Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts

Peace pacts, locally called “bodong” or “pechen”, are written bilateral agreements defining inter-tribal relationships in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Over the years, these peace pacts have gradually been codified by the Indigenous communities involved, thus producing Indigenou...

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Main Authors: Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen, Madrunio, Marilu Rañosa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2025
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/1/T%201.pdf
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author Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen
Madrunio, Marilu Rañosa
author_facet Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen
Madrunio, Marilu Rañosa
author_sort Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Peace pacts, locally called “bodong” or “pechen”, are written bilateral agreements defining inter-tribal relationships in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Over the years, these peace pacts have gradually been codified by the Indigenous communities involved, thus producing Indigenous legal documents. This study focused on identifying the linguistic features of Indigenous legal documents, specifically the written peace pacts of Sadanga, Mountain Province, Philippines, on three levels: lexical, grammatical, cohesion and context. Through document analysis, results revealed that similar to state legal documents, Indigenous legal documents exhibit archaism, the use of legal jargon and collocations, repeated occurrences of synonyms, and the use of “whereas” clauses. However, unique features that accommodate the needs and context of the Indigenous communities involved were also observed. These include code-mixing, coinage, use of active voice and simple sentences, brevity, mixed perspectives, and use of cultural key terms. These results show that by combining legalese with local language and local writing practices, the Sadanga Indigenous community produces a hybrid legal document that not only reflects their culture and tradition but also upholds authority that governs inter-tribal relations, maintains peace, ensures proper use of resources, and resolves conflicts.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:254472025-06-24T07:52:14Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/ Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen Madrunio, Marilu Rañosa Peace pacts, locally called “bodong” or “pechen”, are written bilateral agreements defining inter-tribal relationships in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Philippines. Over the years, these peace pacts have gradually been codified by the Indigenous communities involved, thus producing Indigenous legal documents. This study focused on identifying the linguistic features of Indigenous legal documents, specifically the written peace pacts of Sadanga, Mountain Province, Philippines, on three levels: lexical, grammatical, cohesion and context. Through document analysis, results revealed that similar to state legal documents, Indigenous legal documents exhibit archaism, the use of legal jargon and collocations, repeated occurrences of synonyms, and the use of “whereas” clauses. However, unique features that accommodate the needs and context of the Indigenous communities involved were also observed. These include code-mixing, coinage, use of active voice and simple sentences, brevity, mixed perspectives, and use of cultural key terms. These results show that by combining legalese with local language and local writing practices, the Sadanga Indigenous community produces a hybrid legal document that not only reflects their culture and tradition but also upholds authority that governs inter-tribal relations, maintains peace, ensures proper use of resources, and resolves conflicts. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2025 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/1/T%201.pdf Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen and Madrunio, Marilu Rañosa (2025) Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts. 3L; Language,Linguistics and Literature,The Southeast Asian Journal of English Language Studies., 31 (1). pp. 1-14. ISSN 0128-5157 https://ejournal.ukm.my/3l/issue/view/1804
spellingShingle Balisong, Krizza Mae Chagyowen
Madrunio, Marilu Rañosa
Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
title Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
title_full Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
title_fullStr Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
title_full_unstemmed Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
title_short Decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
title_sort decoding restorative justice: analysing the linguistic features of peace pacts
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/25447/1/T%201.pdf