Etnolinguistic Study of Healing Discourse in Buginese Traditional Healthcare

Abstract

This study examines the traditional healthcare practices of the Bila Village community in Amali Subdistrict, Bone Regency, South Sulawesi, through an ethnolinguistic lens. It focuses on how language encodes cultural knowledge related to healing, including the use of medicinal herbs, behavioral norms, and spiritual rituals. Central to this study is the exploration of local terminologies, metaphors, and oral expressions used in traditional treatments for beauty care, foot health, childbirth, and hygiene. These linguistic forms not only convey indigenous medical knowledge but also reflect the Bugis worldview concerning health, illness, and the human relationship with the natural and spiritual realms. By analyzing the intersection of language and healing, this research reveals how verbal practices serve to legitimize, transmit, and preserve traditional medical systems across generations. The findings suggest that acknowledging and integrating such linguistic-cultural dimensions into contemporary healthcare discourse could support more culturally responsive and holistic medical approaches in Bugis communities.