<![CDATA[This study aims to describe the referents and functions of swearing and to interpretively explain the power relations represented through utterances in Tulus Setiyadi's novel Pincuk Garing. The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach using sociolinguistic content analysis. The data consisted of twelve utterances containing swearing, mockery, ridicule, or negative labeling directed at the character Sthirawati. The data were collected through documentation and intensive reading and then analyzed using a classification of swearing referents, affective meaning, the SPEAKING framework, and the concept of symbolic power. The results show three operational referents, namely physical, economic, and social, with social referents as the most dominant. The functions of swearing comprise hatred in five data items, dissatisfaction in five data items, and surprise in two data items. Contextual analysis shows that purpose, speech sequence, tone, norms, and participant status determine the function of the utterance. The strongest power relations occur between employer and worker, village head and resident, and village official and resident. Interpretively, swearing in the novel is presented not only as an expression of emotion but also as a textual device that restricts criticism, weakens legitimacy, and contributes to the portrayal of stigma against an economically disadvantaged woman with a disability rather than a measured social effect.]]>
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