THE MEANING OF THE WORD YADUHU IN NIAS LANGUAGE: ANTHROPOLINGUISTICS STUDY

Abstrak

Yaduhu is a Nias language term used to translate the word "amen" in prayer.  A preliminary study conducted by researchers reveals that all translations of the Lord's Prayer in the 5 (five) dominant regional languages of North Sumatra Province—specifically, Batak Toba, Batak Karo, Batak Simalungun, Mandailing, dan Pakpak Daeri —render "amen" as "amen."  Uniquely, Nias is the sole language among these that employs a different term, yaduhu, instead of the word amen. This research aims to delineate the meaning of yaduhu and explore the cultural context that led to its adoption as the translation of "amen" in Nias liturgical practice. This study is a qualitative study, utilizing an anthropolinguistics approach. Data collection was conducted through interviews and literature study.  The data analysis process comprised three stages: 1) data reduction, 2) data display, and 3) conclusion drawing and verification.  The findings indicate that Christianity's introduction to Nias Island occurred with the arrival of the German missionary whose name is Lodewick Denninger, on September 27, 1865.  Subsequently, the work of Denninger was continued by Wilhelm Heinrich Sundermann. Sundermann dedicated the period from 1849 to 1919 to translating the Bible into the Nias language, followed by the publishing a Nias dictionary and grammar.  In his translation of amen, Sundermann opted for yaduhu, a term semantically equivalent to "amen," conveying affirmation and confirmation within the prayer context and serving as an expression of faith. Furthermore, the Nias language's characteristic of consistently concluding words with a vowel sound presented a phonological challenge with the word "amen."  Its pronunciation as "ami" would be unavoidable, yet "ami" also carries the meaning of "delicious." Consequently, yaduhu was selected, aligning with both the cultural and linguistic nuances of the Nias language.  It is recommended that yaduhu be retained in Nias language prayers to preserve the distinctiveness and identity of the Nias language.