The Use of 'Sih' and 'Loh' in Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian

The Use of 'Sih' and 'Loh' in Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian



Written by James Neil Sneddon in Colloquial Jakartan Indonesian. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. 2006. pp 123-128.


I. Sih
Sih, often pronounced si, has a range of subtle meanings. Although it is frequently used in Colloquial Jakartan  Indonesian it is difficult to pin down its function in particular contexts and writers give conflicting statements on what it means.

In general its function is that of a softener or ‘smoother’, contributing to the smooth flow of the conversation.
In questions, as a softener it makes the question less abrupt. There is often also a suggestion that the speaker
has a reduced interest in the question; this also adds to the softening effect.

1. A somewhat similar effect in English might be achieved with ‘then’:
Lo ama Bowo uda berapa lama, sih?
How long have you been going out with Bowo then?

Tau dari mana, sih?
Where did you hear that then?

2. In statements also it acts as a softener, as ‘you know’ might in English, adding a smoothness to the statement, which might otherwise sound somewhat abrupt:
Kita panggilnya si Batak. Ya emang dia Batak, sih.
We call him The Batak and in fact he is a Batak, you know.

Kayak sepupu gua sih! Sepupu gua juga sembilan taon.
That’s like my cousin, you know. My cousin was also (engaged for) nine years.

3. Following a subject it can mean ‘as for’:
A: Minumnya yang enak apa?
B: Ah, gua sih minum orange juice, ice capuccino.
A: What do you like to drink?
B: (As for me) I drink orange juice and iced cappuccino.

Ya Betty sih bilang, dia bilang gini ..
Well, (as for) Betty, she said this ..

4. The difficulty in covering the meaning of sih in all occurrences with the term ‘softener’ can be seen by the following exchange, in which it seems to emphasise the preceding word rather than soften it:
A: Pacarku yang dulu Libra.
B: Siapa pacar lu?
A: Yang dulu. Inget nggak? Yang dulu? Libra.
B: Siapa sih pacarnya yang dulu?

A: My previous girlfriend was a Libra.
B: Who was your girlfriend?
A: The previous one. Don’t you remember? She was a Libra.
B: But who was your previous girl friend?

5. Sometimes a speaker will use sih repeatedly:
Yah, kesan pertama gua sih, ngeliat dia sih, centil banget sih nih cewek nih.
Well, my first impression on seeing her was she was a real flirt, this girl.

II. Loh
This particle derives from Javanese lho. It is almost always written <lho> in Indonesian publications, although it was pronounced loh or lo and occasionally luh or lu in the recordings.
1. Before a statement it is an expression of surprise at what has been said:
A: Maksudnya diiket pita merah jadi aneh.
B: Loh, enggak dong! Ijo, merah, biasalah!
A: I mean, if it’s tied with red ribbon it looks strange.
B: What! Oh, no! Green and red are the usual colours.

A: Katanya dari Jerman, bukan Perancis. Bacanya jadi
Karvu. Bukan Karevu.
B: Loh, orang-orang pada bilangnya Kerfor.
A: They say its from Germany, not France. It’s read as Karvu, not Karevu.
B: What! Everyone pronounces it Kerfor.

2. Occurring after a word loh emphasises it and asserts that it is true:
Tapi lama-lamaan ngajar tuh jenuh loh!
But when you’ve been teaching for a long time you get fed up with it!

Temen gua Aries banyak loh.
I’ve got lots of friends who are Aries.

Bener loh! Katanya dia tu emang married sama Abdul Latief.
It’s true I tell you! They say she really has married A L.

3. Emphasising a word it can occur within the clause:
A: Tapi gua males sekolah.
B: Ih, gua seneng loh sekolah!
A: But I’m not interested in studying.
B: Ah! I love studying!

Banyak loh cerita-cerita dia.
He’s got lots and lots of stories.

4. The combination gitu loh is a particularly common means of emphasising a statement. In one conversation loh was used 107 times, of which 91 instances were of gitu loh, while in one interview loh occurred 117 times, of which 113 instances were of gitu loh.