Trisula of unknown origin

[A. G. Maisey]

David, I don't think I can classify the foundation of what I have written as "research".

To me, research implies a structured search after knowledge.

This is not the base that I am writing from.

I am repeating here what I have been taught over many years by many people, and what I have learnt over many years through day to day dealing in Javanese markets.

You could probably say that I am writing from 40 years of acquired experience, rather than from a defined search for knowledge.

It would be as pretentious for me to claim I had "researched" this matter as for a carpenter to claim he had "researched" the driving of a nail.This is what I do; I live it, I don't research it.

Regarding the name "Jawa".

Jawa is ngoko for Java, Javanese, or referring to Java; the krama equivalent is Jawi.

As it is often pronounced, to your ear it would sound as "Jowo".

On any map of Indonesia where the names are in Indonesian, you will find Java identified as "Jawa". In any Indonesian or Javanese dictionary you will find the word "Jawa" with the meaning given as "Java".

Go back in history, and you can find a dozen different names given for Jawa, some have a sound close to Jawa, some do not.

The only reason I use Jawa most of the time is that I live in a house where probably more than half the conversation is in Javanese or Indonesian. In normal daily conversation I use the pronunciation Jawa. It is simply easier for me to use Jawa than Java. If anybody objects to me using Jawa, I am quite happy to go back and edit any posts I write and change the spelling. I have no problem with this.