An Analysis of Slang Language Variations in Buying and Selling Interactions at Sorowako Traditional Market : A Case Study of the Friday Market

Abstract

This study analyzes the sociolinguistic phenomenon of slang variations utilized in buying and selling interactions at the Sorowako Friday Market, a heterogeneous mining ring area. This descriptive qualitative research examines the lexical, grammatical, and pragmatic functions of slang arising from the linguistic contestation within a multiethnic society. The methodological strength of this study lies in the application of a purposive sampling technique that successfully gathered comprehensive data from twelve key informants. These twelve informants proportionally represent the primary pillars of the market, integrating traders' commodity diversification (thrift clothing, endemic fish, tofu-tempeh, toys) with buyers' subcultural stratification (housewives, mining employees, interns), thereby ensuring the representation of all socio-economic elements in the field. The results indicate that the slang forms are dominated by structural word reduction (truncation and acronyms) for the sake of the principle of least effort. Furthermore, cultural convergence occurs through the interference of emphatic particles (-mi, -ji, le') and the absorption of local lexicons (putta, bondo, sampu), which pragmatically function as a social lubricant to establish pseudo-kinship. The most distinctive finding reveals the assimilation of nickel industry jargon (shift, grade A, contractor) into the domestic-commercial sphere. This study concludes that the Sorowako Friday Market has transformed into an adaptive industrial-linguistic melting pot that dismantles social fragmentation and strengthens emotional cohesion within the community.