ABSTRACT
The Bawean ethnic group is known as the “Boyans”. The Baweans have been identified as a group with a deep ethnic consciousness in terms of their language and culture. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of the language and culture of the Bawean ethnic group. This study used a qualitative approach, particularly the ethnography of communication inquiry. The Bawean society is enriched with multi–ethnic groups such as Javanese, Madurese, Bugis, Mandailing, Banjar and Palembang. Merantau (migrating) has been a unique local custom of the families living on this island. Historically, early settlers were immigrants from different regions or islands. The adoption of other cultures and languages shows a typical acculturation pattern, which is one of the distinct characteristics of the Bawean society. Therefore, the Baweans regard themselves as a unique society and consider their language to be different from the Madurese language.
