Representing Corruption and Arabic Terms in Online News: An SFL Transitivity Study
Keywords:
Arabic term, corruption representation, online news, systemic functional linguistics, transitivity
Abstract
This study examines the portrayal of corruption and the use of Arabic terms in four online news articles published by Kompas.com and Detik.com in May–June 2017. The case involved a member of the House of Representatives from the PKS faction, Yudi Widiana Adia, who was suspected of using Arabic terms as code in communications related to bribery surrounding road construction projects in Maluku and North Maluku. Adopting a qualitative-descriptive approach grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), this study focuses on the transitivity system within the ideational metafunction to analyze how each media outlet linguistically constructs the same corruption incident. The findings indicate that Kompas tends to represent corruption through material processes that position the actors as the agents of the action, whereas Detik more frequently employs verbal processes that position the source as the primary speaker. This difference also influences how Arabic terms are represented in the context of corruption. These consistent linguistic patterns indicate a difference in editorial orientation between the two media outlets in their coverage of the same corruption case, although broader generalizations require a more extensive corpus analysis.
References
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Suparno, D., Rokhim, M., Chairul, S. F., & Atih, I. (2025). Islam Nusantara in song: Transitivity benchmarking on Qasidah Nahdliyah. Studia Islamika, 32(2), 279–312. https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v32i2.46438
Suparto, A. D. (2018). Transitivity analysis on framing in the online news articles. Ranah: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, 7(1), 16–32. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v7i1.586
van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A multidisciplinary approach. SAGE Publications.
Wijayanto, & Masduki. (2024). "Polite watchdog": Kompas and watchdog journalism in post-authoritarian Indonesia. Journalism, 25(3), 610–628. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612231196155
Wiratno, T. (2018). Pengantar Ringkas Linguistik Sistemik Fungsional. Pustaka Pelajar.
Wulansari, A., & Mazid, S. (2024). Revealing the ideology of documentary film Dirty Vote: Critical discourse analysis with transitivity perspective. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 8(1), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v8i1.1441
Aisaro, K., & Suhardi. (2023). Transitivity and context of the situation in the news text. Britain International of Linguistics Arts and Education (BIoLAE) Journal, 5(2), 99–110. https://doi.org/10.33258/biolae.v5i2.891
Asad, S., Mohd Noor, S. N. F. B., & Jaes, L. B. (2019). Transitivity analysis of election coverage in online newspapers of Malaysia & Pakistan: A study with critical discourse analysis & systematic functional linguistics' perspective. Amazonia Investiga, 8(21), 168–176. https://amazoniainvestiga.info/index.php/amazonia/article/view/85
Atriana, R. (2017, June 8). Gunakan Liqo' dan Juz untuk Kode Korupsi, ini Alasan Politikus PKS [Berita daring]. Detik.com. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3524535/gunakan-liqo-dan-juz-untuk-kode-korupsi-ini-alasan-politikus-pks
Bednarek, M., & Caple, H. (2012). News discourse. Continuum.
Budiawan, & Mulyani. (2025). Ideology, resistance, and sociopolitical dynamics in Indonesia: Media narratives and resistance discourses on the chairman of the corruption eradication commission's corruption case. Frontiers in Communication, 9, Article 1552110. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2025.1552110
Damayanti, A. A., Hidayat, D. R., & Karlinah, S. (2025). Media dan bahasa: Analisis framing Entman terhadap Prabowo–Gibran dalam The Straits Times. Aksara, 37(2), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.29255/aksara.v37i2.4897.365-381
Dewi, O. C., Heriyanto, H., & Citraresmana, E. (2021). Transitivity system on Prabowo's representation in British online article: A critical discourse analysis approach. Metahumaniora, 11(2), 236–247. https://doi.org/10.24198/metahumaniora.v11i2.35493
Eggins, S. (2004). An introduction to systemic functional linguistics (2nd ed.). Continuum.
Eriyanto. (2002). Analisis framing: Konstruksi, ideologi, dan politik media. LKiS.
Fairclough, N. (1995). Media discourse. Edward Arnold.
Fauzan, U. (2022). Strategies for applying systemic functional linguistics in critical discourse analysis on the news "Scenario Ferdy Sambo" in online media Kompas and Tempo. Eurasian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 8(3), 142–153. https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.803012
Fitri, N., Artawa, K., Satyawati, M. S., & Sawirman, S. (2021). Transitivitas dalam teks peradilan Indonesia: Kajian linguistik fungsional sistemik. Diglosia: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, Sastra, dan Pengajarannya, 4(2), 139–148. https://doi.org/10.30872/diglosia.v4i2.116
Fowler, R. (1991). Language in the news: Discourse and ideology in the press. Routledge.
Gabrillin, A. (2017a, May 22). Politisi PKS Gunakan Bahasa Arab saat Bicarakan Uang Suap [Berita daring]. Kompas.com. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2017/05/22/20460521/politisi.pks.gunakan.bahasa.arab.saat.bicarakan.uang.suap
Gabrillin, A. (2017b, June 8). Alasan Politisi PKS Gunakan Bahasa Arab saat Bicarakan Uang Suap [Berita daring]. Kompas.com. https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2017/06/08/13302691/alasan.politisi.pks.gunakan.bahasa.arab.saat.bicarakan.uang.suap
Gómez-Jiménez, E. M., & Bartley, L. V. (2023). 'Rising number of homeless is the legacy of Tory failure': Discoursal changes and transitivity patterns in the representation of homelessness in the Guardian and Daily Mail from 2000 to 2018. Applied Linguistics, 44(4), 771–790. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amac079
Gumperz, J. J. (1982). Discourse strategies. Cambridge University Press.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. M. I. M. (2014). Halliday's introduction to functional grammar (4th ed.). Routledge.
Marchetti, R., & Stanziano, A. (2024). Politicizing corruption on social media. International Journal of Communication, 18. https://doi.org/10.1177/02673231241253942
Martin, J. R., & Rose, D. (2003). Working with discourse: Meaning beyond the clause. Continuum.
Moody, S., & Eslami, Z. R. (2020). Political discourse, code-switching, and ideology. Russian Journal of Linguistics, 24(2), 325–343. https://doi.org/10.22363/2687-0088-2020-24-2-325-343
Muhammad, M. (2024). Analyzing process types in Nigerian newspapers political headlines using systemic functional linguistics (SFL) transitivity approach. International Journal of Linguistics, 6(4), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.47604/ijl.3039
Nguyen, T. (2025). Media discourse analysis: Understanding language, power, and public perception. Global Media Journal, 23(76). https://doi.org/10.36648/1550-7521.23.76.505
Perdana, N. Y., & Zamzamy, A. (2025). Framing media dalam kasus korupsi oleh PT Pertamina Patra Niaga: Analisis komparatif Tempo.co dan Antaranews. JIIP: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 8(9), 10497–10501.
Permatasari, A. N., & Yuanti, E. E. (2026). Language use and media framing in the Pertamina corruption case in national and international media. Jurnal ASPIKOM, 11(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.24329/aspikom.v11i1.1709
Piga, A. (2023). Systemic functional linguistics in the rhetorical strategies of persuasion: A longitudinal study of transitivity and ergativity in the rhetoric of Saras' sustainability reports. International Journal of English Linguistics, 13(4), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijel.v13n4p1
Prasetia, A. (2017, May 23). Istilah Arab Diduga Jadi Kode Korupsi, Ini Kata PKS [Berita daring]. Detik.com. https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3509024/istilah-arab-diduga-jadi-kode-korupsi-ini-kata-pks
Sari, E. M. P., Santosa, R., Djatmika, & Wiratno, T. (2024). Examining social actors in investment fraud news: A transitivity and appraisal analysis. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 14(7), 2189–2199. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1407.23
Sukiman, S., Santoso, A., & Taufiqurrahman, F. (2023). Sistem transitivitas dalam wacana berita Tragedi Kanjuruhan Malang. Stilistika: Jurnal Pendidikan Bahasa dan Sastra, 16(2), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.30651/st.v16i2.16184
Suparno, D., Rokhim, M., Chairul, S. F., & Atih, I. (2025). Islam Nusantara in song: Transitivity benchmarking on Qasidah Nahdliyah. Studia Islamika, 32(2), 279–312. https://doi.org/10.36712/sdi.v32i2.46438
Suparto, A. D. (2018). Transitivity analysis on framing in the online news articles. Ranah: Jurnal Kajian Bahasa, 7(1), 16–32. https://doi.org/10.26499/rnh.v7i1.586
van Dijk, T. A. (1998). Ideology: A multidisciplinary approach. SAGE Publications.
Wijayanto, & Masduki. (2024). "Polite watchdog": Kompas and watchdog journalism in post-authoritarian Indonesia. Journalism, 25(3), 610–628. https://doi.org/10.1177/19401612231196155
Wiratno, T. (2018). Pengantar Ringkas Linguistik Sistemik Fungsional. Pustaka Pelajar.
Wulansari, A., & Mazid, S. (2024). Revealing the ideology of documentary film Dirty Vote: Critical discourse analysis with transitivity perspective. Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 8(1), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.31002/metathesis.v8i1.1441
Published
2026-05-31
How to Cite
Mu’izah, H., Sayogie, F., & Abdullah, A. (2026). Representing Corruption and Arabic Terms in Online News: An SFL Transitivity Study. Indonesian Journal of EFL and Linguistics, 11(1), 157-173. https://doi.org/10.21462/ijefl.v11i1.1040
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Articles
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