obtained such as the varieties of language typically used in syari’ah court.