Change of Meaning in the East Javanese Language Nurul Nisfu Syahriy, Churmatin Nasoichah, Kamilatun Baroroh, Nisa Azhari Saragih, Dwi Widayati Department of Linguistics, University of Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia Keywords: Change of meaning, East Javanese language, Proto-Austronesian. Abstract: The East Javanese language as a Proto-Austronesian (PAN) derivative has inherited a series of original features from its ancestor but has undergone changes not only in lexical form but also in meaning. Therefore, the formulation of the problem proposed is how the meaning of the East Javanese language changes when compared to the original language, namely the Proto-Austronesian language. Furthermore, data collection was carried out through field research (oral data). Field data were obtained using participative conversation method along with stimulating technique, followed by recording and noting techniques. Based on the results of the analysis, there are several patterns of change of meaning occurring in the East Javanese, namely narrowing, broadening and shifting. It was also found that these changes were influenced by several factors such as linguistic causes, historical causes, social causes, and psychological causes. 1 INTRODUCTION Language is a system of arbitrary sound symbols used by members of social groups to collaborate, communicate, and identify themselves (Kridalaksana, 2008). Language is passed down from generation to generation through a long and continuous process. The long duration process in a language then led to the emergence of language evolution. Evolution in KBBI(2016) (Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia 'The Great Dictionary of Indonesian Language') means changes (growth; development) gradually and slowly (little by little) and over a long time. The combination of language definitions and evolution shows that language is a dynamic and non-static symbol system. So, as long as the language is used by the speakers, the language will continue to develop and change in line withthe development of the language-speaking community. Several languages in Indonesia were derived from Proto-Austronesian languages. Proto- Austronesian language is the surname of a language found in Southeast Asia Pacific, which is also related to another family language that is found in Southeast Asia, namely the Austro-Asian family. The grouping of Austronesian languages can be seen as follows: (West Austronesian Languages (including Malagasy, Formosan, Bisaya, Minahasa, Acehnese, Gayo, Bataknese, Nias, Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Dayak, and Minangkabau) and Polynesian Malay Languages (including the languages of Timor-Ambon, Sula-Bacan, and South Halmahera-West Irian) and the East Austronesian languages (Keraf, 1996). The change of the Proto-Austronesian language occurs because of internal and external factors. In the internal level, geographical factors are the main cause of these language changes. This is in accordance with the research conducted by Daiu (2015) and Adhiti (2019) which proves that the development of proto-language is caused by historical factors or cultural changes, social and psychological factors as well as time and place factors, which then led the proto-language, develop into derivative languages. Next, in the external level, language changes occur because of the contact between languages. The influence of the language of other families is due to migration that occurs because of the conquest of power or territory, the spread of religion, and marriage. Over time, the Proto-Austronesian language has changed morphologically, phonologically, syntactically, and lexically. These changes occur in a long period time, so that these changes are slowly undergoing a shift both in form and meaning. In the grammatical level, changes occur slowly, both in morphological and syntactic, while in the lexicon level the changes occur faster. Syahriy, N., Nasoichah, C., Baroroh, K., Saragih, N. and Widayati, D. Change of Meaning in the East Javanese Language. DOI: 10.5220/0010306302190228 In Proceedings of the International Conference on Culture Heritage, Education, Sustainable Tourism, and Innovation Technologies (CESIT 2020), pages 219-228 ISBN: 978-989-758-501-2 Copyright c  2021 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved 219