The Balinese Lexicon of Prapen and Memande as an Evidence of Domain Shift and Ethnolinguistic Vitality

This research deals with the examination of the vitality of the Balinese lexical items on Prapen and Memande in Denpasar. It was designed to discover the nature and form of the domain change, its intergeneration transference, and its implication for comprehensive ethnolinguistic vitality. The data were obtained from a distinctive group of blacksmiths (Pande) in Denpasar City, Bali Province, through interviews and questionnaires. The analysis was carried out quantitatively to determine the forms of shift, and the application of the ethnographic technique was also implemented to support the analysis. The results showed that although it is presumed to have high cultural significance, the Prapen and Memande domains are at the level of unsafe. It is claimed that the negative vitality of the Prapen and Memande domains do not impact the vitality of the overall Balinese language. The linguistic ideology that strengthens the cluster identity of Pande (the Black Smiths) at the vast-community rank is not tangled to Memande, yet relatively to the belief and identity. This article also argues on the extralinguistic factors that subsidize the changes in the Prapen and Memande domains caused by modern socio-economic, and technological development.