Illocutionary Force in Indonesian Forest Girl Marriage Proposal Rituals and Its Contribution to Intercultural Competence

Language does more than carry information from one person to another; in many parts of the world, it is the very tool used to build a home, negotiate with the unseen, and hold a community together. This idea sits at the heart of a field called pragmatics, which studies how context shapes meaning. When people speak, they are not just describing the world; they are often performing actions, such as making a promise, giving an order, or offering a prayer. In cultures with deep oral traditions, these spoken actions are often tied to specific rituals that connect the living with their ancestors and the natural environment. Understanding how language works in these sacred moments helps us see how different cultures solve the same human problems: how to live in harmony with nature, how to honor the past, and how to organize a society.

In the Manggarai region of eastern Indonesia, a specific ritual known as Roko Molas Poco serves as a bridge between the forest and the village. The name translates roughly to "forest girl," a poetic term for a specific tree selected to become the central pillar of a new traditional house. This tree is not merely timber; it is treated as a living entity, a bride to be married into the human community. A team of elders and representatives travels into the forest to ask permission from the spirits that guard the woods. They do not simply cut the tree down; they engage in a complex series of spoken requests, prayers, and declarations. Researchers Sebastianus Menggo, Tobias Gunas, and Inosensius Sutam recently set out to understand the specific power of the words used in this ceremony. They wanted to know what kind of "speech acts" were happening and how these words helped the community maintain its connection to the land and each other.

To find the answers, the researchers spent five months in the Manggarai Regency, observing the rituals and recording the spoken words of thirty key informants. These informants were cultural leaders and elders who knew the traditions intimately. The team recorded the ceremonies, interviewed the participants, and carefully analyzed the transcripts. They focused on the intention behind every sentence, looking for the specific type of action the speaker was trying to achieve. In linguistics, this is called "illocutionary force." It is the difference between simply saying "it is raining" and saying "I promise to bring an umbrella." The former describes a fact, while the latter is a commitment. The researchers applied this lens to the Roko Molas Poco ritual to see how the Manggarai people use language to shape their reality.

The study revealed that the ritual relies on three main types of spoken actions. The first type is the "assertive," where speakers state something they believe to be true. In the ritual, elders use these statements to confirm facts about the forest and the ancestors. They might say, "We have asked for permission for three days," or "This tree is the guardian of our village." These words are not just descriptions; they are declarations that bind the community to a shared truth. By stating these facts aloud, the speakers reinforce the idea that the forest is a sacred legacy and that taking a tree is an act of preservation, not destruction. This type of speech helps the community agree on what is real and what is right.

The second type is the "directive," which is used to ask for something or to guide action. This is perhaps the most critical part of the ceremony. The elders do not command the forest spirits; instead, they use polite, respectful requests to ask for permission to take the tree. They say things like, "We ask for your blessing to use this tree as the main pillar of our home." These words are designed to get a response from the spiritual world and to organize the human participants. The directives ensure that everyone knows their role, that the procession moves in an orderly fashion, and that the rules of the ritual are followed. It is a way of asking the universe to cooperate with human needs, turning a simple request for wood into a collaborative act between the people and the forest.

The third type is the "expressive," which conveys the speaker's feelings. During the ritual, the elders use words to show deep gratitude, reverence, and hope. They might say, "Yes, Lord of the Forest," in a tone that expresses profound respect. These expressions are not just about politeness; they reveal the emotional state of the community. They show that the people feel a deep connection to the spirits and that they are approaching the ritual with humility and love. This emotional layer is essential because it transforms the act of cutting down a tree from a mechanical task into a sacred meeting between humans, ancestors, and the earth. The researchers found that these expressive words help build a sense of togetherness and solidarity among the villagers.

Interestingly, the researchers found that two other common types of speech acts were notably absent from this ritual. They did not find "commissives," which are promises to do something in the future, nor did they find "declaratives," which are words that instantly change reality, like a judge declaring someone guilty. The authors explain that this is because the ritual is about communal reverence and spiritual alignment, not about individual contracts or legal changes. The power of the ceremony comes from the collective agreement and the spiritual connection, not from a single person making a binding promise or a legal decree. This absence highlights that the ritual is a shared cultural experience rather than a transactional one.

The study also identified three core values that these spoken words support. First is the religious value, which connects the people to the divine and the ancestors. The words used in the ritual are a way to ask for protection and blessings, ensuring that the new house will be safe and the community will thrive. Second is the symbolic value. The tree, or "forest girl," represents purity, strength, and the continuity of life. By speaking to the tree as if it were a person, the community reinforces the idea that nature is alive and worthy of respect. Finally, there is the social value. The ritual brings the village together, teaching younger generations how to be respectful, how to ask for permission, and how to work as a team. It strengthens the bonds between neighbors and reaffirms their shared identity.

This research offers a new way to look at how language works in indigenous cultures. It shows that in the Manggarai tradition, speaking is a way of building a world where humans, nature, and spirits coexist in harmony. The "forest girl" ritual is not just a story about getting wood; it is a complex performance of language that keeps the community's ethics, ecology, and spirituality alive. By understanding the specific force of the words used in this ceremony, we gain a deeper appreciation for how different cultures use language to solve the fundamental problem of how to live well together on the earth. The study suggests that these ancient ways of speaking are not just relics of the past but are active, living tools that continue to shape the lives of the Manggarai people today.