<![CDATA[Traditional folk songs can function as cultural texts through which communities communicate and preserve moral and social values. This study examines how evaluative linguistic resources construct moral meanings in the Javanese folk song "Gundul-Gundul Pacul." Using a qualitative text-analysis approach, the study applies Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and the Appraisal framework to analyze the song's lyrics in terms of Attitude, Engagement, and Graduation, as well as ideational, interpersonal, and textual meanings. The findings show that the lyrics construct negative evaluations of arrogant and irresponsible behavior and represent the consequences of inappropriate leadership. Judgment is particularly evident in the evaluation of arrogant behavior, while Appreciation contributes to the representation of negative outcomes. The lyrics predominantly present evaluation directly, and repetition functions to strengthen the force and prominence of the moral message. These evaluative resources construct broader meanings related to leadership, responsibility, humility, and the consequences of arrogance. The study demonstrates that Appraisal Theory combined with an SFL perspective can provide a systematic linguistic account of how moral and cultural meanings are constructed in traditional folk songs.]]>
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