Sights and scenes to keep you amused in Jakarta's traffic jams

Sun, 06/14/2009 12:11 PM  |  Headlines

Traveling along a densely busy street on Jakarta's southern periphery, I read the word "photocopy" on a sign in front of a small shop. It seems there is a need for a new style of English-Indonesian dictionary, one that Indonesians, who have a great sense of fantasy when it comes to spelling foreign languages, sorely need. "Photocopy," was written "poto copi".

Well, I thought, why not? We Indonesians have no letter "f" in our alphabet, so everything written with an "f" or with "ph" is pronounced as a "p".

So Arifin will be Aripin, Rauf will be Raup, Fatimah will be Patimah and King Faruk will be King Paruk. So too are many words of Spanish origin (P C Barcelona). You name it.

However, some people are doing the reverse, that is, they hypercorrect, so what should actually be pronounced "p" will be changed to an "f." Take the word "parfum".

One day, speaking with a member of the newly bred socialite set about the latest perfumes, she kept saying "farpum" instead of "parfum" because she was changing the f to a p and the p to an f; she thought that was how it should be pronounced. In any case, I liked the scent of her perfume which matched her sporty dress by Faco Rabanne, excuse me, Paco Rabanne and shoes by Perragamo (Ferragamo) bought in Flaza (Plaza) Senayan.

While she was speaking, I was secretly observing her, not only because her hypercorrectness made me smile all the time, but because she must have been dressed head to toe in items from couturiers and world-famous shoe and bag makers whose names begin with the letter f? Oh yes, then she took out a purse from Pendi (Fendi).

Going back to the above sign, on my way further toward the center of metropolitan Jakarta I was counting the signs on shops offering photocopying services and I was really surprised by how many ways there were to inform clients they could have their documents photocopied.

There is foto copi, then photokophy, poto koppi, photo chopi, fotho copi, poto coppi and more. Really amusing. It may not be Oxford English, but you know, with so many diffi culties in daily life, having something to smile about is healthy, or so said the lady who does my refl exology.

However, it is not only Indonesians that hypercorrect. A Japanese friend of mine always says, "Saya mau pelgi ke lumah, Yani" instead of "Saya mau pergi ke rumah Yani". ("I want to go to Yani's house.") There is no letter "l" in Japanese as in the Indonesian alphabet, so to make it right she changes the "r" to an "l."

Another thing that amused me during the long drive into Jakarta's central district is the football afi cionados among those driving a "truck".

A truck is a vehicle, a means of transportation between towns near and far and the truck drivers write their favorite things, whether the name of an girl they admire, a mother's prayer or the name of their preferred football club, on their rear windscreens.

There was a P (F) C Barcelona and Real Madrid written next to each other on a truck's rear window. The driver obviously does not mind that these two football champions are the "best" of foes!

Do you want more to amuse yourself during a seemingly terrible Jakarta traffi c jam? Go beyond the Central Business District and explore Jakarta's narrow streets in the more rural areas, or send a letter to the governor, Pauzi Bowo. Excuse me, sir, your honorable name actually begins with an "f" but "real" ethnic Betawi say Gubernur Pak Pauzi Bowo.

By the way, I myself sometimes pronounce an "f" as a "p." My security guard's real name is Syafei. But, as all his neighbors call him Pii, I do too. He doesn't even react if I call him by his real name.

After an amusing hour in a traffic jam, I reached my destination and went up the escalator of Flaza Senayan to the putkort (foodcourt), as my driver says, to meet a friend.

- Surya

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