Translanguaging in a Three-Party Podcast Space: Functions and Role Negotiation in “Dokter Tirta Ngomong Enggres”

Abstract

Research on translanguaging in digital spaces has expanded steadily. However, podcast studies within this body of work have largely focused on two-speaker configurations, leaving multi-party interactions with sharply differing sociolinguistic positions largely unexamined. This study addresses that gap through a qualitative single case study of “Dokter Tirta Ngomong Enggres,” a YouTube podcast episode featuring three speakers, host Raditya Dika, and guest Dr. Tirta Mandira Hudhi, and academic expert Prof. Liu. Twenty-two speech segments displaying translanguaging between Indonesian, English, and Javanese were purposively transcribed and analysed through García and Wei’s functional framework, then interpreted using Wei’s concept of translanguaging space. Findings show four recurring functions: technical meaning conveyance, identity and authority negotiation, familiarity and humour expression, and understanding confirmation, distributed unevenly across speakers according to their social position. Tirta displayed the widest linguistic range while negotiating his international competence, Raditya Dika used translanguaging primarily to bridge technical and lay language, and Prof. Liu showed virtually no translanguaging at all. Javanese served as an active third resource, specifically tied to humour and familiarity. The study extends translanguaging space theory beyond dyadic relations, demonstrating how three-party digital interactions generate relational dynamics that two-speaker models cannot fully capture.