No ill will

No ill will

Commenting on the annoying remarks or calls made by some
Indonesian boys (men) experienced by C. Parry while jogging or
taking a stroll through a shopping area in Jakarta (The Jakarta
Post, May 21, 2000), I would like to give some advice.

First, don't be so easily annoyed when you are called or
greeted by Indonesian boys around you as they want to welcome you
as a foreigner but they do not know how to do it appropriately.

Please, note that they haven't learned much about English and
your cultural background, let alone about competent English
communication. It seems to me that those boys (men) have only
heard the words Miss, Mister, Madam, etc.

In my opinion, it should be your job to correct their misuse
of such words. Say, for instance, not Mister, please, but Madam!
This is a problem for Indonesians learning English as the
language social status in Indonesia is L3 (Language 3 or the
first foreign language). I believe you will not have the same
experience when you take a walk in Kuala Lumpur or Manila.

Another reason why they call you Mister may be due to the
phonological fact that those words belong to the homophonous
phenomena, that is two words or more which have the same sound
(pronunciation) but differ in both spelling and meaning, (Longman
1978). So, please do not have a prejudice towards the boys (men)
except when they interfere with you and this phenomenon differs
from city to city. Feel happy to live in this country with your
Indonesian husband. Enjoy the beauty of its nature and culture.

ODO FADLOELI

Cimahi, Bandung