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