Semiotic Analysis of Sundanese Culture Spells: Exploring Its Discursive Level and Cultural Connotation

Abstract

This paper presents a semiotic analysis focusing on the discursive level. This study investigates the figurative components, syntactical/grammatical features, and enunciative components of the signs embedded in Sundanese cultural spells, specifically Asihan Leugeut teuerup. A qualitative descriptive method was implemented to unveil the meanings and interpretations presented in the spells. The study discovered that: (1) the sign reference, known as its figurative components, was divided into five isotopies carrying specific cultural connotations; (2) the spells were also preferably characterized by nominative structure rather than the predicative; its syntactical structures were dominated by imperative moods and kecap anteuran (anticipatory verbal inchoative words); and (3) the way the spells were narrated was through the first-person protagonist and diegetic, meaning that the actor was the narrator himself. The findings suggest that the signs presented in the spells provide suggestive insights through components that relate closely to users’ daily and iterative activities. These suggestive insights can be interpreted as how users understand the meaning of the signs.