SEMANTIC PERSPECTIVE ON MEANING CONSTRUCTION IN INTERGENERATIONAL CONVERSATION

Abstract

This study investigates how meaning is constructed and interpreted in an intergenerational conversation between an older boxing coach (over 60) and his younger student (aged 22). The research focuses on understanding how meaning emerges dynamically in everyday communication through speech acts, contextual interpretation, and interactional negotiation. Unlike studies that primarily emphasize misunderstanding or isolated speech act categories, this study examines the broader process of meaning construction in naturally occurring interaction. The conversation analyzed in this study centers on discussions about the life experiences, educational backgrounds, employment opportunities, and career trajectories of former boxing trainees.

This research employs a qualitative descriptive design using naturally occurring conversational data collected through audio recording in an informal setting. The conversation was conducted in Bahasa Indonesia to preserve authentic language use and natural interaction between participants. The recorded conversation was transcribed and analyzed using an integrated analytical framework based on Speech Act Theory, proposed by J. L. Austin and further developed by John Searle, supported by concepts from Semantics and Pragmatics. The analysis focuses on identifying speech acts, types of meaning, and interactional processes that contribute to meaning construction throughout the conversation.

The findings reveal that meaning in intergenerational communication is not fixed or directly transmitted through linguistic forms alone but is collaboratively constructed through interaction. Several types of meaning were identified, including literal meaning, implied meaning, evaluative meaning, experiential meaning, and clarificatory meaning. The findings further indicate that meaning develops through processes such as expansion, negotiation, contextualization, and interpretation. The older participant predominantly constructs meaning through narrative storytelling and experience-based explanations, while the younger participant actively contributes to meaning construction through questioning, clarification, and interpretation. These differences in communicative style reflect the influence of generational background on interaction.

Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of contextual understanding in interpreting meaning in everyday communication. Many utterances contain implicit meanings that cannot be fully understood through literal interpretation alone, requiring participants to rely on shared knowledge, experience, and situational context. The study concludes that meaning construction is a dynamic, collaborative, and context-dependent process, particularly in intergenerational communication. This research contributes to linguistic studies by offering a semantic perspective on how meaning is negotiated and developed in natural conversation, while also emphasizing the interconnected role of semantics, pragmatics, and speech acts in real-life communication.