A Study of Form, Meaning and Fuction of Sikka Proverbs

As the part of Indonesia, Sikkanese (Sikka regency people) use their local language in daily communication aside from Bahasa. It is one of strategies to preserve and inherit the culture. There are some forms language which used by Sikkanese in communication and Proverbs is one them which still exist until today. Unfortunately, nowadays many Sikkanese are not familiar with the meaning of several Proverbs, so it leads to several misunderstanding and misinformation. The aims of this study were: (1) to describe the forms of proverbs used by Sikkanese, (2) to find out the meaning of Sikkanese proverbs, (3) to describe the functions of Sikkanese proverbs. The research method of this study was descriptive qualitative method. The data were obtained by interviewing some informants and then recording the spoken data by using a reliable mp3 sound. The procedures in analyzing the data were: 1) transcribed data from oral text into written text, 2) listed and cross-checked the data collected, 3) analyzed the forms, meanings and function of Sikka proverbs and drew the conclusion. Based on the data analysis, it could be concluded that there were four types of Sikka proverbs such as thimble, aphorism, simile and metaphoric which used in daily communication. Moreover, this study revealed that Sikka proverbs contained several norms, advice, warnings, smooth satires which were used to teach and educate Sikkanese.