MAKALAH CROSS CULTURE UNDERSTANDING

THE DIFFERENCE OF THE IDIOMS IN INDONESIA AND ENGLISH

 

BY

BHENNY BUDIAWAN S

05040135

 

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

COLLAGE OF TEACHING TRAINING AND EDUCATION

(STKIP) PGRI SUMBAR

PADANG

2009

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

In the English expression to kick the bucket, for example, a listener knowing only the meaning of kick and bucket would be unable to deduce the expression's actual meaning, which is to die. Although it can refer literally to the act of striking a specific bucket with a foot, native speakers rarely use it that way. It cannot be directly translated to other languages – for example, the same expression in Polish is kop w calendars (to kick the calendar), with the calendar being as detached from its usual meaning as the bucket in the English phrase is. The same expression in Dutch is hat lode legend (to lay the piece of lead), which is entirely different from the English expression as well. Another example is to smash the clay pot, which means to end a relationship. It is derived from the old Assamese (a state in India) tradition of smashing a clay pot in front of a priest to mean ending the relationship with the dead, especially, performed at the funeral of one's parents.

Another kind of idiom is the use of a single word to have multiple meanings, sometimes at the same time, and sometimes one meaning to be discerned from context. This can be seen in the (mostly uninflected) English language in polyesters, the common use of the same word for an ability, for those engaged in it, the product, place, or time of an activity, and sometimes for a verb.

Idioms tend to confuse those not already familiar with them; students of a new language must learn its idiomatic expressions the way they learn its other vocabulary. Many natural language words have idiomatic origins, but have been sufficiently assimilated so that their figurative senses have been lost.

1.2 Idioms and culture

An idiom is generally a colloquial metaphor — a term which requires some foundational knowledge, information, or experience, to use only within a culture where parties must have common reference. Idioms are therefore not considered a part of the language, but rather a part of the culture. As cultures are typically localized, idioms are often not useful outside of that local context. However some idioms can be more universally used than others, and they can be easily translated, metaphorical meaning can be more easily deduced.

While many idioms are clearly based in conceptual metaphors such as "time as a substance", "time as a path", "love as war", or "up is more", the idioms themselves are often not particularly essential, even when the metaphors themselves are. For example, "spend time", "battle of the sexes", and "back in the day" are idiomatic and based in essential metaphors. These "deep metaphors" and their relationship to human cognition are discussed by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson in their 1980 book Metaphors We Live By.

In forms like "profits are up", the metaphor is carried by "up" itself. The phrase "profits are up" is not itself an idiom. Practically anything measurable can be used in place of "profits": "crime is up", "satisfaction is up", "complaints are up" etc. Truly essential idioms generally involve prepositions, for example "out of" or "turn into".

Interestingly, many Chinese characters are likewise idiomatic constructs, as their meanings are more often not traceable to a literal (i.e. pictographic) meaning of their assembled parts, or radicals. Because all characters are composed from a relatively small base of about 214 radicals, their assembled meanings follow several different modes of interpretation - from the pictographic to the metaphorical to those whose original meaning has been lost in history.

 

CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

I.Meaning of idiom

There are several differences of the understanding about the idiom in Indonesia and England. The idiom is an expression (like the term or the phrase) of his meaning wasn’t dropped off from the direct definition and the compilation of his parts, In linguistics, the idiom generally it was considered is the literary style that was compatible with the principle of the compilation *principle of compositionality* the idiom could confuse the person who was not yet used to it by him.

Studying people of a language must study this expression of the nation idiom as they studied the other vocabulary in the language in fact, often said in the natural language that came as the idiom but has assimilated good so as precisely lost his direct meaning

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. In linguistics, idioms are widely assumed to be figures of speech that contradict the principle of compositionality; however, this has shown to be a subject of debate.

John Seed defines an idiom as words collocated together happen to become fossilized, becoming fixed over time. This collocation -- words commonly used in a group -- changes the definition of each of the words that exist. As an expression, the word-group becomes a team, so to speak. That is, the collocated words develop a specialized meaning as a whole and an idiom is born. An idiom is a word or phrase that means something different to what the words imply if interpreted literally. When a person uses an idiom, the listener might take the actual meaning wrong if he or she has not heard this figure of speech before.

Idioms don't usually cross language boundaries. In some cases, when an idiom is translated into another language, the meaning of the idiom is changed or does not make any sense as it once did in another language. Idioms are probably the hardest thing for a person to learn in the process of learning a new language.[citation needed] This is because most people grow up using idioms as if their true meanings actually make sense.

1.1  The meaning of idiom in Indonesia

The idiom or was mentioned also with the expression was the combination said that formed the new meaning where being not connected with the framer's words of his foundation. Along with this was several examples of the idiom with meaning that:

An idiom can be defined as a number of words which, when taken together, have a different meaning from the individual meanings of each word.

1.2  the meaning of idiom in English

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers instead to a figurative meaning that is known only through common use. In linguistics, idioms are widely assumed to be figures of speech that contradict the principle of compositionality; however, this has shown to be a subject of debate.

II.THE EXAMPLES OF IDIOMS

2.1 Indonesian idiom

- cuci mata                     = cari hiburan dengan melihat sesuatu yang indah

- kambing hitam       = orang yang menjadi pelimpahan suatu kesalahan                 yang tidak dilakukannya

- jago merah                = api dalam kebakaran

- kupu-kupu malam = wanita penghibur atau pelacur komersial

- ringan tangan         = kasar atau suka melakukan tindak kekerasan

- hidung belang        = pria yang merupakan pelanggan psk atau pekerja seks komersil

2.2 English idiom

- A bit much

If something is excessive or annoying, it is a bit much.

-A chain is no stronger than its weakest link

This means that processes, organizations, etc, are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them.

-A day late and a dollar short

(USA) If something is a day late and a dollar short, it is too little, too late.

-Back burner

If an issue is on the back burner, it is being given low priority.

-Back foot

(UK) If you are on your back foot, you are at a disadvantage and forced to be defensive of your position.

-Back number

Something that's a back number is dated or out of fashion

-as easy as pie:

            Very easy.

            There are several definition and examples of idiom in Indonesia and English. Basically both of them have the same of the meaning of idiom, only has the role of use different.

 

CHAPTER III

CONCLUSSION

3.1 CONCLUSSION

From the explanation above could be concluded that the idiom was the Idiom or was mentioned also with the expression was the combination said that formed the new meaning where being not connected with the framer's words of his foundation.

Basically Indonesia and England together had the idiom, only in Indonesia the idiom was used by some people and only was demonstrated as the metaphor. Whereas in England the idiom was to be a vocabulary that often was used as using their language was everyday.