Aim and scope

The Indonesian Journal of Linguistics, Culture, and Communication is a peer-reviewed, open-access forum dedicated to publishing high-quality, theoretically robust research at the intersection of language, culture, and communication. The journal's primary mission is to provide a platform for scholarship that is not only empirically rigorous but also makes a clear and significant theoretical contribution to these interconnected fields.

We are particularly committed to advancing academic discourse by encouraging submissions that explicitly articulate their novelty and identify the specific research gaps they address. Moving beyond descriptive accounts, we seek articles that challenge, extend, or build new theory. A central and unique pillar of our focus is the exploration of these themes within the rich and complex tapestry of Indonesian culture, norms, customs, and belief systems. By foregrounding the Indonesian context, the journal aims to offer a crucial, non-Western perspective that enriches and diversifies global academic conversations.

We invite original research and review papers that explore, but are not limited to, the following areas, with a strong preference for work that contextualizes its findings within local cultural frameworks and elucidates their broader theoretical implications:

  • Language as a Foundation and Reflection of Culture: We encourage research that views language not just as a tool for communication, but as the very foundation for creating and maintaining human cultures. Submissions should explore how linguistic structures, practices, and differences reflect and perpetuate important cultural distinctions, norms, and belief systems. We are particularly interested in work that reveals the cultural conceptualizations embedded in Indonesian languages.

  • Cultural Linguistics and Worldview: This journal is a dedicated venue for the relatively new field of Cultural Linguistics, which examines the interrelationship between language, culture, and conceptualizations. We seek studies that analyze how cultural schemas, categories, and metaphors are encoded in language, shaping the worldview of specific Indonesian speech communities. This includes exploring the implications of these findings for second language learning (e.g., BIPA) and intercultural communication, highlighting how cultural gaps manifest in linguistic misunderstandings.

  • Language, Social Structure, and Local Wisdom: We publish research that investigates how language both shapes and is shaped by social structures. This includes studies on language and social learning, politeness strategies, honorifics, and speech levels that are prevalent in Indonesian societies. We are particularly keen on work that documents and theorizes the linguistic embodiment of local wisdom (kearifan lokal), customs (adat), and traditional belief systems, examining their role in maintaining social cohesion and navigating cultural change.

  • Language, Cultural Change, and Identity: In an era of rapid globalization, this journal explores the dominant role of language in transmitting culture and how cultural change is reflected in language. We seek research on language shift and maintenance, the negotiation of identity in multilingual and multicultural settings (e.g., interethnic marriages, urban communities), and the role of language in both preserving and adapting traditional norms in contemporary Indonesia.

  • Communication, Discourse, and Social Practice: We are interested in research that examines communication as a form of social practice. This includes studies on cross-cultural communication, intercultural communication accommodation, and the use of language in specific contexts such as traditional rituals, market negotiations, political discourse, and digital media. We value work that connects micro-level linguistic interactions to macro-level social and cultural patterns.

  • Language Teaching and Pedagogical Contexts: The journal considers research on language teaching that moves beyond mere methodology. We seek papers that theorize the relationship between language pedagogy and its cultural context. This includes studies on how language teaching at school (both Indonesian and foreign languages) can either reinforce or challenge cultural norms, and how curricula can be designed to foster genuine intercultural competence. The BIPA program, as a site of cultural diplomacy and exchange, is a particularly important context for such inquiries.

By centering the discourse on creating gaps, establishing novelty, and building theoretical contributions within the Indonesian cultural context, the Indonesian Journal of Linguistics, Culture, and Communication aims to be an indispensable resource for scholars, educators, and practitioners seeking to understand the profound and dynamic interplay between language, culture, and communication in one of the world's most diverse nations.