Me, myself, I: Exploring concepts of self and others in Indonesian names and pronouns with early learners

Abstract

In this paper, I describe an early learners' (Years 1-3) Indonesian classroom interaction developed around the concept of intercultural understandings of ways of talking about oneself and about and to others, in Indonesian and Australian contexts. I explore planned interactions for scaffolded discussion about the language of self and others in Indonesian and English, and how this language use is rooted in social and cultural contexts that influence what is said, how it is said, and to whom. Differences and similarities of language, word order, concepts of politeness and (in)formality, and, especially, personal meanings which children draw from these, in relation to their own life experiences, are discussed. The discussion is contextualised within an intercultural orientation to language teaching and learning pedagogy.