Learn about Indonesian honorifics
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Intro |
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| Michael: Does Indonesian have honorifics? |
| Blanca: And how do you speak politely in Indonesian? |
| Michael: At IndonesianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee goes to get a quick snack from a nearby food stand, and she greets the foodstand clerk, |
| "Morning...How are you?" |
| Karen Lee: Pagi... Apa kabar? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Pagi... Apa kabar? |
| Wisnu Wibisono: Baik, Bu. Bagaimana dengan Ibu? |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Pagi... Apa kabar? |
| Michael: "Morning...How are you?" |
| Wisnu Wibisono: Baik, Bu. Bagaimana dengan Ibu? |
| Michael: "I'm fine. How about you, ma’am?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: About every language in the world has a set code used to show respect and acknowledge others' positions and Indonesian is no exception. These tools are often referred to as honorifics, though the term can be understood in two ways. In the broader sense, honorifics may be used to denote any manner in which the speaker shows respect to the listener and acknowledges their status. However, in this lesson, we will treat honorifics in the narrow sense of the term, as a set of titles used to convey respect for position or rank when addressing the listener. So, how can we address people in Indonesian? |
| Michael: In Indonesia, as in most Southeast Asian countries, respect towards who’s older, not only one’s elders, is very important. Therefore, adult people are usually not addressed by their names or by using words such as |
| Blanca: kamu or Anda |
| Michael: which both translate as “you,” instead we have to use an honorific title such as |
| Blanca: bapak |
| Michael: which means “father,” and is commonly shortened to |
| Blanca: pak |
| Michael: This is used when addressing a man older than you, especially when talking to someone you know to be a parent. If you are talking to a significantly older woman, then the honorific is “mother”. In Indonesian, this is: |
| Blanca: ibu, |
| Michael: which is commonly shortened to |
| Blanca: bu. |
| Michael: One should also use the “mother” and “father” honorifics when addressing your teachers or older people you have business or formal dealings with. Let’s see an example: |
| Blanca: Bu Guru, saya ada pertanyaan. |
| Michael: This literally means, “Ms. Teacher, I have a question.” Female teachers are always addressed as |
| Blanca: Ibu Guru or Bu Guru, |
| Michael: even if they are young or not married. Male teachers are addressed as |
| Blanca: Pak Guru |
| Michael: literally “Mr. Teacher.” |
| If you are speaking to someone who is a stranger and seems to be a little older than you, then you can use the honorific |
| Blanca: kakak or kak |
| Michael: which can be translated as “older brother” or “older sister.” Honorifics are used also in public announcements, by duplicating them, so we have |
| Blanca: bapak-bapak dan ibu-ibu |
| Michael: literally translated as “gentlemen and ladies.” |
| If the announcement addresses a group of children, the honorific becomes |
| Blanca: adik-adik |
| Michael: which is the word meaning “younger sibling” repeated twice. For example, at an elementary school, a teacher could say |
| Blanca: Adik-adik sudah selesai mewarnai? |
| Michael: which means “Are you kids done coloring?” |
| [Recall 1] |
| Michael: Let’s take a closer look at the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen Lee says "Morning... How are you?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Blanca as Karen Lee: Pagi... Apa kabar? |
| Michael: In this sentence, there aren't any honorifics. It’s just a friendly way to greet the foodstand clerk. |
| [Recall 2] |
| Michael: Now, let’s take a look at our second sentence. |
| Do you remember how the clerk replies "I'm fine. How about you, ma’am?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Blanca as Wisnu Wibisono: Baik, Bu. Bagaimana dengan Ibu? |
| Michael: This literally means “Fine, ma’am. How about you, Madam?” So the clerk addresses his customer with the honorific title |
| Blanca: ibu |
| Michael: which, as we saw, literally means “mother” and can be used to address an adult woman. Now, what should have Karen used if the clerk was much older than her? In that case, she should have greeted the clerk as |
| Blanca: Selamat pagi Pak. Apa kabar? |
| Michael: which means “Good morning, Sir. How are you?” |
| Michael: Using honorifics, it’s important not only when addressing someone directly, but also when speaking about someone. To sound polite, you should avoid |
| Blanca: dia |
| Michael: which is the pronoun meaning “he, she, it,” and opt for the honorific followed by the name of the person. For example, imagine you’re telling your mother you met your teacher on the train. You would say |
| Blanca: Bu, tadi aku bertemu Pak Ahmad di kereta. |
| Michael: which means “Mother, I met Mr. Ahmad on the train.” Here, the speaker refers to the teacher as |
| Blanca: Pak Ahmad. |
| Expansion |
| Michael: Let’s say a bit more about the pronouns meaning “you” or |
| Blanca: Anda and kamu |
| Michael: The first pronoun mentioned, which is |
| Blanca: Anda |
| Michael: is considered formal, and it’s used in more formal settings. Meanwhile, the second pronoun, |
| Blanca: kamu |
| Michael: is casual and used only between young people of the same age, or by parents addressing their children. The same goes for the plural form of the pronoun “you” or |
| Blanca: kalian. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Blanca: Dadah. |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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