SENI BAHASA DALAM LEKA PELIAN BERDASARKAN PERSPEKTIF TEORI METAFORA KONSEPTUAL

Abstract

“Leka pelian” is a traditional poem of the Iban community in the invocation category, which is used in traditional Iban healing rituals. Every word sung by the “manang” in “leka pelian” is decorated with figurative language and metaphors to add more beauty to the art of poetry. However, the lack of experts in “leka pelian” makes it difficult for the younger generation, especially the Iban community, to understand the figurative language and metaphors used in “leka pelian” by the “manang”. This has led to the younger generation showing less interest in delving into oral traditions such as “leka pelian”. Therefore, this study aims to analyse the meaning of the metaphors that shapes the “leka pelian” based on the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980). This study is qualitative and uses the Conceptual Metaphor Theory of Lakoff and Johnson (1980) to analyse the categories of metaphors found in “leka pelian”. Content analysis method is used to analyse each category of metaphor found in “leka pelian”. The findings show that the figurative language in “leka pelian” consists of abstract metaphors to reality, simile metaphors, animal metaphors, nature metaphors, as well as adapted and cultural comparison metaphors in their lives. The investigation shows that nature metaphors are more dominant than other metaphors because they are influenced by the surrounding nature, making nature a metaphor in communication. This category of metaphor is also used as a medium of communication between human world and the supernatural world. The implication of this research shows that the use of different categories of metaphor in “leka pelian” can increase the knowledge of traditional healers and the Iban community, especially in terms of language skills.