LANGUAGE STYLE IN TOBA BATAK WEDDING CEREMONY

This descriptive qualitative research was focused on the existence of language styles in Toba Batak wedding ceremony in Medan. The objectives were to: (1) describe the language styles used in Toba Batak wedding ceremony, (2) explain the realization of language styles in Toba Batak wedding ceremony, and (3) discover why the language styles were used in Toba Batak wedding ceremony. To obtain the data, three couples of newlywed in Toba Batak wedding ceremony at Wisma Adat Lambok Medan were observed with photos and interview the informants. The analysis on language styles used in the wedding ceremony were based on Miles & Hubermans (1984), namely: data display, data reduction, and conclusion: drawing and verifying. The result of the findings show that three language styles were being used in the wedding ceremony, they were: formal style, frozen style, and consultative style. Based on the findings, some conclusions and suggestions are presented with the intention of the importance of appreciating ones culture in connection with language styles especially in Toba batak wedding ceremony. It is suggested that those who are in the charge of extending their knowledge on culture and language styles should touch and appreciate the presence of Indonesians cultures and can be used as a source of appreciation of other vernacular cultures and especially as valuable related materials in the instructional processes.