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indoglish
Because I use a lot of Indo on this mostly English site, here's some lingo for the uninitiated:abang=big brother
ade/adek=younger sibling (gender neutral)
bete/bt=a negative emotion, usually irritation or a bad mood
cewe/ce=slang for girls
cowo/co=slang for boys
ja'im (jaga imej/image)=guarding your social image
kakak (pronounced kaka')=older sibling (gender neutral, or female, depending)
--kak (ka')=honorific for older siblings or 'sempai'
kuliah/kul=college
gwe (sometimes gw, gue)=slang for I or me
SD=elementary school
SK (sometimes es-ka; setia kawan): solidarity, loyalty (among friends) skul=school
SMA=high school
SMP=middle school
TK=kindergarten
wa=slang for I, me (same as 'gwe')
what are all those 2s? this is shorthand for a 'kata ulang' or repeated word. ngakak2 is read ngakak-ngakak= laughing very hard
any words that need to be added?
November 13th, 2005
sprechen (or something like it)
Because German is a language I know well enough to understand, but nowhere near well enough to, you know, flaunt.
Sure, if I were in Germany I would use it, but only because there would be no other communication option than maybe gesticulating madly. Maybe mime.
I most certainly would not engage in a German version of the following:
bule-person: So where are you from?
me: NY. And Jakarta
person: Oh, Jakarta. Apa kabar?
me: *twitch*
I mean, what do they want? A cookie? Am I supposed to be impressed? Awe-struck? What? Because what it really does is illicit insta-dislike. I know I whine about my peeves an awful lot, but this is probably the only one that'll make me despise a person from the get-go. When people try the I-know-a-phrase game, usually I just ignore it and answer in english anyway.
Sometimes I think I should respond in rapid-fire gaul, but that might be too much of a payoff. I'd hate for them to think one could ever mistake them for someone who'd speak Indo well enough.
And, even if its nothing to do with me, I feel the same way about the guy in the burrito place, who insisted on ordering in crappy Spanish, taking forever to estoy and esta and probably sounding like a dipshit while he did it and held up the line. That goes double for obvious fangirls in sushi dives with their 'watashi wa's and 'desu's.
I mean, if one doesn't speak a language well enough to speak it, then can't one just keep it to oneself? Unless a situation demands its use, I mean. I feel somewhat more positive about bules speaking Indo in Indonesia than I do when they try to use it as a conversation piece stateside.
rurounibug ; 02:50 AM|4 replies
Divi Augusti (guest)
Jeffster83
I don't think I elicit instant dislike, although I can't be sure, because after all, I am the customer, and I presume they want me to come back and spend more money in their fine establishments.
I'd never use a French phrase to a Parisian, because they are so snotty about their language, but I would to any other francophone. Are people who speak Bahasa Indonesia as snotty as Parisians when orang asing try to use their language? ;)
There is a philosophy of learning languages that advocates using the language at every possible opportunity. Perhaps naïvely, this philosophy assumes that Ausländer are pleased that an American would put forth the effort. So many2 Americans refuse to learn a single word of any other tongue, it is surprising to find one who does.
I'm curious to know how you think someone should learn another language if they are never to use it until they can use it perfectly?
rurounibug
If someone comes to America, they're expected to learn english as a matter of fact, but when Americans go overseas they make their own little American ghetto and build International Schools instead of having their kids learn the local language and go to local schools the way they expect, say, Mexican immigrants to when they come to the US.
So if someone's been to Indonesia and lived there awhile, I expect them to know some phrases. Why should I be pleased/impressed that they bothered to stick their nose outside of the Western Haven of Kemang to learn a local word or two?
And anyway, what am I supposed to say to randomly dropped Indo words? Why can't "I lived there" or "I've been there," be the response to "I'm from Jakarta"?
*rants*
I dunno. I just don't like it. Even my family tells me its a pretty random reaction, so I'm not really defending it as logical or anything. It just rubs me the wrong way, is all.
Jeffster83
