Variasi Fonologis dan Leksikal Bahasa Melayu di Kampung Tua, Sungai Mempura, Siak

Abstract

Siak Malay serves as a vital cultural symbol reflecting the historical identity and ecological adaptation of the Riau community. Although numerous dialectological studies on Malay have been conducted, research focusing on the dynamics of local isolects and intergenerational lexical shift patterns in the historical area of the former Siak Sultanate remains limited. This study aims to describe and analyze the phonological variations, ecological lexical characteristics, and sociolinguistic differentiations in the Malay language spoken in Kampung Tua, Sungai Mempura Village, Siak Regency. A qualitative descriptive dialectological approach was employed, involving nine native informants across three observation points (TP). Data were gathered through observation, elicitation, interview, recording, and note-taking techniques using a modified Swadesh word list. The results indicate that phonological variations are dominated by the vowel shift /a/→[o] in open-word final positions (gulo [gulo], apo [apo]), the realization of the phoneme /r/ as a voiced velar fricative [γ] (ghotan [ɣotan]), and sound deletion (elision). Lexically, unique terms reflecting socio-cultural and ecological contexts were identified (sohgang, begile, bangko, menunam-nunam). From a sociolinguistic perspective, the older generation (≥40 years old) serves as the primary retainer of traditional lexicons, whereas the younger generation (20"-" 23 years old) is shifting toward standard Indonesian due to digital media penetration and formal education, despite maintaining strong local phonological traits. In conclusion, the Malay isolect in Kampung Tua, Sungai Mempura retains robust phonological features of Mainland Riau Malay, yet faces lexical attrition among younger speakers, necessitating systematic documentation and preservation efforts.