Examining the Imperative Clauses in Manggarai

Abstract

Manggarai is one of the languages in West Flores studied by many researchers, either native or non-native speakers. Nevertheless, only a few describe the sound system in the imperative clauses of the Manggarai language. Imperative clauses are speech acts intended to influence the interlocutor to take specific actions and aim to give orders (commands), requests, requests, suggestions (advice), warnings, instructions, and hopes. Some researchers who briefly describe imperative clauses have failed to formulate case markers in imperative clauses. Thus, this study aims to formulate case markings in imperative clauses comprehensively. Researchers as native speakers of the Manggarai language in the Kempo dialect use familiar examples. The data used in this study are examples of imperative clauses that are often found and assessed based on the author's intuition as a native dialect speaker. This study also tested several formulas of imperative clause rules in previous research, which distinguished the use of gi and ga, and neka marker in negative imperative clauses. Some critical findings in this research are, firstly, the markers gi and ga are not an enclitic attached to the word they follow; secondly, the articles gi and ga are not specific markers for imperative clauses because they can also appear in other clause forms (e.g., declarative clauses); and third, the words neka and asi in the negative imperative clauses of the Manggarai language can be used interchangeably and do not change the meaning of the clause. Thus, this proves that there are no unique markers in the imperative clauses of the Manggarai language because the form varies relatively depending on the context with whom one is talking.