The Cultural Conceptualization of Tetunese Society on the Existence of God as Almighty

Abstract

This study explores the relationship of Tetunese language and Tetunese culture belonging to Tetunese society as members of Tetunese ethnic group in viewing the world, as reflected in their cultural conceptualization regarding the existence of God as Almighty paying special attention to the forms and meanings of linguistic phenomena in the traditional of Tetunese language used in the cultural texts spoken in cultural domains. The study is viewed from the perspective of cultural linguistics, one of the new theoretical perspectives in cognitive linguistics exploring the relationship of language, culture, and conceptualization. The study is descriptive as its aim is to describe the cultural conceptualization of Tetunese society regarding the existence of God as supernatural power. The results of study show that both Tetunese language and Tetunese culture belonging to Tetunese society are closely related. The relationship is manifested their cultural conceptualization regarding the existence of God as Almighty as reflected in the traditional of Tetunese language, Nai fitun nain, Nai lakan nain “The King of the stars, the King of the Sun”. The forms and meanings of linguistic phenomena used in the traditional are specific to Tetunese culture as the parent culture in which Tetunese language is embedded. The meanings stored in the forms of linguistic phenomena designate that, in the cultural conceptualization of Tetunese society, God is the owner and rules of the entire universe as He is the King of the stars and the King of the Sun, as the source of light and warmth of life on this earth as a whole and the life of human beings as well.  The stars and the sun are culturally conceptualized in the cognitive map of Tetunese society as metaphorical symbols representing both the omnipotence and the omnipresence of God as Almighty.