Language and Culture Notes

1. In sentence two of the letter, the mother, Ibu Sumirah, refers to her children as Mbak Rita and Mas Wawan, thus using the address terms mbak and mas. Note these are the address terms that her daughter Ndari (the recipient of the letter) would use when referring to her older siblings, Rita and Wawan. It is a common practice when writing letters to use the perspective of the recipient when referring to people.
2. The word dapat is used three times in this letter as an auxiliary verb meaning can or able to. This use of the word dapat is found most often in formal contexts both oral and written such as in a newpaper article, letter, or speech. In more informal contexts, such as in casual conversations, the auxiliary verb bisa is more frequently used in Indonesia.
   
   This formal auxiliary verb, dapat, should not be confused with the main verb mendapat (often reduced to dapat in informal contexts), which means to get or obtain. For example, Dia (men)dapat pekerjaan baru.
3. The opening greeting and closing expression used in letters vary, reflecting the relationship between the writer and the recipient as well as the purpose of the letter. In this lesson, the mother’s letter to her daughter who is living overseas opens with the greeting ‘Ndari sayang’ meaning my dear Ndari. The word sayang literally means love or affection. Mother closes the letter with Ibu sayang meaning your loving mother. The closing sayang is used among family members (most commonly by women) and between intimate friends. Some common informal opening greetings used between non-intimate friends include: 'name + yang baik', 'Mas/Mbak/Dik + name', or 'Halo + name'. A common neutral closing is salam literally meaning peace but more generally meaning greetings or regards. Between good friends the following closings are also used: salam kompak, salam manis, and salam hangat.

4. The mother’s opening sentence in the letter is Ibu merasa bersyukur karena Ndari kelihatan sudah dapat menyesuaikan segala sesuatu di sini. (Mother is grateful because Ndari appears to have adapted to everything here.) Mother writes menyesuaikan segala sesuatu omitting the direct object diri (self). In this case, the word diri is implied. Note that on the Kosakata page at the end of this lesson, the complete phrase menyesuaikan diri (the verb and its direct object) are given to show the explicit and grammatically correct expression.

   The use of the adverbal phrase di sini in the first sentence is worth noting. 'Ibu merasa bersyukur karena Ndari kelihatan sudah dapat menyesuaikan segala sesuatu di sini.' Mother uses the word, sini (here) rather than the word sana (there) when referring to Ndari’s location overseas. This use is based on the same principle as described in Language and Culture note 1 regarding the point of view of the letter writer. Mother uses the point of view of the recipient of the letter (Ndari) when referring to location. Mother chooses to take Ndari’s perspective saying that she is happy that Ndari has adapted to everything ‘here’ rather than ‘there’. The choice of the recipient’s perspective is a sign of politeness.