Azhong Comes From Taiwan (A writing practice)

[azhong]

Hello, ladies and gentlemen here:

This is my first post, after my gaining knowledge of Indonesian in this blog these months through your plentiful posts. Thank all who ever contribute to this blog; you are my language teachers not only of bahasa Indonesia but also of English. Saya sangat berterima kasih.

Therefore I'd also like, in my response, to post something for my language pactrice and for your fun, or to laugh maybe. Below is a short paragraph written in my poor bahasa Indonesia and my poor English, a very brief introduction of my country, Taiwan. You will see my bahasa indonesia is far away from what I need now to express what I want to say. Any correction, not only for my Indonesian but also for my English, from any friends is sincerely appreciated and will surely be much helpful to improve my language. Thanks in advance for your kind help, for spending your precious time on my terrible writing.

Sincerely yours,

Azhong

===(Below is my writing: Azhong Comes From Taiwan)

Apa kabar semuanya:
(How are you, everyone: / Hello everyone:)

Assalam mu'alaikum.
(How are you.)

Saya nama Azhung, dari Taiwan.
(My name is Azhong, from Taiwan.)

Taiwan adalah di tenggara yang Asia, sebuat pulau yang dekat Hongkong , Mainland China, di selatan yang Jepang. Psati di atas laut dan di bawah langit.
(Taiwan is at the south-east of Asia, an island which is near Hongkong, mainland China, and at the south of Japan. Of course over the sea and under the sky. ^_^ )

Bentuknya pulau Taiwan kelihatanya seperti 'sweet potato'.
(The shape of Taiwan island looks like a sweet potato.)

'Sweet potato' adalah sebuah tanam bahwa punya hidup tenaga yang kuat; Itu tumbuh yang mudah, nggak usah tertalu dijaga.
(Sweet potato is a kind of plant that has strong life; it grows easily without delicate caring needed. )

Tanam ini terus jadi sebuat metafora yang sangat penting untuk orang-orang Taiwan, terutama ketiga nogmong tengang sejarahnya kolonial yang tidak senang selama ratus-ratus tahun baru-baru ini.
(This plant is then become a very important metaphor for taiwanese, especially when mentioning about its unpleasant colonial history for these recent hundred years. */*)

Sampai taraf tertentu kolonial itu sejarah yang Taiwan adalah agak spertinya yang Indonesia, sejauh saya tahu.
(To some extent the colonial history of Taiwan is rather like that of Indonesia, as far as I have known. )

Maskipun di Taiwan juga sperti di kebanyakan negara ada berberapa dialect-dialect, orang-orang Taiwan semuanya mengerti dan bisa bicara dalam bahasa mandarin. Orang yang berusia belum lima phluh tahun juga pernah diajarkan bahasa Inglis di waktu sekolah.
(Although Taiwan just like most of the countries has several dialects, all Taiwanese understand and can speak Chinese. People of age less than fifty are also ever taught English at school.)

Sangat ingin tahu kesan Pak dan Ibu tentang negara saya dan bangsa-bangsa saya, bagus dan buruk, kalau ada. Terutama kesan yang buruk.
(I desire to know your impression of my country and my people, for both good and bad, if any. Especially bad impression.)

Dapakah saya dikasih tahu? Terima kasih banyak.
(Am I honored to be told? Thank you very much.)

Salam,
(Greetings,)

Azhong

[Desmond]

azhong, 你好。

蠻不錯! Not bad at all!

I hope you wouldn't mind just a little suggestion before we talk about your post.

Assalam mu'alaikum.
(How are you.)

Though understood perfectly, due to religious belief, I'd suggest not to say this if you're not sure about the person's religious view. Some Muslims here don't really like to hear a foreigner or someone who is not Muslim greets them in Arabic. Some Muslims, on the other hand, are happy to hear this. Therefore, I'd suggest 'apa kabar' which is neutral.

By the way, Indonesian word for 'sweet potato' is ubi. There is a joke about a foreigner who wanted to say "I'd like to order a fried sweet-potato snack" but he misplaced the ubi to ibu and ended up saying "Saya mau pesan ibu goreng" = I'd like to order a fried mother.

Anyway, thumbs up for your post. Despite some minor grammatical mistakes, your post is perfectly understood. Well done!

[azhong]

Halo Desmond:

Thanks for your reply. I, with my pool language ability, am really flattered by your heart-warming encouragement. Will I get a “LEB(an)ON” Literature Prize by this article? Your good joke provide me a luxurious pleasure to memorize a new word with laughters. Perhaps you have known a similar joke in Chinese, ‘sleep’(Sue4 Jiau4) and ‘dumpling’(Sue3 Jiau3). Seriously speaking, thanks very much for the culture information Desmond, as precious as a diamond. During culture intercourse unexpected bonus coins are always hidden here and there. Expect any correction from you and from other friends here; a student is curious about the teacher’s comments on the returning report. And I am glad and ready to be requested any time any help I can provide. Again at last, I appreciate happily your bright reply, the stars shining in the sky.

Wishes,

Azhong from Middle Taiwan
Chen24365@gmail.com

==== P.S.: Two rude requests are below.=============
Request 1: Can you help me teach Indonesian Chinese( mengajarkan orang2 Indonesia bahasa Mandarin)?
[To the other friends: this paragraph might be nothing related with learning Indonesian.]
(1) Do you, or any other friends here, happen to know any on-line free mp3 audio materials teaching practical Chinese? Materials teaching Chinese in Indonesian are the best choice, however those in English or in Chinese might also work.
(2) Could you share with me your precious experience of learning Chinese as an Indonesian, and provide me some suggestions how to help Indonesian learning Chinese efficiently?
(Desmond, Thumbs up also to you that you can handle my native language well; but I’ll continue writing in my poor English just for the fear that some other friends here cannot read Chinese.)
There are some Indonesian who work as labor workers at my town. I am now trying to teach them some simple and practical Chinese and English. ( Interesting to say I know how to teach English better than Chinese.) It’s not an official class but just some casual free talk among friends in the park occasionally. These male Indonesian, all of whom work in low-end factories, told me they are sometimes treated impolitely just because they cannot understand well the commands from their colleague. This is with not much surprise because the local labors they met are not highly educated and thus usually not so polite in their behavior and oral response. A man without language, a bird without wings.
(Please do not make extra searching effort if you don’t have information just at hand. And if this information are not suitable to post here please kindly send to my e-mail attached above.)

Request 2: Just for deeper understanding, may I ask, Desmond or the other friends here, why some Muslims don't like to hear non-Muslims greets them in Arabic?
[To the other friends: This paragraph is perhaps related only to culture gap.]
This greeting among Muslims, "assalam mu’alaikum”, which I asked and learned from my Indonesian friends, was used just try to show my friendlyness, since about 90% of Indonesian are Muslims. It never comes to my mind that this effort works the other way!(If I say “oh my God” here will I also annoy someone?) Sorry sincerely if this greeting accidantally makes any friends here uncomfortable. But I suppose a good sentence for Muslims must be also a good sentence for everyone, such is the same as “God bless you” in Christian, “阿彌陀佛(read as “Ah Mi Tou Fo”)” in Buddism, etc. Maybe I can be told the different thought of people at the other side. Culture difference always reduce my stereotyped thought and renew my viewpoint. (Last weekend I just learned from Indonesian friends how to eat a meal with fingers instead with chopsticks or spoons; it’s definitely an uneducated behavior in Chinese culture!) However, from now on, I will keep your precious suggesstion in mind and use this Muslim greeting as carefully as doing a chemical experiment.
Again, please reply to my e-mail if it not suitable to discuss this topic here. It’s surely ok if you don’t have time for that. Writing letters really takes time, and I hope I do not bother you too much. Gitu loh! (Is this Indonesian used here correctly? I was told it can be used after some complex explanation. What does it mean exactly if translated into English?)

[0stsee]

Assalam mu'alaikum.
(How are you.)

Though understood perfectly, due to religious belief, I'd suggest not to say this if you're not sure about the person's religious view. Some Muslims here don't really like to hear a foreigner or someone who is not Muslim greets them in Arabic. Some Muslims, on the other hand, are happy to hear this. Therefore, I'd suggest 'apa kabar' which is neutral.

By the way, Indonesian word for 'sweet potato' is ubi. There is a joke about a foreigner who wanted to say "I'd like to order a fried sweet-potato snack" but he misplaced the ubi to ibu and ended up saying "Saya mau pesan ibu goreng" = I'd like to order a fried mother.

LOL! I never thought of it. Although I do remember that one of the hardest things a friend of mine faced when learning Indonesian was telling words apart because apparently Indonesian words sound so similar, like:
kerang
kering
karung
kurung
kudung
giring
garang
karang
kadang
girang
gorèng
korèng
Apparently non native speakers tend to mistake words a lot.

And you're right about "assalammualaikum". Many Moslems like to preserve that for themselves.
I read that 20% of Indonesians are Christians, which would make up at least 40 million people. Not that insignificant aye?

Salam,


Mark

[Desmond]

I choose to write here instead of to your personal email because learning a language is learning a culture. So it may be useful to other Bahasa Indonesia learners here who would like to know as well.

Request 1: Can you help me teach Indonesian Chinese( mengajarkan orang2 Indonesia bahasa Mandarin)?
(1) Do you, or any other friends here, happen to know any on-line free mp3 audio materials teaching practical Chinese? Materials teaching Chinese in Indonesian are the best choice, however those in English or in Chinese might also work.

I'm sorry. I don't have any information where to obtain those.

(2) Could you share with me your precious experience of learning Chinese as an Indonesian, and provide me some suggestions how to help Indonesian learning Chinese efficiently?

This has something to do with my background. I'm an Indonesian born Chinese from a father who came to Indonesia from Hainan island (Hainan chicken rice, anyone?) and a Chinese mother who was born in Indonesia. I grew up speaking Hakka 客家話 and later on Mandarin 普通話 and Chao Zhou/Tio Ciu 潮州話 from friends and family. Due to political issue decades ago, I never really learn Chinese officialy, I just can read, write and speak so I can not tell you my experience of learning Chinese

Request 2: Just for deeper understanding, may I ask, Desmond or the other friends here, why some Muslims don't like to hear non-Muslims greets them in Arabic?
This greeting among Muslims, "assalam mu’alaikum”, which I asked and learned from my Indonesian friends, was used just try to show my friendlyness, since about 90% of Indonesian are Muslims. It never comes to my mind that this effort works the other way! (If I say “oh my God” here will I also annoy someone?) Sorry sincerely if this greeting accidentally makes any friends here uncomfortable. But I suppose a good sentence for Muslims must be also a good sentence for everyone, such is the same as “God bless you” in Christian, “阿彌陀佛 (read as “Ah Mi Tou Fo”)” in Buddism, etc. Maybe I can be told the different thought of people at the other side.

Being someone who grew up and live in the world's larget Moslem country, I have many Moslem friends and frankly speaking, I never had a culture clash with them. I didn't say that you'll annoy a Moslem if you greet him/her with "assalam mu’alaikum”. That's merely a personal view. Some Moslems may wear a big smile on their lips and greet you back "wa assalam mu'alaikum" while some may not. Some Moslems (note that I'm referring to Moslem in Indonesia) see that Arabic = Islam. So, as Ostsee pointed out, they like to keep Arabic words to themselves. I once told a Moslem friend that I wanted to learn Arabic and they asked me in disbelief "Since when you became a mualaf (someone who just converts to Islam) ?". I said "No, I just want to learn the language, my friend". So you see the point here.

Last weekend I just learned from Indonesian friends how to eat a meal with fingers instead with chopsticks or spoons; it’s definitely an uneducated behavior in Chinese culture!

Hahaha! You know, there are some unwritten 'laws' here that people think with what equipment a meal must be taken:

1. To eat noodles, chopstick is the best
2. To eat European steak, a fork and a knife is a must.
3. To eat Padang or Sundanese food, use your bare hands.

Again, please reply to my e-mail if it not suitable to discuss this topic here. It’s surely ok if you don’t have time for that. Writing letters really takes time, and I hope I do not bother you too much. Gitu loh! (Is this Indonesian used here correctly? I was told it can be used after some complex explanation. What does it mean exactly if translated into English?)

Excellent! "Gitu loh" is a very commonly used fancy expression for informal situation after some complex explanations. I can't think of its English equivalent. Literally it means "That's it!" but people don't say that in that manner, do they?

Note that Bahasa Indonesian also has many particles similar with those in Chinese 啊，喔，呢，吧，哇，etc that are hard to explain.

[0stsee]

Some Moslems may wear a big smile on their lips and greet you back "wa assalam mu'alaikum" while some may not. Some Moslems (note that I'm referring to Moslem in Indonesia) see that Arabic = Islam. So, as Ostsee pointed out, they like to keep Arabic words to themselves. I once told a Moslem friend that I wanted to learn Arabic and they asked me in disbelief "Since when you became a mualaf (someone who just converts to Islam) ?". I said "No, I just want to learn the language, my friend". So you see the point here.

As far as I can remember the reply to "assalamualaikum" is "walaikumsalam". I might be wrong though.

[Desmond]

As far as I can remember the reply to "assalamualaikum" is "walaikumsalam". I might be wrong though.

My mistake, my mistake. You are right Ostsee. The reply is wa'alaikumsalam.

Thanks for correcting me.

[azhong]

Dear Desmond and Ostee,and the other friends here:

Thanks for your response.I am very glad my post can "拋磚引玉"(Pau(-) Zhuan(-) In(ˇ) Yu(ˋ)), which, a practical Chinese idiom, literally means "throw bricks lead jades". Is there any similar expression in English or Indonesian?

Thanks for the explanations of Moslem greetings, the Indonesian table manners, and of "Gitu loh", and thanks Ostee's "twin-words". There always something I can learn form posts here. And hope I can learn more.

Nothing more to say in this post but only with full thanks, dengan senang hati(with happy heart).

P.S.: About Gitu loh, maybe in Chinese there is a similar expression, a very colloqual one, also used after some complex explanation
"就是這樣啦"(Jiuˋ Shiˋ Zheˋ yangˋ la). Literally it means : 就是(Is) 這樣 (this)!

[krix]

Azhong,

I bought two books aimed at Taiwanese people learning Indonesian at the 盛品 book store. They're written in three languages, Indonesian, Mandarin and English. Some of it might be useable the other way round:

實用印尼馬來語入門
實用印尼馬來文讀本

written by 梁廷基 from the 淡江大學東南亞研究所, published by 書林

Of course there are plenty of books of Chinese textbooks for Indonesian learners available at Gramedia bookstores in both Jakarta and Bali (and I would think big cities in Java as well), but then it will be hard to get them from Taiwan...

[azhong]

Chrix:

Thanks for your recommendation and it saves a lot of time for searching good books. However I think your website is also a good resource ya?

Thanks again, and if need any help from me please do let me know any time.

[Dian]

Pada dasarnya apa yang telah kamu tulis bagus sekali. Terlihat sekali kamu bersungguh-sungguh dalam mempelajari dan menguasai bahasa Indonesia. Tetapi saya ingin mengoreksi atau menyempurnakan beberapa kalimat yang telah kamu buat agar terdengar lebih elok Omong-omong saya senang sekali ada orang Taiwan yang mencoba belajar bahasa Indonesia sebab setahu saya bahasa penduduk asli Taiwan memiliki akar yang sama dengan bahasa Indonesia.

Apa kabar semuanya?
(How are you, everyone: / Hello everyone:)

Assalam mu'alaikum
(How are you.)
My comment: Assalamu’alaikum literally means: may peace be upon you (all), make sure the people whom you greet is a moslem before using this phrase. Commonly Indonesians use the phrase "Apa kabar?" to ask one's condition

Saya nama Azhung, dari Taiwan
(My name is Azhong, from Taiwan.)
My comment: There's a grammatical error here. Notice that in Indonesian possessive pronouns come after the noun, so it's supposed to be "Nama saya Azhung (or less formally "Namaku Azhung"), dari Taiwan."

Taiwan adalah di tenggara yang Asia, sebuat pulau yang dekat Hongkong , Mainland China, di selatan yang Jepang. Psati di atas laut dan di bawah langit.
(Taiwan is at the south-east of Asia, an island which is near Hongkong, mainland China, and at the south of Japan. Of course over the sea and under the sky. ^_^ )
My attempt at translation : Taiwan terletak di tenggara Asia, sebuah pulau dekat Hongkong, Cina daratan, dan selatan Jepang. Tentunya (pastinya) di atas laut dan di bawah langit ;)

Bentuknya pulau Taiwan kelihatanya seperti 'sweet potato'.
(The shape of Taiwan island looks like a sweet potato.)
My comment: Bentuknya pulau Taiwan--> the suffix "nya" is unnecessary. Kelihatannya-->this is actually a Javanese influence since Indonesian doesn't have this form, use terlihat (ter + lihat) instead.
My attempt at translation : Bentuk Pulau (use capital letter) Taiwan terlihat seperti ubi.

'Sweet potato' adalah sebuah tanam bahwa punya hidup tenaga yang kuat; Itu tumbuh yang mudah, nggak usah tertalu dijaga.
(Sweet potato is a kind of plant that has strong life; it grows easily without delicate caring needed. )
My comment: The sentence in English above leaves me a bit confused, maybe you wanna say that sweet potato has a strong power/long life?
My attempt at translation: Ubi adalah/ialah/merupakan sejenis tanaman yang memiliki/mempunyai umur panjang , ia/dia tumbuh dengan mudah tanpa perawatan yang rumit.
Nice 2 know:
-sejenis  se+jenis a kind (Prefix se- can denote single form of a thing. Another example: seribu  se+ribu  one thousand
- tanaman  tanam+an  plant. Its synonym is tumbuhan (tumbuh+an)
- umur panjang  age long  long life
- dengan mudah  easily, English suffix –ly can be likened with Indonesian word “dengan”. Other examples: happily  dengan bahagia; cheerfully  dengan riang
- perawatan  pe+rawat+an  treatment, nursery
-tanpa  without
- rumit  complicated

Tanam ini terus jadi sebuat metafora yang sangat penting untuk orang-orang Taiwan, terutama ketiga nogmong tengang sejarahnya kolonial yang tidak senang selama ratus-ratus tahun baru-baru ini.
(This plant is then become a very important metaphor for taiwanese, especially when mentioning about its unpleasant colonial history for these recent hundred years. */*)
My translation: Tanaman ini lalu/kemudian menjadi sebuah metafora yang sangat/amat penting bagi rakyat Taiwan, terutama ketika/saat menyebutkan sejarah kolonialnya yang tidak menyenangkan selama ratusan tahun ini.

Sampai taraf tertentu kolonial itu sejarah yang Taiwan adalah agak spertinya yang Indonesia, sejauh saya tahu.
(To some extent the colonial history of Taiwan is rather like that of Indonesia, as far as I have known. )
My translation: Sampai batas/tingkat/taraf tertentu sejarah colonial Taiwan agaknya seperti Indonesia, sejauh saya tahu.

Maskipun di Taiwan juga sperti di kebanyakan negara ada berberapa dialect-dialect, orang-orang Taiwan semuanya mengerti dan bisa bicara dalam bahasa mandarin. Orang yang berusia belum lima phluh tahun juga pernah diajarkan bahasa Inglis di waktu sekolah. (Although Taiwan just like most of the countries has several dialects, all Taiwanese understand and can speak Chinese. People of age less than fifty are also ever taught English at school.)
My comment: Your Indonesian sentence here already sounds great
My translation: Meskipun/walaupun Taiwan, juga seperti di kebanyakan negara, memiliki beberapa dialek, semua orang Taiwan mengerti dan dapat /bisa bicara bahasa Mandarin. Orang yang berusia kurang dari lima puluh tahun juga pernah diajarkan bahasa Inggris sewaktu sekolah.

Sangat ingin tahu kesan Pak dan Ibu tentang negara saya dan bangsa-bangsa saya, bagus dan buruk, kalau ada. Terutama kesan yang buruk.
(I desire to know your impression of my country and my people, for both good and bad, if any. Especially bad impression.)
My translation: Saya sangat ingin tahu kesan bapak dan ibu (Anda sekalian) tentang negara dan bangsa saya, baik/bagus dan buruk, jika/kalau ada. Terutama kesan yang buruk.

Dapakah saya dikasih tahu? Terima kasih banyak.
(Am I honored to be told? Thank you very much.)
My translation: Bolehkah saya diberi tahu? Terima kasih banyak.

Salam,
(Greetings,)

Keep on going friend!!

[azhong]

Halo Mas Dian (dan Anda sekalian) [used here correct or not?]:

Mas Dian thank you spending hours correcting my writing practice; not only me but also many other friends will get benefits from your generous contribution, helping people understand one another more and then making the world better. I love your providing sets of synonym for many commonly used words, very practical for beginners like me. And by doing so you have taught me not only the language but also the way to teach as well. Your "overtune" paragraph also a good material for learning. You even made a "nice 2 know" to introduce grammers and vocabularies. Nice 2 know, really, how nice it is to know you. And I like Your concise writing with clear edition, as good as "air putih", as "nasi", or as Heminway. May your good behavior makes you happy and peaceful whenever and wherever. At the same time also thanks again to friends who ever helped reply this post. Now, yeah, we have a better Indonesian version 2.0 from Dian as below, without mis-spellings nor grammetcal errors from Azhong.

Apa kabar semuanya? Nama saya Azhung, dari Taiwan. Taiwan terletak di tenggara Asia, sebuah pulau dekat Hongkong, Cina daratan, dan selatan Jepang. Tentunya/pastinya di atas laut dan di bawah langit. Bentuk Pulau Taiwan terlihat seperti ubi. Ubi adalah/ialah/merupakan sejenis tanaman yang memiliki/mempunyai umur panjang, ia/dia tumbuh dengan mudah tanpa perawatan yang rumit. Tanaman ini lalu/kemudian menjadi sebuah metafora yang sangat/amat penting bagi rakyat Taiwan, terutama ketika/saat menyebutkan sejarah kolonialnya yang tidak menyenangkan selama ratusan tahun ini. Sampai batas/tingkat/taraf tertentu sejarah colonial Taiwan agaknya seperti Indonesia, sejauh saya tahu. Meskipun/walaupun Taiwan, juga seperti di kebanyakan negara, memiliki beberapa dialek, semua orang Taiwan mengerti dan dapat/bisa bicara bahasa Mandarin. Orang yang berusia kurang dari lima puluh tahun juga pernah diajarkan bahasa Inggris sewaktu sekolah. Saya sangat ingin tahu kesan bapak dan ibu (Anda sekalian) tentang negara dan bangsa saya, baik/bagus dan buruk, jika/kalau ada. Terutama kesan yang buruk. Bolehkah saya diberi tahu? Terima kasih banyak.

*
I am so lucky my english confuses Mas Dian just at one point. I am sorry for that and explaining now.
Sweet potato is a kind of plant that has strong life; it grows easily without delicate caring needed.
Here "strong life" does NOT mean sweet potato can live long. Some plants are easily attacked by a lot of decease or insects, or easily died if not well-bred under a comfortable environment. "Roses in the warm-house", is it said so in English? However the sweet potato is not a princess in the palace; this plant is much more like a beggar on the street. Three meals a day can live well while three days a meal can also survive. Indeed I do not know how to said it in English. In Chinese we said as "生命力很強韌"; in English perhaps, after my looking up in the dictionary now, said as " with a tenacious/tough life"?

Gitu lho. Terus bolehkan tolong saya diberi tahu lagi kalau ini kalimatnya akan gimana dikata dengan benar? (Then can I be told again how the sentence will be said correctly?)[This sentence correct or not?]
*
And more, although I do not understand all what Mas Dian have written, here I have some questions or understanding for your kind comments.

1. It looks/It sounds/It feels/It smells/It touches/It tastes, perhaps works all the same, ter+root word? (And sentences for learning if possible?)
It looks: terlihat
It sound: terdengar
It tastes: terrasa
It smells:
It touches:
It feels:

2 I have problem in using "nya". I know it can be usd as "bukunya(his/her book)". But I do not know it very well when it works like "the", the difinite article. May I have a quideline of using it? For your convenience I collected several "nya" used correct or incorrect in my article.
* bentuknya Pulau Taiwan (the shape of Taiwan)
* sejarah kolonialnya (the colonial history)
*sejarah colonial Taiwan agaknya seperti Indonesia(the colonial history of Taiwan is rather like that of Indonesia)
* Tentunya/pastinya di atas laut (of course it's over the sea)

Also, words such as seterusnya, sebenarnya, sesunggunya[color=#000000] and sebelumnya[/color], etc, can they be explained here together, about the usage of nya?

3 "Bolehkah saya diberi tahu?" In this sentence Mas Dian use "diberi tahu" (to be told). The word I used, "dikasih tahu", is it here wrongly used or just not good? I suppose these two words have the same meaning, don't they?

Terima kasih bantuan Anda sekalian sebelumnya. Salam kenal kepada Mas Dian. [Again, correct or not?]

[Dian]

He he just don't mention it Azhong. Firstly I just want everyone in this Indonesian forum to have a better understanding of this language, which I believe, can only be provided by native speakers or Indonesian learners who already have sufficient knowledge of it. However, since language is a habit, not all native speakers are able to explain the "how-and-why" about their language, just like me. But I'll try my best (at least I never failed any Indonesian tests during my school age he he;) Secondly I'm so flattered to know a lot of people from every corner of this world are keen and enthusiastic enough on learning this language. Especially you Azhong who come from Taiwan which is believed by many linguists to have been the homeland of Austronesian speaking people (incl. Indonesian).

Well I'll explain more about the usage of suffix -nya later, but as for now just read a very good introduction of Indonesian affixation system at http://www.indodic.com/affixeng.html. Good luck

[azhong]

Halo Mas Dian:

Saya berterima kasih informasinya yang Mas kasih. "Nice 2 know" yang lain.
(Thanks for your information, Mas. Another "nice 2 know".)

Terus sedang saya tunggu post Mas sekira-kira kapan-kapan Mas ada waktu. Kalau mau Mas junga boleh membuka sebuah "thread" yang baru memperkenalkan "nya" untuk semuanya. Terima kasih sebelumnya.
(And I am waiting Mas's post when Mas is availabel. If Mas prefers Mas can also answer my question by creating a new thread for introducing "nya" to all. Thank you in advance.)

Salam,

Azhong.

P.S.: Saya berterima kasih kalau babak atau ibu siapa-siapa membantu mebenarkan jawaban ini saya.
(P.S.: Correction from anyone for my language to my this replypost is highly appreciated.)