Lexicon Distinctiveness Used in ‘Awig-Awig’ Text in Tenganan Village Bali: An Ecolinguistics Study

Abstract

This article aims to describe the function of the Awig-awig (AA) of Tenganan Village as the primary basis for regulating the activities of the people of Tenganan Village, especially in nature conservation. Several research questions are the main focus of this research, namely 1) what are the unique lexicons contained in AA, especially the rules regarding nature conservation? 2) are these regulations still applicable in Tenganan Village? 3) How high does the younger generation master those lexicons? 4) What efforts have been made by Tengan residents to preserve the lexicon so the younger generation can still understand it? The methodological approach taken is field research using the deep interview method to collect data. The eesearcher also distributed questionnaires to measure the level of understanding of the younger generation. There are 100 respondents involved in this process. Then, the data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Based on the research results, there are two significant results. First, it was found 17 unique lexicons regulate nature conservation that residents of Tenganan Village must understand. Second, mastery of the lexicon varies based on age, gender, education level, and region of origin. In addition, these rules are still applicable until now. It is evidenced by the natural state, which is still well preserved. Unfortunately, the residents’ efforts to encourage the younger generation to understand this lexicon are still lacking. If this condition is not resolved immediately, the AA of Tenganan Village will only be sustainable among the elders and will become extinct when the elders are gone.