Personal pronouns in the Ede language through the Epic of Dam San

Abstract

Personal pronouns are words that refer to people or things participating in the communication process. These words only have the function of addressing or replacing nouns, they are indispensable in communication. Choosing appropriate personal pronouns for communication roles is a strategy. To achieve that, communication participants need to determine a reasonable role for themselves. Ede personal pronouns in the Epic of Dam San are not many and most are neutral personal pronouns. The Ede people’s way of addressing by personal pronouns shows the cultural characteristics of a typical Austronesian people.