Pragmasemantic Analysis of the Meaning Shift of “Cilor Mau Cilor” in Indonesian-Korean Cross-Cultural Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the meaning shift and semantic meaning of the lexeme “cilor mau cilor” in the context of Indonesia–Korea cross-cultural digital interaction in February 2026 using a pragmasemantic approach. Data consisting of 14 netizen comments from platform X were collected through documentation techniques and analyzed using a descriptive qualitative method. The findings reveal that the expression underwent multidirectional and asymmetric meaning shifts between the two speech communities. Within the Indonesian community, the shift moved toward metaphorical amelioration and cultural identity reinforcement, transforming the phrase from a simple food offer into a conflict-avoidance strategy and cultural resistance. Conversely, the Korean netizen community (knetz) experienced pejoration and meaning distortion due to the absence of referential knowledge about cilor as a culinary entity and over-reliance on machine translation and AI, which generated false sexual connotations. The resulting semantic gap carried not only linguistic but also real social consequences for individuals involved, underscoring the critical role of cultural context in meaning interpretation across communities in the era of global social media.