Language and Culture Notes
- The expression, Merah Putih, in the title of this article refers to the red and white of the Indonesian flag. The color red (merah) symbolizes courage and white (putih) symbolizes purity. The Majapahit kingdom, which ruled a vast area of the archipelago from the 11th to the early 15th centuries, also used the colors merah and putih for their banners.
- August 17 is a national holiday that celebrates the Indonesian Independence Day; thus, it is significant that the team plans to reach the summit of Mount Elbrus in Russia on that day.
- The article states that the team reached the summit on Sunday (1/8) which refers to August 1. In Indonesia the dates are written in the following order: date, month and year. Thus, if the year were included, the date would be written 1/8/2010.
- The connector bila (and apabila), meaning 'if', introduces a conditional clause in formal contexts such as in published articles. In informal contexts such as conversations the word kalau is more frequently used to carry the same meaning.
- As connectors, the words ketika and saat mean 'when' and are used in formal contexts. In more informal contexts, the connector waktu is used to carry the same meaning 'when'.