A Forensic Linguistic Reading of Deontic Modality in Indonesian University Regulations

Abstract

Institutional legal texts function as administrative documents while simultaneously serving as arenas in which authority formulates obligations, distributes power, and shapes its legal subjects through specific language choices. This study analyzes the distribution and gradation of deontic modal markers in two Rector Regulations (Pertor) of Universitas Brawijaya issued in 2023, namely Pertor Number 108 concerning Brawijayan Character and Pertor Number 63 concerning the Student Code of Ethics, both of which were produced by the same authority yet operate through fundamentally different linguistic logics. Drawing on a forensic linguistic approach and a modified version of Palmer's deontic modality taxonomy adapted to the Indonesian marking system, a descriptive-comparative analysis was applied to all normative clauses in both documents. The findings reveal that Pertor 108/2023 is dominated by Mid Deontic Obligation markers at 96% of a total 25 occurrences, with no prohibition clauses whatsoever, while Pertor 63/2023 contains 89 deontic marker occurrences dominated by Hard Prohibition and Soft Prohibition at 63% combined, alongside Absolute Obligation at 22%. This contrast reflects two fundamentally different discourse strategies. Pertor 108/2023 functions as an aspirational law that shapes values through persuasion, while Pertor 63/2023 functions as operational law that governs behavior through commands and the threat of sanctions. These findings reinforce the urgency of forensic linguistic inquiry into institutional legal documents in Indonesian higher education as an underexplored field of analysis.