THE USE OF CONVERGENCE ON CENTRAL MARKET OF

OSOWILANGUN SURABAYA
Muhammad Ali Hamdany 122154051
dany_p46@yahoo.com

Abstract
Nowadays, in globalization era, Surabaya as one of the biggest city in Indonesia is
a destination for immigrant that there are many different cultures and languages. Then
they need convergence to accommodate their communication needs. Convergence is
part of communication accommodation theory. it is the way of people communication
with the change their language to be more similar with their interlocutor. In this study,
the author tries to analyze what the purpose of the people or buyer use convergence to
the seller in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya. Data obtained by the method
of observation and questionnaire. The subject is people or buyers that are shopping in
Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya. In conclusion, the buyers use convergence
because they want to get a lower and a good price from the seller.
Key terms: Convergence, Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya.

1 Introduction
Language is an important aspect for humans. Through language, people can
express what they feel. It also serves as a tool for people to communicate and
socialize with others. In globalization era, people are required to master more than
one language. Because in this era there are a lot of people do immigration. Indonesia
as a developing country is still not able to guarantee welfare in the whole region. With
technological developments, especially in transportation, it helps people to do
immigration to get a better life. Java Island is destination of immigrants to find work.
Especially Jakarta as the capital of Indonesia. But now the purpose of immigrant is
change in the city of Surabaya. Because Jakarta already too crowded now. As the
second largest city after Jakarta, today Surabaya city is a multilingual and cultural city
because many immigrants who come to this town to bring their own language and
culture. It is the reason for people to be able to master various languages. It is useful

to easier for them to communicate. But sometimes people need something that could
accommodate their communication goals.
Today, people

need

communication

accommodation

theory because

accommodation theory to accommodate their communication goal. Because

communication accommodation theory is the theory about the process of each
persons speech converges toward the speech of the person they are talking to.
Communication accommodation theory divide into two, the first is Divergence and
the second is Convergence. Divergence is a communication strategy of accentuating
the differences between you and another people. For example, when people meet a
new person, people will not change how people act or speak. While Convergence is a
strategy by which you adapt your communication behavior in such a way as to
become more similar to other people. For example when people meet a new person,
people will change how people act or speak to make similar with a new people. Both
of them are important to use when people do communicate with others.
People can communicate wherever they are, Such as at home, at school, at
work and also in the market. It is a place where people often do communication.
Especially in traditional market, because only in traditional market people can more
communicate such as asking price and bid price. In Surabaya there is one new
traditional market, it is Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya (PIOS) which
specialized in selling various kinds of agricultural products such as fruits and
vegetables. This market is located in the south of Surabaya and near the border of
Gresik. The sellers in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya there came from
various regions in East Java, but most of them are from Madura and buyers come
from the city of Surabaya and surrounding areas. Although most of sellers are from
Madurese. They can use Indonesian and Javanese language too. But some buyers
sometimes use Madurese language to communicate with their seller. It is convergence
because most of buyers are Javanese but they change their language when they
communicate with the seller. In this study want to find when and what purpose the
buyer do convergence in the traditional market.
2

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS

Indonesia as a developing country with high mobility that makes everyone

move to look for something better for her life. including immigrants. There are many
immigrants in the big cities Indonesia. terutamah big cities in Java. because java
almost all the velocity of money in Indonesia are in java. surabaya now become a
major destination for immigrants. it makes surabaya be multi-cultural city and
mulitilingual. So it there are multiple social communites. Therefore, Surabaya
indirectly required mastering more than one language to rejuvenate them to
communicate and interact. communication accommodation theory one needs to
accommodate their communication goals. see the phenomenon in society.
convergence is one of the most widely used by people.
According to Runciman (1998) Accommodation theory or "interpersonal
accommodation theory" has sprung from the awareness that speakers are not merely
"incumbents"
According to Giles & Coupland (1991: 60-61) accommodation is to be seen as
a multiply-organized and contextually complex set of alternatives, regularly available
to communicators in face-to-face talk. It can function to index and achieve solidarity
with or dissociation from a conversational partner, reciprocally and dynamically.
According to Byrne cited in Giles & Clair (1979: 47) we could contend that
the "universality" of convergence strategies may well point to people's perennial need
for social approval and mutual intelligibility, which is the underlying assumption
proposed by similarity-attraction theory. "The more similar our attitudes and beliefs
are to certain others", so the theory goes, "the more likely it is we will be attracted to
them"
According to Giles, Coupland & Coupland (1991), Convergence refers to the
strategies through which individuals adapt to each others communicative behaviors,
in order to reduce these social differences. The people wants to decreased social status
line in order to get more closer.
So communication accommodation theory, especially Convergence is
important in globalization era where Surabaya becomes multi culture and multilingual
society. Nowadays people commonly change their language so similar to the language
of their interlocutor. Convergence is not only about language but there are speech

styles, pronunciation and accent. Convergence makes people similar with other
communities and reducing the social distance in society. So people can be accepted
and become closer with their interlocutor.

4 METHOD and MATERIALS

This study will observe about use of convergence by the buyer to the seller in
Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya. The method is used to work this paper is
research observation. The data only concern on observation people or buyer that use
convergence only in Madurese language. The first step was an observation on Central
Maerket of Osowilangun Surabaya, because this location is one of the biggest market
that sell are fruits and vegetables in Surabaya. Moreover, a lot of sellers at that market
are Madurese. The next step was Questionnaire will be given to subject to support this
observation as data. In this observation, author will search and find a subject first.
After that the author will try to focus on convergence that they use. In the final of
observation, questionnaire will be given to support this data for this observation. This
research is observing when and what purpose the buyer do convergence in Central
Market of Osowilangun Surabaya.

5 RESULT and DISCUSSION

In this chapter the author will be discus about data analysis that already done.
Method observation the subjects are people or buyers are shopping with language
Madurese in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya. From the results of research
conducted by the author. Most of seller in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya is
from Madurese and some buyers sometimes change their language from Indonesia
language or Javanese to Madurese. From the observation, the data of conversation
between buyer and seller collected into scripts.
The script conversation between buyer and seller. Indonesia language to Madurese:
Buyer: Bu, jeruk ini berapa harga nya? (how much is this orange, maam)
Seller: Dupuloh limo ebu perkilo (twenty-five thousand per kilogram)

Buyer: pas nya berapa? Gak boleh kurang? (How much the price of fitting its?
can the price become lesser?)
Seller: tak ole dek, aria jeruk impor. (No, it cant son. This is import oranges)
Buyer: korang dhiddhik tak olle ghi bok? Gebe majer parkir(can the price be
little lesser)
Seller: yowes engkok potong du ebu wae dek. (it is ok, I give you discount
two thousand only, son )
From the conversation above, the buyer use convergence or changes the language
from Indonesia language to Madurese to be accepted or similar with the seller. For the
first time, she asked the price of orange to the seller with Indonesia language. Then
she tries to bargain the price but the seller does not want to lower the price. After that,
she changes her language to Madurese. She mentions korang dhiddhik tak olle ghi
bok? Gebe majer parkir it is to convince the seller with madurese. Finally, the buyer
succeeds get the lower price after she uses convergence.
The script conversation between buyer and seller. Javanese - Madurese:
Buyer: buk onok Lombok karo bawang poteh ta? (Are there any garlic and
chilli, maam?)
Seller: iyo adeh dek, mele berampa? (Yes, there are, how many?)
Buyer: Lombok karo bawang poteh sak kilo. (One kilo of garlic and chilli)
Seller: Lombok e pitokgpolo lemak ebu, bawang poteh e lemak ebu, dadi
sangk polo ebu (Seventy five thousand for chilli, fifteen thousand for
garlic,
Buyer: larang e, gak oleh kurang ta iku? (It is too expensive, can the price
become lesser?)
Seller: telu ebu wae yo, saiki Lombok pancen larang, barang-barang yo podo
mundak kabe iki. (Three thousand only, now chilli is expensive. and all
goods price rises)

Buyer: bok masak moso tretan dhibik tak bisa korang? mauh raa bok(we are
friends, can the price be lesser?)
Seller: yowes lah engkok berik potongan lemak ebu gawe bekna, nek liane yo
gak oleh.( it is ok. I will give you discount five thousand for you. For
other buyer than you, I will not give it)
Buyer: matur kasoon lo boh, mogi- mogi dagangana lako( thank you maam, I
hope you sell well)
From the conversation above, the buyer use convergence or changes the language
from javanese to Madurese to be accepted or similar with the seller. For the first time,
he asked the price of chilli and garlic to the seller with Javanese. Then he tries to
bargain the price but the seller only want to slight lower the price. After that, he
changes her language to Madurese. He mentions bok masak moso tretan dhibik tak
bisa korang? mauh raa bok to convince the seller with Madurese. Finally, the buyer
succeeds get the good price after he uses convergence.
So, from those subjects as material the author can observe that some people or buyer
who use convergence or change their language to becomes similar with the seller to
accommodate their conversation purpose, in this case bargain the price is more
succeed than people or buyer does not use convergence to gets a lower and good price
in traditional market in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya.
In the questionnaire method, the author gives the questionnaire to some buyers
in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya. The questionnaire is about background
of the buyer and the purpose of the buyer use convergence. Almost buyer in Central
Market of Osowilangun Surabaya come from Surabaya and surrounding areas, such as
Manukan, Branjangan, Perak, and also Kalianak regions. They originally use
Indonesia language and Javanese in daily activity, because most of Surabaya people
use those languages. But they sometimes change their language or convergence when
the buyer do conversation or bargain something with the seller in the traditional
market, usually they change from Javanese or Indonesia language to Madurese. A lot
of buyer learn and can speak Madurese from their environment. For examples, in their
environment there are many Madurese people that makes them often socialized and
heard Madurese such as the buyer from Kalianak and Perak that regions is there many

immigrant from Madura. Beside that they also learn from their friends. Those are the
factor that they can speak madurese. And the purpose of them use convergence is they
want to get lower and good price from the seller. If the buyers use convergence they
can become closer with the seller. So they will comfort and convenience with their
buyer.

6 CONCLUSION
In conclusion this study showed the data above, people in globalization era
indirectly have to mastery more than one language. Because in this era there are many
people come to big cities as Surabaya becomes destination for immigrant. It makes
Surabaya become multilingual city, where there are a lot of people that has own
culture and languages. And people need communication accommodation theory to
accommodate their communication goals. Especially convergence, it is the way of
people to be easily accepted and closer to a person or a new community with change
their language to be more similar to them. And convergence is often used by people or
buyers traditional market to get closer to the seller. If the buyer can be closer to the
seller commonly they will give the buyer lower or good price. So the purpose of the
buyer use convergence in Central Market of Osowilangun Surabaya is they want get a
lower or a good price from the seller.

REFERENCES
Giles, H. & Clair, R. 1979. Language and Social Psychology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Giles, H. & Coupland, N. 1991. Language: Contexts and Consequences. Keynes:
Open University Press.
Runciman, W. G. 1998. The Social Animal. Great Britain: Harper Collins Publishers.

APPENDIX

Questionnaire about the use of convergence in Central Market of Osowilangun

Surabaya that was given to corespondent who help this paper observation.
Question:
1. you are from the city of Surabaya and surrounding areas, what
regions?
A. Yes
B. No
2. What language that you use in daily activity?
A. Indonesian
B. Javanese C. madurese
3. Do you have an advantage when you using convergence?
A.
Yes
B. No
4. Do your communication objectives successfully when using the
convergence?
5. How you can speak Madurese language?
A.
Courses
B. environment

Answer:
The first buyer
1.
2.
3.
4.

Yes, Perak region

Javanese
Yes
Environment

The second buyer

1.
2.
3.
4.

Yes, kalianak region

Javanese
Yes
Environment

The third buyer

1.
2.
3.
4.

Yes, Manukan region

Indonesia language
Yes
Environment

The fourth buyer

1.
2.
3.
4.

Yes, Beranjangan region

Javanese
Yes
Environment