Thoughts on Madura Kris

A. G. Maisey · 23rd November 2024, 11:06 AM

This reference to "Si Mega", has been itching in the back of my mind all day.

It comes down to what language the term is used in. I said "Javanese or Madurese", but I forgot about Indonesian.

"Si" exists in BI too, and has a similar meaning to the Javanese meaning, ie, it involves a close relationship.

So really, to use "Si Mega" in either Javanese or BI as a usual form of reference does to me seem a bit unusual.

There is another word "ki" which is used as a term of respect, usually applied to religious scholars but can be used for others who deserve respect. I would have thought that"Ki Mega" might have been more appropriate than "Si Mega" if we were using either BI or Javanese --- but then again, I'm not a native speaker of either language, so it is easy to be wrong.

The word "ki" is a contraction of kiai (kyai), both words are used in the same way.

As it happens I have a distant relative who was born & grew up in Madura, she moved to Jawa when she was married, but she is Madurese at heart. I rang her earlier today & ran my ideas about si & ki & kiai past her. She tells me that in Madura the word "si" is used in the same way that the word "ki" is used in Javanese & BI.

So when somebody refers to "Si Mega" that person is actually using an honorific of respect, it is not a use of an honorific inferring intimacy.

Using language correctly has a lot of traps & lack of fluency in any language can cause misunderstandings, sometimes regrettable.

23rd November 2024, 11:06 AM	#8
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,991	This reference to "Si Mega", has been itching in the back of my mind all day. It comes down to what language the term is used in. I said "Javanese or Madurese", but I forgot about Indonesian. "Si" exists in BI too, and has a similar meaning to the Javanese meaning, ie, it involves a close relationship. So really, to use "Si Mega" in either Javanese or BI as a usual form of reference does to me seem a bit unusual. There is another word "ki" which is used as a term of respect, usually applied to religious scholars but can be used for others who deserve respect. I would have thought that"Ki Mega" might have been more appropriate than "Si Mega" if we were using either BI or Javanese --- but then again, I'm not a native speaker of either language, so it is easy to be wrong. The word "ki" is a contraction of kiai (kyai), both words are used in the same way. As it happens I have a distant relative who was born & grew up in Madura, she moved to Jawa when she was married, but she is Madurese at heart. I rang her earlier today & ran my ideas about si & ki & kiai past her. She tells me that in Madura the word "si" is used in the same way that the word "ki" is used in Javanese & BI. So when somebody refers to "Si Mega" that person is actually using an honorific of respect, it is not a use of an honorific inferring intimacy. Using language correctly has a lot of traps & lack of fluency in any language can cause misunderstandings, sometimes regrettable.