Cultural Value and Linguistic Specificities of juk, nuê, adam dei, knai and jiăng in Ê-đê Language

Abstract

The Ê-đê people constitute the second-largest ethnic group in Tây Nguyên, also known as the Central Highlands. This community is remarkably unified in terms of ethnic consciousness, language, and culture. Alongside the Gia-rai, Ra-glai, Chu-ru, and Chăm ethnic groups, the Ê-đê people utilize languages that belong to the western branch of the Austronesian language family, falling under the classification of Cham subgroup languages. Within the Ê-đê culture, a variety of address words are employed for daily communication, resulting in a diversified range of usage. Notably, aside from the specialized class of address words, a non-specialized class is also utilized temporarily for addressing purposes. In this article, the author elucidates the structural, semantic, and pragmatic characteristics of certain distinctive address words utilized by the Ê-đê people in their communication. Through an analysis of dialogues present in the epic Đăm Săn, the study of these unique address words reveals their functional capabilities and habitual usage, thereby presenting key insights into the characteristics of Ê-đê ethnic culture, which is notably characterized by its typical matrilineal family-based societal structure.