Mulyono Mulyono, Arie Yuanita, Mochamad Bayu Firmansyah, Dianita Indrawati, Siti Rumilah, Anggoro Abiyyu Ristio Cahyo, Molion Syahputra Mulya
The Javanese language has many verbs that describe how to carry inanimate objects, living things, humans, or animals. One of the most common words is nggawa, which is glossed here as ‘to bring’. In this study, however, the analysis focuses specifically on Javanese verbs of physical carrying. It seems simple, but its meaning is actually very complex and culturally rich. This study examined 23 forms of the verb nggawa in Javanese. Each verb was analyzed in terms of semantic structure and argument structure using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) approach. This study employed a qualitative method with data from a corpus of Javanese texts, lexical references, and transcribed spoken interviews with native Javanese speakers from East Java. The results of the analysis showed that each verb of nggawa had a different pattern of meaning. Carrying techniques, body position, object type, and social context were the primary determinants of meaning differences. All verbs belonged to the divalent category, involving an agent and an object. Semantic explanation through NSM successfully clarified the meaning of the verbs in a clear and cross-culturally understandable manner. This study demonstrates that the richness of Javanese in describing the action of carrying reflects cultural values and societal perspectives on the body and social relationships. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Department of Language and Literature Education, Graduate School, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Indonesian Literature, Faculty of Language and Arts, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Language Education and Literature, Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology, Universitas PGRI Wiranegara, East Java, Pasuruan, Indonesia; Indonesian Language Program, Faculty of Adab and Humanities, UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia; Department of Information System, Faculty of Technic, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, East Java, Surabaya, Indonesia
