The Listening Post

The Listening Post

"Building English Skills Through Newspaper + Radio"
Produced by American Language Center in cooperation with The
Jakarta Post and Radio Sonora FM 100.9 Mhz

* References, obscure or unknown, can cause you problems.
Language is, as everyone today knows, closely meshed in its
cultural context. If you want to understand the subtleties of
Latin, you should immerse yourself in the study of Roman history,
mores, and culture. You can become grammatically perfect in
Japanese in Jakarta, but chances are you won't understand the
subtle sense of unagi no nedokoro until you devote some time to
claustrophobic Kyoto.

* Kumpul kebo would most likely escape a student of Bahasa
Indonesia at Texas Tech, though he or she might well be "living
in sin," as they used to call it (before it became more popular
than getting hitched before a preacher). Indonesia, being a land
with a strong agricultural tradition, would find this an
appropriately disapproving way to describe what is traditionally
(and genteelly) described as a "common-law marriage." But this is
a more or less widespread reference. What about one that depends
on, well, just how hip you happen to be?

* "Shaken, not stirred." Even Dayaks in the remotest wilds of
Kalimantan have been exposed to the frivolous violence of James
Bond films, as some well-meaning citizen drags in a gasoline
generator and video player one evening. He is an icon of our
times, and thus a natural source for a modern literary reference:
extremely cultivated yet quick to get down and dirty. And, as
every Bondie knows (count me in), he likes his martinis prepared
just so... "shaken, not stirred" is how he describes them. Now
what if I use that reference in a contemporary context, say the
roller-coaster currency crisis we are besieged with at the
moment. Allow me to take you back to last Friday's The Jakarta
Post, and the headline at the top of the "Business and
Investment" section on Page 9.

* "Asian currencies shaken by doubts on RI plan" tells us that
markets of our regional neighbors look with some unease on
contemporary plans to fix the rupiah. "SINGAPORE (Reuters)
[that's the one Mark Rex calls "rooter"] Doubts about Indonesia's
plans to adopt a currency board system weighed upon Asian
currency markets on Thursday, putting an abrupt end to recent
gains." To which I might wince and moan, "Alas, shaken, not
stirred." That is to say, the effect on international currency
markets was alarming, and not "exciting strong feelings, as of
inspiration, rousing," as my trusty American Heritage College
Dictionary defines "stirring." It would be my version of a smart
comment, using a well-known movie reference. (And for those
readers who don't think it's so witty, I dare you to come up with
a better one if you can!)

* I'm obviously trying to be cool. The martini is undoubtedly
a cool drink. And James Bond too is cool (even if a lot of
feminists would like to run him down with his Aston Martin, for
the way he treats the ladies in his movies). So I use what I
think is a cool reference. "Try this... All you need to do is
mix 3 parts Gin (I'd plug a Brand-name if I had a sponsor...but I
don't... so just buy some good Gin), to 1 part Dry Vermouth
(again I would plug... but, hmmmmm, 'Martini & Rossi are you out
there??') shake with ice in a shaker (I'm a purist, remember?),
pour into a proper Martini glass, and finally and most
importantly, add a garnish: olive, lemon twist, or my favorite
the cocktail onion." This educational sermon on the Making of the
Martini comes from "Toward the Wet Martini" in the Tuesday, 17
February issue of SLATE's "wine's world" off the Net. How on
earth the flavor of the cocktail will reflect this subtle
difference is open to question, unless it is that by stirring the
mixture you will imperceptibly melt a bit more of the ice, before
you pour the drink into a cocktail glass. Talk about alchemy.

* Now I do hope that you loyal listeners are gently sipping
your Martinis as you listen in to The Listening Post this
evening, on the cool Radio Sonora FM100.9 at 8:15. We will alas
be surviving on kopi tubruk pahit in the studio, as we struggle
to build your powers of English listening.

* And as for SLATE, I want to plug it strongly for those of
you fortunate enough to be dancing upon the Internet. It is (for
the moment anyway) free, and I pop it up every morning when I
come into the ALC office, to apprise myself of news, events and
opinions, often with a very amusing and insightful twist. There's
talk that you'll have to pay $25 a year for this service at some
point in the future, but even at that price it's an excellent
source of information in English for you. Give it a hit at
HYPERLINK mail to: delivery@slate.com to see for yourself. And
tune in tonight.

-- Byron Black