Unripe Meanings: A Natural Semantic Metalanguage Analysis of Adjectival Semantics in Batak Toba

Abstract

This study explores the semantic structure of adjectives denoting the condition ‘unripe’ in fruits within the Batak Toba language using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) framework. The research aims to describe the core semantic components underlying the lexical meanings of tata, bibi, mongkol, and tangkual, which are used by Batak Toba speakers to describe different stages of fruit maturity. Data were collected through interviews with five native speakers who are elderly farmers in Dairi Regency, North Sumatra. The analysis reveals that each lexicon embodies distinct sensory, temporal, and evaluative components representing the community’s perception of fruit development. The adjective tata refers to a fruit that is physiologically large but immature; bibi describes an early stage of growth; mongkol indicates transitional maturity; while tangkual designates a durian that falls before complete ripening. All lexicons share the primitive concept SOMETHING NOT LIKE A RIPE FRUIT. The study concludes that the Batak Toba language encodes ecological and cognitive knowledge through subtle lexical differentiation, illustrating how language reflects agrarian experience and local environmental awareness.