Unprecedented Variation: A Sociophonetic Re-Indexicalization Of A Javanese Vulgar Lexeme /Jancuk/ Within Indonesian Digital Discourse

Abstract

This study investigates the sociophonetic variations and re-indexicalization of the Javanese vulgar lexeme /JANCUK/ within Indonesian digital discourse, specifically during live video game streaming sessions. Broadly categorized as a local sexual taboo or an Arekan regional solidarity marker in its native East Javanese baseline ([d͡ʒan.t͡ʃoʔ]), the lexeme has transformed into a trans-local digital slang particle among non-native speakers. Employing a descriptive qualitative-quantitative sociophonetic framework, this study analyzes audio corpus extracted from 10 non-Javanese digital streamers across various ethnolinguistic backgrounds using Praat spectrographic analysis and International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcriptions. The findings reveal a systematic departure from the native baseline toward hyper-orthographic re-velarization (shifting the coda from [ʔ] to [k̚] or [k]) and vowel raising (from [o] to [u] or [ʊ]). Non-Javanese speakers deploy diverse phonological processes—such as apheresis, de-affrication, homorganic assimilation, lenition, and duration elongation—to navigate interactional stances, perform gaming personae, and mitigate automated digital content moderation. Drawing on Silverstein’s indexical order framework and Eckert’s indexical field, this paper demonstrates how the lexeme shifts from a first-order sexual taboo and second-order Arekan regional marker to a third-order indexicality. Ultimately, the study highlights how digital ecosystems facilitate the linguistic re-indexicalization and naturalization of regional vulgarities into trans-local markers of gamer identity and youth solidarity.