EXPLORING THE PORTRAYAL OF FEMALE CHARACTER IN MADURESE FOKLORE: AN APRAISAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

. This study aims to explore the attitude, emotion, and evaluative value of the female character of the Madure folklore Asal Usul Pesarean Aeng Mata Ebhu  by applying the Appraisal theory developed by Martin and White (2005), within the framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The appraisal theory is employed to analyse the interpersonal meaning of the text, in particular through the main three subsystems – Attitude, Engagement, and Graduation. Data in the form of clause and narrative discourse which contain the evaluation of the female character, that is Syarifah Ambami, who was also known as Rato Ebhu, were collected through the method of documentation, and analysed qualitatively. The result of the analysis shows that the representation of Rato Ebhu is dominated by the attitude type, particularly the affect, judgment, and appreciation category, which indicates that Rato Ebhu is presented as a woman who is obedient toward her husband, gentle, but is capable of making decision whenever facing moral conflict. Furthermore, the analysis on the folklore reveals that female character represents the center of morality and sprituality