konteks

Konteks is a term used to describe the set of circumstances that surround a statement, event, or idea and that help determine its meaning. It encompasses physical surroundings, social relationships, prior discourse, cultural norms, time, and background knowledge. By providing these surrounding factors, konteks clarifies what is being referred to and how it should be interpreted.

Etymologically, konteks comes from the Latin word contextus, meaning “a joining together” or “connection.” In Indonesian usage, the term has broad application across linguistics, communication, law, and everyday speech, where meaning often depends on more than the isolated words themselves.

In linguistics, konteks is often analyzed in different layers. Co-text or linguistic context refers to the surrounding words or sentences that guide interpretation. Situational context includes the physical setting, speaker relationship, and purpose of the communication. Cultural and historical contexts encompass shared knowledge, norms, and time-specific references that influence how statements are understood.

Practical examples illustrate its importance. The word bank can refer to a financial institution or a riverbank, and only context disambiguates the intended meaning. In everyday talk, a sentence like “Dia datang segera” may convey different implications depending on whether it is said during a crisis, a formal meeting, or a casual chat.

Konteks informs interpretation across fields such as linguistics, communication studies, law, education, and information technology, where understanding surrounding factors is essential for accurate meaning, analysis, and response.