<![CDATA[The degradation of coastal ecosystems and the decline of local languages threaten the loss of ecological knowledge embedded in indigenous linguistic expressions. This study aims to examine the representation of maritime cosmology through the ecological lexicon used by coastal communities in Bangkalan, Madura. Employing a qualitative field-linguistic approach within an ecolinguistic framework, data were collected through observation, semi-structured interviews, recording, note-taking, and documentation involving native speakers, traditional fishermen, and community leaders in Arosbaya and Tanjungbumi. The data were analyzed through referential and extralingual matching methods by identifying, classifying, and interpreting ecological lexicons in relation to their environmental, social, cultural, and spiritual contexts. The findings reveal eleven categories of ecological lexicon representing marine and coastal landscapes, wind directions, currents and waves, sea seasons, marine biota, coastal vegetation, fishing gear, fishermen’s activities, natural markers, maritime rituals, and maritime values and taboos. These lexicons function not merely as naming systems but as repositories of ecological memory that encode local knowledge, cultural values, adaptive strategies, and ethical principles in interacting with the sea. The representation of maritime cosmology is reflected in six interrelated dimensions: ecological, economic, social, spiritual, linguistic, and philosophical. The study demonstrates that ecological lexicon provides a linguistic representation of the coastal community’s worldview and contributes to the development of an Ecological Lexicon-Based Maritime Cosmology Model for understanding the relationship between language, culture, and the marine environment.]]>
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