Keywords

Introduction

Naming is a social practice that often fails to capture the interests of scholars. One commonly heard question is “What is the meaning of a name?” This question involves several aspects, such as names having meaning, names involving the aspirations of the name-giver, and other reasons for choosing a name. Javanese parents generally highly value having children in the family. For the Javanese, children are a gift from God and it is the parents’ task to properly raise and educate them. Parents should educate their children so they can grow into human beings of good character and who would be useful to family and peers. In this connection, the choice of the child's name is very important for parents.

The academic field of study that focuses on names is called onomastics. Although its scope can be broad, the majority of the literature in this field has focused on place names (toponyms) and personal names (anthroponyms) (Bright, 2003), the latter of which is the subject of the present study. Within the context of Indonesia, personal names are markers of identity and indicate gender, social status, ethnicity, geographical area of birth, religion, and so forth. For example, if a person is named Suharti or Suharto, we immediately assume the person is Javanese. Moreover, the name Muhammad Al Lathif indicates membership of the community of Muslim followers. The multi-ethnic situation in Indonesia makes Indonesian names use more vocabulary from their respective regional languages. In addition to religious identity, Indonesian people identify themselves through their names using the vocabulary of their local language. Thus, the use of Indonesian vocabulary for personal names is less productive than the use of vocabulary from their respective regional languages. However, personal names do not carry meaning in the same manner as that of lexical words. A person’s name has a direct correlation between that person’s name and the culture in which he/she was born (Danesi, 2004). A personal name refers to an individual object (Gamut, 1991; Kempson, 1986), such as someone named Suharti or Suharto. The word “lions,” for example, refers to all animals called “lions.” The word “lions” is not linked to the culture of the place they inhabit.

Javanese names tend to reflect their name-givers’ worldview, the phenomena (both concrete and abstract) that shape it, social groups, and the parents’ aspirations for their children. In this regard, naming, in the Javanese culture, has much in common with the personal naming systems in various other cultures, e.g., the Native American culture (Tartono, 2010). For instance, Javanese personal names are commonly derived from names of flora and fauna, indicators of time neptu (a day of the week) and wuku (a month in the Javanese calendar), numerals, cosmic phenomena, characters in shadow puppet stories, and words associated with the practice of religious or spiritual beliefs. In addition, personal names are derived from lexical words with meanings related to desirable human qualities, such as ideals, hopes, beauty, salvation, strength, courage, and virtue. Widodo et al., (2010, p. 260) observed that the diversity of Javanese names suggests a long history of tradition and culture. Moreover, personal names reflect the Javanese philosophy regarding a person’s attitudes, hopes, aspirations, and ideals. In fact, names reflect not only what the name-givers believe, but also relates to their wishes or prayers for the individual being named.

We examined the names of children from different periods and found that the names of children born between 2015 and 2017 are significantly different from the names of children born between 1940 and 1950. Personal names that are no longer a significant marker of ethnic identity are now more popular, as are names originating from foreign words. What motivates parents to offer their children foreign-sounding names? A desire to better understand this phenomenon is the motivation for this study.

Several researchers have looked at aspects of Javanese names. Indrawan (2015) examined how a name’s connotations may influence university lecturers’ perceptions of the name owner’s intelligence. Widodo et al. (2010) examined the syntactic and semantic features of Javanese names and found that changing cultural tastes is a motivating factor. Kuipers and Askuri (2017) determined that Islamization is an emerging factor influencing the choice of name among the Javanese. As will be shown, our present study supports this.

The key difference between traditional Javanese names and modern names given to children in the new global context is concerned with the way people conceptualize their identity. Whereas traditional names invariably indicate that the holder of the name is Javanese, new names are more difficult to decipher, since they are influenced by multiple sources, such as the Internet, books on baby names, naming trends, foreign languages, popular culture, and so forth. Our purpose in this qualitative study is to examine the different cultural and linguistic references that Javanese people draw from in determining personal names, in traditional and new global contexts.

Semantic and Semiotic Perspective

Personal names are the representation of culture in lexical forms (Koentjaraningrat, 2009). The choice of names involves the conceptualization of life experiences, knowledge, and human activities. According to Pederson and Nuyts (1999, p. 1), this is possible because people have “an internal representation of linguistic knowledge,” which allows them to perform certain behaviors. Hudson (1990) explained that propositions expressed as statements are the results of conceptualizing knowledge that exists in the human mind. Thus, personal names can be traced through such conceptualization. Though personal names are not propositions, the process of selecting personal names is eventually carried out through the conceptualization process, as explained by Hudson.

In this study, personal names are analyzed from both semantic and semiotic perspectives. The semantic approach in this study is based on Ogden and Richards’ semiotic triangle theory (1923). This theory is used to understand the meaning of personal names, based on the symbols and referents they invoke (i.e., objects in the real world (either concrete or abstract)). Smith (2017, p. 111) states that names always have semiotic meanings. According to Peirce’s (1940) theory of the semiotic process, cultural signs are the representation of both the physical and nonphysical, i.e., the semiotic perspective explains how a sign (in the form of a personal name) can become “the representation” of objects that exists in the human mind. In this regard, the meaning of objects, in accordance with the expectations of the name-giver, is called the “interpretant” (Hoed, 2014, p. 9). In Javanese culture, the thought of salvation is a hope that is always present as an object in people’s minds. Lexically, the words that express the meaning of “safe” in Javanese include the words slamet and raharja. The interpretation of hopes for salvation, as well as the words slamet and raharja, as the representation of the object of “salvation,” resulted in the self-name, Slamet Raharja. The choice of that self-name is aimed at hopefully receiving salvation for the child named Slamet Raharja (Rahyono, 2015, p. 135).

The onomastic approach used in this study is based on the idea that names are not merely an arbitrary signaling system. Instead, name selection involves thought or references that exist in the human mind about the object and the world of experience. Referring to Hudson's conception (1990), the world of experience denotes the cultural knowledge stored in memory. Thought or references connect objects and worlds of experience and are expressed by personal names. Naming is not just a matter of labeling people, places, or objects, but it can include categorical, associative, or emotive meanings (Nyström, 2016). According to Aldrin (2016, p. 382): “… the name is a marker of the identity of an object or a referent named.”

The data for this study was collected through observation, interviews, and questionnaires. The observation involved the selection and study of written sources and government documents regarding the inhabitants of Sukorejo, Ngasem, and Kediri or the alumni database of SMAN Negeri 1 in Kediri. From this dataset, we obtained 25 names in the traditional context and 25 names in the global context.

We conducted 20- to 30-min interviews with each informant. The participants were asked about the meaning of their children’s names and how their names were chosen. The information from the interviews was then used to supplement the other qualitative data. We recruited 11 persons to take part in the study. They were asked to complete a questionnaire. There were two groups of participants: a group of eight parents who had named their children, and a group of three who had confessed that they were Javanese cultural experts. Three of the interviewed cultural experts were not parents who had given names to their babies. The eight parents who were interviewed were parents whose children were born between 2016 and 2017. They talked about the meanings of their children’s names and how their names were chosen. The questionnaires were given to the parents of the children who were born between 2016 and 2017.

The collected data was processed by first grouping the name data according to the year of birth. For example, birth dates between 1940 and 1950 were categorized as names under the traditional context, while birth dates between 2016 and 2017 were categorized as names under the global context. Subsequently, the names were further organized (according to morphological structure) into three groups: (1) single word, (2) word combination, and (3) complex words.

Data analysis was performed by dividing the meaning of the names into units of word-forming structures. The etymology of personal names was then traced by using three dictionaries: Baoesastra Djawa (Poerwadarminta, 1939), which is a dictionary commonly used by Javanese native speakers, and Al Munawwir (Munawwir, 1984), a well-known Arab-Indonesian dictionary. Names originating from other languages were traced by using an English-Indonesian dictionary. All of the lexemes listed in the dictionaries and related sources were validated in the interviews. Finally, a semiotic analysis was conducted, based on the researchers’ interpretation of the thoughts in choosing their babies’ names.

Personal Names in Traditional Context

Choosing personal names in either a traditional or global context can be complex since it involves drawing on the name-givers’ real world experiences and their aspirations for their children. However, the differences between the thought behind the names, under the traditional context and those under the global context, indicate changes in naming practices.

We found that traditional personal names are taken from names of objects that can be organized into three groups: (1) concrete objects, (2) abstract objects, and (3) a combination of real and abstract objects. Modern names, by comparison, only consist of terms referring to a combination of concrete and abstract objects. Concrete objects are things in the real world that can be perceived by the five human senses, while abstract objects are those that are imaginary and cannot be perceived by any of the five senses (e.g., beauty, salvation, power, and attitudes). Structurally, a Javanese name can consist of one Javanese word or a combination of words. Names can be grouped into two categories. The first category is personal names that have lexical meaning, while the second category is personal names that solely serve as markers of identity and have no lexical meaning. Personal names with a one-word structure are not found in the names of children born in the global context between 2016 and 2017. Kuipers and Askuri (2017) revealed that Javanese names consisting of only one word are almost nonexistent.

The names Sujito, Suseno, and Harmadji are examples of names that have no lexical meaning. In other words, the names only serve as markers of identity (Nyström, 2016). In fact, Javanese names like these generally include a three-vowel structure with the vowel patterns u-i-a, u-e-a, and a-a-i being the most common (Uhlenbeck, 1982). The existence of names that have no lexical meaning indicates that the name-givers did not perform a complicated semiosis process. They merely drew on a convention concerning phonetic features (Uhlenbeck, 1982). As Aldrin (Aldrin, 2016) mentions, many name-givers choose a name purely based on convention.

The name Slamet is an example of a name that undergoes different processes of semiosis. The name Slamet is derived from a word that lexically means “safety, well-being.” For the Javanese, safety or well-being is a necessity of life that has to be sought in earnest, and one way that people can ensure they have it is by naming their children Slamet. The importance of this concept, for the Javanese, is reflected in many Javanese synonyms of slamet, such as raharja, rahayu, basuki, and waluya (Rahyono, 2015). In order to improve the likelihood for a 35-day old baby to be in good health and free from any illness, the baby's parents organize a series of prayer activities, called slametan, a ritual activity to bring about safety and wellness.

To Javanese parents, every child born in the world is priceless and to express their gratefulness for having a child, parents search for names that suggest that the child is of great value to them, such as the names Rukmini and Sulaksmi. The word rukmini can be structurally decomposed into two-word-forming constituents; namely, rukmi “emas” +ni. Rukmi is the name of a precious metal (“gold”), while the status –ni, attached to the word rukmi, still requires further research. In Javanese, there is a morpheme of the suffix –i with allomorph –ni, which has a grammatical aspect meaning. Since the word rukmini is the name of a woman, the form –i or –ni attached to the word rukmi can be classified as a female gender marker. Its corresponding male form is –na. Conventionally, the a is replaced with the vowel o, as in the name Setyono. In Javanese, the constituent –i or –ni, as a gender marker, is only found in self-names. Although there are bound morphemes that can be classified as gender markers, not all Javanese female or male names are marked with a gender marking suffix. While –ni is not a morpheme or suffix, it can be classified as a female gender marker, which is found in Javanese names. Its corresponding male form is –na. Conventionally, the a is replaced with the vowel o, as in the name Setyono.

A syllable-like constituent –na (in Javanese names written with the vowel [o] as in –no) acts as a marker of male gender. For women, the form becomes –ni, as in Setyani instead of Setyono. Aside from being a gender marker, this marker also means “something existing.” However, Javanese speakers often use short forms, so it is possible that the –na form is also a shortened form of the word ana “there is, exists.” Based on this analysis, the name Setyono is derived from the word setya and the short form of the word ana, and the name thus carries the meaning of “there is loyalty.”

The meaning of the name Rukmini is also metaphorical. More specifically, the lexical meaning of rukmi (“gold”) is metaphorically understood as “valuable”; thus, the name suggests that the child is precious. Lakoff and Johnson (1980) explained that metaphors are not just a matter of equating one thing with another, but involve conceptualizing one thing in terms of another. In the case of Rukmini, the conceptualization of gold as a precious object becomes the source of reference for naming a child. The nonproductive word abinawa, derived from Sanskrit, is found in everyday conversations. Lexically, abinawa refers to “new,” “young,” “amazing,” or “admirable” abstract objects (Poerwadarminta, 1939, p. 1). The choice of the name abinawa differs from that of Slamet in terms of its referents. Instead of an object, its source of reference is the concept of beauty or elegance. When the name is given to a child, it also indicates that the name-giver is from a higher social class.

Parents’ knowledge of traditional names will vary depending on their social status. Parents who have had exposure to the vocabulary of literary texts will likely have mastery over a larger range of choices of words that can be used as personal names for their children. As Smith (2017, p. 111) states, experience cannot be separated from the process of interpretation or any conceptual understanding. Parents who have not had the experience of studying literary texts during their education are likely to choose a name which denotes the meaning of safety and wellness, such as Slamet.

The names Widyaningsih, Hermanu, and Sarwaji reflect more complex conceptualizations, as these names are composed of two or more lexical constituents. The name Widyaningsih comes from the word widya “science,” the posessive marker ning “belonging to a third person,” and the word sih “love, warm feelings.” These complex names represent a more complex process of semiosis than that of the name Slamet. In this case, the names Widyaningsih “knowledge of love,” Hermanu “noble water,” and Sarwaji “worth everything,” are used to identify the children by referring to physical, abstract, and concrete objects associated with the names. Aldrin (2016, p. 383) states that in onomastic studies, name-givers and name researchers are likely to have different perspectives on the meaning of names. So, our understanding as researchers of the meaning of Widyaningsih, Hermanu, and Sarwaji may not be the same as that of the name-giver. According to one interviewee, the name Hermanu was solely used to distinguish the child from his older brother. However, the parents also mentioned that they hoped that, with such a name, their child would have a good life.

The use of the prefix su–, in personal names, is characteristic of Javanese names. Su–, which means “something good,” is gender neutral so it can be used to name both girls and boys. For example, the name Sulaksmi is formed from the constituent su– and the word laksmi “beautiful.” In this case, parents naming their daughter Sulaksmi would have these qualities in mind or hope their child would grow to be a person with these qualities.

Globally Informed Naming Practices

Modern Javanese names are names that draw inspiration from global influences. These names are not found in the form of a single word, nor are they found in the combination of two constituent structures combined into one word. Instead, they contain foreign loan words. The use of such words enables name-givers to combine two or more words into a single name. In this regard, the process of naming, in the traditional context, is more complex than that in the global context. In other words, in the traditional context, name-givers integrate objects and qualities to symbolize something meaningful, whereas, in the global context, the practical aspect of selecting names from foreign languages is of primary concern.

Names composed of multiple words are found in both traditional and globally informed naming practices. The difference between the two is the prevalence of the number of words that make up the name. More specifically, traditional names are dominated by a combination of two words, while globally informed names are dominated by a combination of three or more words. Examples of traditional names with a two-word structure are: Agung Prakasa, Kukuh Prasetyo, Seto Sudibyo, Joko Santosa, Surya Widodo, Sri Endah, Bambang Suwarno, Bambang Saptoadji, Bambang Sudarsono, and Nilawati Sugiarti.

Referentially, the words used in traditional personal names symbolize the referents of concrete and abstract objects. According to the Baoesastra Djawa (Poerwadarminta, 1939), examples of the lexical meanings of words that make up names, include: agung “great or abundant,” prakasa “strong,” kukuh “strong, not easily damaged,” prasetyo “promise of loyalty,” seto “the color white,” sudibyo “superior, possessing spiritual power,” joko “a young unmarried person,’ santosa ‘strong,” surya “the sun,” widodo “free from danger or disaster,” sri “light, great beauty,” endah “beautiful,” bambang “a strong, brave person, warrior caste (Hindu),” su-warno “a fine, handsome face,” sapto-adji “seven values,” and su-darsono “a good example, worthy of emulation.”

The positive values that are invoked in name-giving are fundamental to survival in life, both in its physical and spiritual needs. In order to “survive” (the meaning conveyed by the word widodo), a person must excel (agung, adji), have a certain role (surya, candra), and have power (kukuh, prakasa, santosa) or supernatural powers (sudibyo). Rahyono (2015) explained that Javanese culture teaches people that they must cultivate the ability to survive in the world with all its challenges. Thus, Javanese parents that prioritize this cultural ideal when naming their children, tend to follow the traditional practice.

In regard to semiotics, Danesi (2004, p. 20) stated that semiosis is the capacity of the brain to produce and understand signs. The selection of names, under the traditional context, can be seen as an example of semiosis rooted in Javanese culture. For example, the name Surya Widodo (for a boy) is marked with the words surya “sun” and widodo “congratulations.” In this case, “sun” (as a concrete object) and “congratulations” (as an abstract object) are used as thoughts in the naming. Hence, the name Surya Widodo reflects the parents’ hope that the boy will grow up to become a person who is capable of serving as an enlightener and protector of people.

The name Bambang Sudarsono, whose meaning is “the warrior who became a good example,” represents the parents’ hope that the boy will have a warrior’s spirit and be a good example or role model for others. In this case, the name-givers chose the name based on their positive expectations for their child. The same process can be seen in the name Bambang Saptoadji. The referent marked with the word bambang “warrior,” sapta “seven,” and adji “appreciated,” is the physical object of “a boy.” Overall, the name refers to the hope that the seventh child (with a warrior’s heart) will contribute to society and be appreciated by his people.

An interesting choice of name is Priyono Suryo Candra. The referents, in this case, are the physical objects “boy,” “sun,” and “moon.” The three lexical units (all nouns) do not structurally form a coherent unity of meaning, since they mean “the boy of the sun and the moon.” However, the name can be interpreted as “child who never ceases to bring light to others.” According to Kuiper and Askuri (2017), this meaning is a researcher-oriented meaning. Kuiper and Asukri’s ideas are not entirely true. In this study, parents who give names also have a semiotic orientation as a reference for choosing their children’s names.

Two-word compound names that are globally informed are found in the following names: Janeta Aurellia and Rahel Revalin. Three-word compound names include: Diajeng Galuh Asmara, Raditya Dirga Dwitama, Nicho Al Varo Saputra, Nathania Callista Putri, Lino Bastian Kusnadi, Satrio Dzamar Shakti, Annora Hevanika Andriani, Ronal Gavin Al Varo, Princess Varisha of Valent, Muhammad Al Lathif Khalifah, Ardiana Halimatus Saidah, Khai Al Javas Harmawan, Aguero Zafiro Abisa, Javier Nikola Paneo, and Aceline Shezah Farzana. Four word compound names are: Muhammad Arjuna Rizky Asmara, Sahila Umurina Nailatus Sa'adah, Sha Noah Jusuf Asnod, Moch. Schulhan Atho'ur Rochman, Achmad Zacky Maulana Ibrahim, Ganila Butsainah Maghani Harmawan, and Diandra Rizky Mulya Sari.

Based on population data records obtained by the researchers, the globally informed names were generally found among those whose parents were the descendants of Chinese migrants. Population data records were obtained from the population archives of the local government office at the research location. One example is the name Lino Bastian Kusnadi. In this case, the word kusnadi is combined with the words lino and bastian, both of which are not Javanese. The word kusnadi, which has no lexical meaning, is commonly used as a Javanese name for males. Thus, the name Lino Bastian Kusnadi becomes a marker of Javanese identity because of this last/third name. In another example, the names Janeta Aurellia and Aguero Zafiro Abisa can also be identified as Javanese. In these cases, Janeta Aurellia is the son of a husband and wife named Agus Susanto and Puji Saraswati, respectively, while Aguero Zafiro Abisa is the child of the husband and wife named Toetoes Soegiarto and Wanodya Pradana Paramita, respectively. Although their parents’ names are clearly Javanese, the parents chose not to use Javanese cultural words for their children’s names.

Another interesting finding includes two globally informed names that solely use Javanese cultural words that have lexical meaning: Diajeng Galuh Asmara and Raditya Dirga Dwitama. One interesting finding is that the names of only two of the children born between 2016 and 2017 used Javanese words. Each well-formed word has a lexical meaning, namely: Diajeng Galuh Asmara and Raditya Dirga Dwitama. Global influences embedded in both names include the use of the vowel /a/, which differs from traditional Javanese names that use the vowel /o/ with the sound [ɔ]. The choice of these two names indicates that the name-givers remained rooted in Javanese culture but also embraced non-Javanese influences. More specifically, the word diajeng is a greeting to women younger than the person giving the greeting. In addition to expressing a sense of affection, diajeng is considered to be a polite term. Meanwhile, the word galuh is used to designate two referents, namely, “princess/girl” or “gemstone,” while the word asmara means “loving, affectionate.” In the second name, the word raditya is commonly used in literary registers meaning “the sun,” while the word dirga is taken from a well-known Indonesian public figure, an Indonesian film actor. Moreover, the word dwi is used to denote that the child is the second born, while tama, the abbreviated form of utama “very good,” indicates that the parents want the child to have a good character.

The use of words from foreign languages does not always imply that the name-givers have proficiency in the foreign language from which the names are derived. For example, the parents of the children named Ronal Gavin Al Varo and Nicho Al Varo Saputra explained that they did not know the meaning of their children’s names. Similar cases of naming indicate that the choice of children’s names is not rooted in Javanese culture. However, it does not mean that the process of semiosis and thoughts about positive values are absent, only that the role of Javanese cultural vocabulary as a marker of identity, is not the main consideration and that parents favor signs from foreign languages. This also indicates a difference in the languages that are used as a reference in naming. For example, the name Kiandra Annaila was used to represent a reference to a successful leader. Similarly, we found the name Javier Nikola Paneo representing a reference to a prince.

An example of a globally informed name that uses Arabic vocabulary is Muhammad Al Lathif Khalifah. The name Muhammad refers to Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, who has exemplary characteristics, while the word al-lathif comes from the root word lathofa, meaning “soft, subtle.” Moreover, the word khalifah comes from the root kholafa, which means “leader.” In this case, the name-giver is referencing a revered figure in Islam.

In another instance, an Islamic figure and a Wayang figure from Javanese culture are combined. The name Muhammad Arjuna Rizky Asmara incorporates two qualities and two revered figures to identify the child: the word rizky, which means “sustenance” in Arabic, the word asmara “love,” Muhammad, the prophet, and Arjuna, a brave and wise archer in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Based on the lexical meaning of the name’s constituents, we can conclude that the reference is a conceptualization of reverence (Muhammad) and bravery (Arjuna). Structurally, the combination of the four words in the name does not form a coherent proposition. However, the entire name Muhammad Arjuna Rizky Asmara can be interpreted as good luck in life and love. The meaning interpretations meet the parental expectations for giving the names.

Finally, it is important to note that, among the global names found in this study, there were those that did not refer to any recognizable cultural, religious, or historical figure. Examples are the following names: Princess Varisha of Valent, Rahel Revalin, Lino Bastian Kusnadi, and Aceline Shezah Farzana. These names followed the same patterns of globally informed naming, but they did not refer to a recognizable figure or someone with high moral value to which we might perceive a metaphorical reference.

Aesthetic Considerations in Naming

The intensity of contact between the Javanese language and its culture and foreign languages and cultures occurring in a global context has resulted in a shift in reference when choosing personal names. Although, in general, the shift still takes into consideration positive values, there are still differences in whether a particular lexical meaning of the word is an important consideration in the choice of a personal name. In the traditional context, a personal name is a word that expresses a particular lexical meaning, whereas in a global context, name-givers do not attach importance to lexical meaning. Instead, their choices are oriented toward the names of public figures or the aesthetic value of the words.

Regarding the mastery of literary or archaic vocabulary, the choice of the names Diajeng Galuh Asmara and Raditya Dirga Dwitama indicates that the name-giver knows the meaning of the individual words used as the names of their children. Knowledge of literary vocabulary provides an opportunity for them to choose names. In addition to the variety of choices, the aesthetic aspect of language is also a consideration in naming. The use of archaic terms: galuh, asmara, raditya, dirga, and dwitama, which commonly appear in literature, presents an aesthetic element to name-giving.

In Javanese, beautiful language is referred to as basa rinengga, literally meaning “decorated language.” The element of beauty, in the Javanese language, is constructed by employing similar vowel sounds in a series of words to create assonance. Assonance, in a sequence of words in Javanese literature, is termed as purwakanthi (Rahyono, 2015). Traditional names, especially those consisting of two or three words, have a pattern of assonance called purwakanthi. Below are examples of assonances in a series of words, along with the phonetic symbols (IPA) of the vocal sounds contained in the names. The phoneme sound /a/–[ɔ] of the word raditya, for example, is similar to the phoneme sound /a/ of the word talk in English.

-    Raditya Dirga Dwitama

[a–I–ɔ I–ɔ I–ɔ–ɔ]

-    Agung Prakasa

[a–o a–ɔ–ɔ]

-    Seto Sudibyo

[e–ɔ u–I–ɔ]

-    Joko Santosa

[ɔ–ɔ a–o–ɔ]

-    Surya Widodo

[o–ɔ I–ɔ–ɔ]

-    Bambang Sapto adji

[a–a a–ɔ–a–I]

-    Bambang Sudarsono

[a–a u–a–ɔ–ɔ]

The beauty expressed through assonance is also found in modern names. The choice of foreign words used as personal names produces an assonance pattern similar to names in the traditional context. The following are some examples.

-    Nicho Al Varo Saputra

[I–o a–a–o a–u–a]

-    Nathania Callista Putri

[a–a–i–a a–i–a u–i]

-    Annora Hevanika Andriani

[a–o–a e–a–i–a a–i–a–i]

-    Ronal Gavin Al Varo

[o–a a–i a–a–o]

The use of assonance, in both traditional and modern names, reveals that aesthetics remains an important consideration for name-givers. Although the name-giver may have abandoned the vocabulary of Javanese, the element of beauty associated with assonance in purwakanthi remains a consideration in the selection of words. The blend of foreign and Javanese words indicates that among name-givers who choose modern names, there remains a sense of pride in using Javanese words and that the Javanese ethnic identity is still positively valued.

Conclusion

Culture is essentially dynamic, so it is not surprising that Javanese names that represent Javanese culture are changing. The occurrence of language and cultural contacts in the Javanese community in Kediri brings new influences that the parents take up in name-giving, even though their knowledge of foreign languages is limited. Although the same can be true for naming in the traditional context, parents generally chose words that characterized their identity as Javanese. Hence, the choices between the parents in the traditional context and those in the global context, indicate a significant difference in their sources of reference for naming.

Our findings showed that the number of words used in the names was not a major factor that determined the meaning complexity of the names. The names in the traditional context that were based on single words or a combination of two words did not represent less of an ability (or inability) to identify a child through a name. Conversely, modern names that were based on a combination of three words or more did not necessarily indicate that the parents wholly understood their meanings.

Finally, along with the growth of new knowledge coming from foreign languages and cultures, the names chosen in the global context showed diverse sources of reference. In other words, Javanese culture was not the only reference used to identify their children; foreign cultural values (e.g., noble values) were also used as a reference for the selection of names. In terms of the source of reference, foreign cultural references were found to be practical in the sense that names bearing these references did not function as ethnic identity markers; i.e., modern names are not necessarily rooted in Javanese culture.