A preliminary description of the discourse marker ba(h): An interactional particle in the region of Tarakan, North Kalimantan

Abstract

This study investigates the Indonesian discourse marker ba(h), a prominent yet understudied linguistic element in Tarakan, North Kalimantan. Despite its widespread use, little is known about its pragmatic functions and role in interaction, particularly in stance-taking and common ground management. The article frames ba(h) as an epistemic marker, highlighting its role in signaling the speaker's direct source of knowledge in the described actions, thus enhancing stance display in conversation. The analysis draws on a 263 min documentary corpus of informal verbal interactions, examined within their broad interactional context, including speakers' cultural backgrounds. Thirty-four instances of ba(h) were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Ba(h) is identified as having the prototypical meaning of marking direct source of knowledge. This core function dialogically enables speakers to (1) denote the speaker's figurative location in speech; (2) indicate visual source of information; (3) express shared cultural knowledge; (4) navigating common ground and reintroduce stances evoked in previous turns. The study situates ba(h) within the framework of pragmatics, advancing the understanding of interactional particles and their roles in epistemic marking and stance-taking, while contributing to a broader understanding of epistemic marking and knowledge asymmetry across languages. Additionally, it offers valuable data for future comparative studies of different Indonesian and Malay varieties, fostering further exploration in diverse linguistic ecologies and contexts.