On language mistakes

I was intrigued to read a letter from Soegito referring to the incidence of "unnecessary errors and mistakes" in The Jakarta Post (May 2, 1997). In particular, I noted his comment on the "many semantic and grammatical errors" found in the Indonesian- English version of the Sunday crossword puzzle, and his suggestion that it would be better if one who makes the puzzles completely masters both languages.

I am the author of these puzzles. I have enjoyed intimate contact with the English language for more than 65 years, but far less with Indonesian. There is still much that I have to learn about both. With particular regard to the Indonesian language, though, I invariably consult dictionaries and other references and enlist the assistance of an Indonesian native speaker in my endeavor to make the puzzles as realistic as possible. I do this, of course, with an intentional indirectness in the clues so that a challenge remains for puzzlers.

Nonetheless, I appreciate the advice offered by Soegito. Therefore, may I suggest that he provide me, through this column, more outstanding examples of "semantic and grammatical errors", to which he refers, in order that my mastery of both languages may improve and that errors may be diminished in the future.

FRANCIS R. DENSON

Jakarta