Syntactic Structures of Indonesian and Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo) in Song Lyrics

Abstract

This study aims to describe and compare the syntactic structures of Indonesian and Indonesian Sign Language (Bisindo) in song interpretation. A descriptive qualitative approach with a case study design was employed. The data consist of clauses or sentences from Indonesian song lyrics and their representations in Bisindo gloss, obtained from a video interpretation of the song “Selalu Ada di Nadimu” on TikTok. The data were analyzed using intralingual and extralingual matching methods based on Indonesian syntactic theory, focusing on constituent order, negation system, and the realization of grammatical elements. The results show that Indonesian tends to use a linear structure with relatively fixed order and explicitly realized grammatical elements. In contrast, Bisindo demonstrates flexibility in structuring elements, with a tendency to place the main information at the beginning. Negation in Indonesian appears before the negated element, whereas in Bisindo it tends to occur at the end as emphasis. Some grammatical elements in Indonesian are not realized in Bisindo, yet meaning remains comprehensible. Validation results indicate that the glosses align with natural Bisindo usage. Overall, structural differences do not hinder meaning transmission but reflect different ways of organizing information across modalities.