Some years ago an old British headmaster, frustrated at the behavior of local students, said to me that “Indonesian does not have a word for “courtesy’”.
I would translate courtesy as santun, a borrowed Javanese word implying its culture’s most admirable behavior — speaking and acting politely. Courtesy, however, covers other aspects not covered by the concept of santun — respect and consideration.
Indonesians love to think of themselves as a nation of polite and friendly people. We have helpful people who offer service with a smile. We speak politely and address all strangers as “sir”, “madam”, and “big brother/sister”. Schoolchildren are told that tourists love Indonesia because of its friendliness and politeness. More...
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