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Article In: Journal of Asian Pacific Communication: Online-First Articles

The herbal medicine we live by?

Dialogic appraisal and cultural legitimization in Javanese herbal health discourse

 | Universitas Sebelas Maret
ORCiD logo with link | Universiti Utara Malaysia
 | Universitas Sebelas Maret
 | Universitas Sebelas Maret
 | Universitas Sebelas Maret
 | Universitas Sebelas Maret
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
This study addresses how Javanese kesarasan texts discursively construct cultural legitimacy for traditional herbal medicine (jamu), a practice central to indigenous health knowledge yet often marginalized by biomedical paradigms. By integrating Appraisal Theory with the Mixed Game Model, the research examines the evaluative language and dialogic strategies that negotiate authority between these knowledge systems. A qualitative discourse analysis of eight texts from Panjebar Semangat (2024–2025) reveals that legitimacy is built through a consistent pattern of unhedged positive Affect and Valuation, amplified by Graduation and asserted via monoglossic Engagement supported by communal attribution. These strategies function cooperatively to present jamu as an emotionally resonant, self-evident cultural truth, effectively closing dialogic space to competing perspectives. The study contributes a hybrid analytical framework to discourse analysis and offers practical insights for culturally sensitive health communication that acknowledges the persuasive architecture of traditional knowledge systems.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
  • 3.Methodology
    • 3.1Research design and contextual scope
    • 3.2Corpus profile and sampling criteria
    • 3.3Theoretical framework: Appraisal theory
    • 3.4Interactional analysis: The mixed game model (MGM)
    • 3.5Operationalization and reliability
  • 4.Analysis and findings
    • 4.1Linguistic and analytical conventions
    • 4.2Affect
      • Dimensions of Positive Affect
      • The mixed game model perspective —
    • 4.3Appreciation
      • The dominance of valuation
    • 4.4Graduation
      • Graduation through Force
      • The Absence of Focus
    • 4.5Engagement
      • Monoglossic Assertions and Shared Cultural Knowledge
      • Heteroglossic resources: Attribution and endorsement
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • References
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