Local Language as Representation of Local Wisdom in the West Sumatra Regional Regulation

Abstract

Language in the regional regulations discourse of West Sumatra Province differs from other regulations in Indonesia. It is marked by the use of local language in the regulations aiming to strengthen local wisdom and values. The study of the local language and Minangkabau cultures in regional regulation explains the necessity of using local language in laws and regulations and the implementation of Law Number 22 of 1999 about regional government, authorities, and responsibilities of local governments in the fields of language and literature. Within a discourse analysis approach, this study identified the linguistic units of the local language in the West Sumatra Province’s special regional regulation (SRR) and examined how the local language carries and promotes local wisdom and values of Minangkabau people. The results of this study indicate that the words and phrases of local language in the SRR represents local wisdom values of Minangkabau people as shown in Adat Basandi Syarak, Syarak Basandi Kitabullah, tanah ulayat, jua ndak makan bali gadai ndak makan sando, Adat Salingka Nagari, bajanjang naiak, batanggo turun, ganggam bauntuak, and sako pusako. The resistance of the local language in the SRR maintains local wisdom values that reflect the sociocultural life of the Minangkabau people.