Learn about some Indonesian-English false friends
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: What are some Indonesian-English false friends? |
| Blanca: And what are some words that are often used incorrectly? |
| Michael: At IndonesianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Karen Lee is shopping for clothes with her neighbor, Juniarti Gunawan. Juniarti gets Karen confused when she says, |
| "What a beautiful "lace!" |
| Juniarti Gunawan: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| Dialogue |
| Juniarti Gunawan: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| Karen Lee: Apa!? |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Juniarti Gunawan: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| Michael: "What a beautiful "lace!" |
| Karen Lee: Apa!? |
| Michael: "What!?" |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In this conversation, we hear Juniarti say, |
| Blanca: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| Michael: which means, "What a beautiful ‘lace!' ," Brokat in Indonesia is a type of fabric that is described as lace in English. It is not clear why Indonesians call this type of lace fabric "brokat" Although it sounds very similar to the English "brocade." a type of fabric that is characterized by a raised surface that makes up patterns. Brokat is very popular for special occasions and is in such high demand that every fabric store carries "brokat," Karen Lee then responds, |
| Blanca: Apa!? |
| Michael: which, in English, is "What!?" |
| Michael: In Indonesian, as in most languages, you will find false friends. These are words that appear to be cognates (or the same between languages), but, in fact, have two distinct origins. In Indonesian, this can be especially tricky since the Indonesian language also uses loanwords from other languages, including English. So, while cognates can help you get by in many ways, pay close attention to these red herrings. |
| Michael: In this lesson, we'll take a closer look at false friends between English and Indonesian. |
| Michael: For starters, let's take a look at the word, |
| Blanca: oblong. |
| Michael: In Indonesian, this means "t-shirt." but, in English, it is used to describe elongated shapes such as rectangles or circles; not a piece of clothing. We can also look at the word |
| Blanca: gang |
| Michael: which in Indonesian, unlike in English, refers to a narrow road or a corridor. Now, let's look at the word |
| Blanca: kos |
| Michael: sometimes written as |
| Blanca: kost |
| Michael: unlike the English word "cost," In Indonesia, this refers to a "boarding room." |
| Michael: There are many more false friends between English and Indonesian. Let's hear a couple more examples: |
| Blanca: kelas, |
| Michael: which resembles the English word "class," but, in Indonesian, it refers to a "classroom." And it can also mean "grade." So, Biology class in Indonesian is |
| Blanca: pelajaran Biologi |
| Michael: rather than kelas Biologi. Another interesting example is |
| Blanca: air, |
| Michael: which has the same spelling as the English word "air" but different pronunciation, not to mention that it means "water" in Indonesian. There are more, but these will give you an idea. Remember to double-check any word that may look similar to your native language just in case it's another sneaky false friend. Before long, you'll grow a larger vocabulary in Indonesian than you thought possible! |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after the native speaker focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how Juniarti Gunawan says "What a beautiful "lace!"" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Blanca: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Brokatnya bagus banget! |
| Michael: And do you remember how Karen Lee says "What!?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Apa!? |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Blanca: Apa!? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Apa!? |
| Cultural Insight |
| Michael: In Indonesia, |
| Blanca: artis |
| Michael: is commonly understood as a "star" or "celebrity." The word |
| Blanca: selebritas, |
| Michael: which means celebrity, was added to Indonesian vocabulary around the year 2000. Before that, people used |
| Blanca: artis, |
| Michael: meaning "artist" (as in a painter), to refer to actors/actresses and singers or bands. Now, Indonesians use both |
| Blanca: artis and selebritas. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Blanca: Dadah. |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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