[A. G. Maisey]

Jaga -- yes, a "pakem" is a guide book, we have all sorts of pakems, even pakems about cooking.

The Surakarta guidebook relating to keris is directed at very high level keris, kraton keris, in kraton thought a keris like this one is not really worth consideration, so yes, 'diluar pakem' but it does not matter, because that particular pakem cannot in reality be applied to this level of keris.

Kai, different levels of speech are used in formal situations, in Javanese we have Ngoko, low level, everybody can speak Ngoko, and Sinuhun, ie the Pakubuwana uses Ngoko to speak to underlings --- well, at least in formal situations --- but all those underlings need to use Krama, or Krama Inggil to speak to Sinuhun, then we have Krama Madya and I'm not real sure on the precise etiquette for use of that, Krama Madya is between Ngoko & Krama.

Now, these language levels are not different languages, they are the same language, but some words within that language have different levels of respect and the correct "respect" word must be used instead of the common word when speaking to a person who is hierarchically superior.

So, the language levels apply within a hierarchy, but where no hierarchy applies most people would be using Ngoko with each other, or the situation can occur where both parties speak Krama to one another. Hierarchical levels can change, according to the situation and the relationship of one person to another.

As an example, when a young lady I knew was married, she married far above her station, she was a commoner, a clerk in a bank, her husband to be was a member of an old noble family. The eldest person in the family was the boy's mother. The family held regular meetings, usually once a month to discuss matters of common concern. The bride to be had never needed to learn Krama, nor Krama Inggil, nor Krama Madya, but before the wedding could go ahead she needed the basic minimum of an ability to use Krama, because without this language level she would not have been able to speak with her mother-in-law at the family meetings. In normal, non-formal conversation, they both used Ngoko, but in the formal situation the new family member needed to speak Krama to her mother-in-law, and mother-in-law spoke to her in Ngoko.

At the present time, many people try to avoid the hierarchical language levels if possible, so they use Bahasa Indonesia, a far more simple language than Javanese at any level.

It is my understanding that within the inner circles of kraton society there are at least eleven levels of language, one of which is sung in impromptu verse.

So, why different words for the same object?

Depends who you are, who you are speaking with, and the situation.