Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales
This thesis performs a comparative discourse analysis of two Kristang supernatural folktales, Churikati and Diabu di Mar/Hantu Laut, collected via linguistic fieldwork in Melaka, Malaysia. Ethnic and supernatural constructions often intersect, but are rarely examined through a linguistic lens. The e...
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| Format: | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| Language: | English |
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Nanyang Technological University
2023
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170024 |
| _version_ | 1826128230278496256 |
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| author | Mok, Elaine Wai Man |
| author2 | Alexander Coupe |
| author_facet | Alexander Coupe Mok, Elaine Wai Man |
| author_sort | Mok, Elaine Wai Man |
| collection | NTU |
| description | This thesis performs a comparative discourse analysis of two Kristang supernatural folktales, Churikati and Diabu di Mar/Hantu Laut, collected via linguistic fieldwork in Melaka, Malaysia. Ethnic and supernatural constructions often intersect, but are rarely examined through a linguistic lens. The eponymous act of unveiling refers to the local belief that those “born in the veil” are able to see spirits, while the ‘Other’ indexes both (i) the Kristang ethnolinguistic minority, and (ii) folkloric supernatural entities. In turn, Labov’s narrative analysis (2013) offers a framework for interpreting each story’s structural organisation vis-à-vis the overarching prevalence of horror stories in the region. Salient findings show that Kristang supernatural folktales defy regional conventions by varying their specificity of time and place. Such fluidity allows Kristang community members to negotiate their boundaries of home and cultural markers of identity, in resistance against the homeless and baseless label of the ‘Other’. Crucially, this conclusion expands upon the existing canon of Southeast Asian supernatural folklore, setting the precedent for further comparative studies and more creative forms of language documentation, revitalisation and cultural analysis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:21:32Z |
| format | Final Year Project (FYP) |
| id | ntu-10356/170024 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T07:21:32Z |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | Nanyang Technological University |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1700242023-09-12T07:46:53Z Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales Mok, Elaine Wai Man Alexander Coupe School of Humanities ARCoupe@ntu.edu.sg Humanities::Linguistics This thesis performs a comparative discourse analysis of two Kristang supernatural folktales, Churikati and Diabu di Mar/Hantu Laut, collected via linguistic fieldwork in Melaka, Malaysia. Ethnic and supernatural constructions often intersect, but are rarely examined through a linguistic lens. The eponymous act of unveiling refers to the local belief that those “born in the veil” are able to see spirits, while the ‘Other’ indexes both (i) the Kristang ethnolinguistic minority, and (ii) folkloric supernatural entities. In turn, Labov’s narrative analysis (2013) offers a framework for interpreting each story’s structural organisation vis-à-vis the overarching prevalence of horror stories in the region. Salient findings show that Kristang supernatural folktales defy regional conventions by varying their specificity of time and place. Such fluidity allows Kristang community members to negotiate their boundaries of home and cultural markers of identity, in resistance against the homeless and baseless label of the ‘Other’. Crucially, this conclusion expands upon the existing canon of Southeast Asian supernatural folklore, setting the precedent for further comparative studies and more creative forms of language documentation, revitalisation and cultural analysis. Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies 2023-08-22T07:49:09Z 2023-08-22T07:49:09Z 2023 Final Year Project (FYP) Mok, E. W. M. (2023). Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales. Final Year Project (FYP), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170024 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170024 en SoH22034 application/pdf Nanyang Technological University |
| spellingShingle | Humanities::Linguistics Mok, Elaine Wai Man Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales |
| title | Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales |
| title_full | Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales |
| title_short | Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales |
| title_sort | unveiling the other comparing discourses of kristang supernatural folktales |
| topic | Humanities::Linguistics |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/170024 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mokelainewaiman unveilingtheothercomparingdiscoursesofkristangsupernaturalfolktales |