Unveiling the 'other': comparing discourses of Kristang supernatural folktales

Abstract

This thesis performs a comparative discourse analysis of two Kristang supernatural folktales, Churikati and Diabu di Mar/Hantu Laut, collected via linguistic fieldwork in Melaka, Malaysia. Ethnic and supernatural constructions often intersect, but are rarely examined through a linguistic lens. The eponymous act of unveiling refers to the local belief that those “born in the veil” are able to see spirits, while the ‘Other’ indexes both (i) the Kristang ethnolinguistic minority, and (ii) folkloric supernatural entities. In turn, Labov’s narrative analysis (2013) offers a framework for interpreting each story’s structural organisation vis-à-vis the overarching prevalence of horror stories in the region. Salient findings show that Kristang supernatural folktales defy regional conventions by varying their specificity of time and place. Such fluidity allows Kristang community members to negotiate their boundaries of home and cultural markers of identity, in resistance against the homeless and baseless label of the ‘Other’. Crucially, this conclusion expands upon the existing canon of Southeast Asian supernatural folklore, setting the precedent for further comparative studies and more creative forms of language documentation, revitalisation and cultural analysis.