Reply to Aida Greenbury<\/p>\n
In your article under "Sounding Off" in The Jakarta Post
\n(Sunday, May 30), you said you were "sick of so-called
\nnationalists relaying biased criticism about Indonesian people
\nwho prefer English to Bahasa Indonesia in their daily
\ncommunication" and you maintained that "Bahasa Indonesia is
\nlimited, not very flexible, its initial vocabulary is very basic
\nand to catch up with more modern language development, it has
\nderived words from foreign languages, mainly English".<\/p>\n
Then you challenged us to translate "The lingering flavor of
\nCaesar Salad Soup in my mouth gave a sensational zest of velvety
\nyet crunchy coz leaves and anchovy" into Bahasa Indonesia and all
\nyou could come up with was the "lame" word enak.<\/p>\n
Poor you, the "Caesar Salad Soup" (whatever that is, even in
\nEnglish) must have made you tongue-tied in Bahasa Indonesia. (I
\nhave had Caesar Salad and soup but never a combination of both).
\nThrow in a bit of "velvet" and "anchovy" (which is stinking dead
\nfish in a tin) in your soup, and you were lost for words (and
\nanybody would, under that kind of culinary torture).<\/p>\n
Add "crunchy coz leaves" to the bowl, and you went straight to
\nyour computer to complain to the Post (which is a newspaper, not
\na restaurant or a language commission). And "the so-called
\nnationalists" you lambasted aren't talking about taste buds but
\nattitude.<\/p>\n
But I will take up the challenge. I believe the whole sentence
\ncan actually be translated nicely into Bahasa Indonesia as enak
\n(or, enak banget, or just enaaak with the smack of the tongue).
\nOne word for us (plus a facial gesture) and 22 (twenty-two) words
\nfor your Queen's language.<\/p>\n
You see, Ms. Greenbury, language is part of culture and is
\n"functional" to that culture only (in other words, what is not
\nneeded, there isn't any need for a word for it): so you don't
\nhave the word hara-kiri in your language and you can still live
\nhappily ever after, because you don't kill yourself that way;
\nterasi is "shrimp paste" to you because you think it is made of
\nshrimp (only) and "paste of one-million dead fish" to the Papua
\nNew Guineans (because they don't eat it and don't like the smell
\nof it). In some languages, to express more complicated meanings,
\nthey also choose accents, emphases, gestures, facial expressions
\nand other "body languages", unlike your Queen, who always adds
\nanother word (and maintains a "stiff upper lip").<\/p>\n
ZIAD SALIM
\nMataram, West Nusa Tenggara
\nNote: "Sounding Off" is intended to provide space for people to
\nexpress their views -- and complaints -- about a variety of
\nsubjects, and thereby stimulate dialog among the Post's community
\nof readers. We thank you for your input.<\/p>\n
--Editor<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/reply-to-aida-greenbury-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }