The Intersection of Speech Surrogacy, Speech Melody, and Tonal- Drumming in Minangkabau Pasambahan Ritual Speech

Abstract

This study examines the complex integration of speech substitute systems

in the traditional pasambahan (ceremonial speech) of the Minangkabau

people of West Sumatra, Indonesia. Pasambahan is a highly structured

ritual speech genre used in traditional ceremonies, characterized by its

metaphorical language, specific prosody, and melodic contour (spoken

melody). The study hypothesizes that pasambahan not only employs

paralanguage but also operates as a nuanced speech substitute, where its

structured melodic patterns (spoken melody) and its codified

representation in talempong pacik (handheld gong) (pitched percussion)

performances from complementary communication systems. Through

ethnographic fieldwork and multimodal analysis of audio-visual

recordings of wedding and inauguration ceremonies in Luhak Nan Tigo,

This study elucidates how the prosodic and melodic features of spoken

Pasambahan are systematically mapped onto the pitched percussion

patterns of talempong. These findings suggest that this tripartite

relationship between ritual speech, its inherent melody, and its

instrumental substitute serves to enhance social status, reinforce

cosmological concepts, and delimit ceremonial knowledge, thereby

perpetuating socio-cultural authority. This research contributes to a

broader theoretical understanding of speech substitutes by depicting their

manifestation not in a stand-alone drum language but as embedded within

the complex performative speech genre itself.