Language as medium of instruction, plays important roles in human’s life. As a text, language has many elements to realize meaning. The roles of language are functional by having principles of how language fulfils human’s needs in life. With reference to roles (functions) played in society, language has three functions or meanings-representing or relating experience, exchgnging experience and organizing experience. One of the three functions (representing or relating experience) termed as ideational function is elaborated in the following approach.
Alas is one of the Indonesian ethnics that owns its specific traditions and culture. One of its traditions is to give advice. As a value system of life, advice is needed in every stage of activity, for instance, in marriage, circumcision, study, and death. Parents give advice to their daughter when the daughter is taken to her husband’s house after wedding party (this is called marriage advice). Uncle utters advice to his nephew when he is to be circumcised (circumcision advice). Parents articulate advice to their children when they will go to continue their studies (study advice) and religious teacher delivers advice to family members when one of the member(s) passed away (death advice).
As the location of this research was tanoh Alas, most of material examples in this book were in Alas, Indonesian and English. This book is prepared for English learners and the students of English Department, Faculty of Teacher Training (FKIP), University of Muslim Nusantara (UMN) Al Washliyah Medan. This book is written based on the experience of the writer while conducting research in South East Aceh. All expressions were noted and documented. Since the speakers’ expressions in metafunctions of Alas vary contextually, the writer rewrote the notes and used them as the main materials of this book.