yang mana
Avoiding Calqued Yang Mana
Yang mana asks which one, including inside an embedded question. It is also used as a relative or linking expression in actual Indonesian. Standard editing guidance recommends yang or a restructured sentence for that latter use; the question use remains correct.
How It Works
The use of yang mana as a relative pronoun is a frequent point of contention in Indonesian linguistics.
1. The Standard Function
Traditionally, yang mana is used to ask for a choice: Buku yang mana? (Which book?). It can also occur in an embedded choice question, such as Saya tidak tahu buku yang mana yang kamu pilih. This differs from using it as a general relative connector.
2. The Nonstandard 'Calque'
Due to the influence of English, many speakers use yang mana to translate the non-restrictive 'which'.
Example: Dia membeli rumah itu, yang mana sangat mahal. (He bought that house, which was very expensive).
3. Why it is discouraged
Standard language guidance from Badan Bahasa discourages this relative-connector use because:
- It is redundant: yang already performs this function.
- It can obscure the intended clause relationship; an explicit Indonesian relative, location, or sentence-reference structure is clearer.
- It is often used incorrectly to bridge two unrelated thoughts.
4. How to fix it
To sound more natural and formal, you should:
Examples (4)
- Buku yang mana yang kamu suka?
Which book do you like?
Word by Word: Book that which that you like?
This is the standard, correct use of 'yang mana' as an interrogative (question) word.
- Indonesia memiliki banyak pulau, yang mana sangat indah.
Indonesia has many islands, which are very beautiful.
Word by Word: Indonesia has many islands, that which very beautiful.
This deliberately illustrates the relative-connector yang mana usage discouraged in standard editing. It is attested in actual Indonesian; the next example gives the recommended yang description.
- Indonesia memiliki banyak pulau yang sangat indah.
Indonesia has many islands that are very beautiful.
Word by Word: Indonesia has many islands that very beautiful.
This is the standard alternative using 'yang' instead of 'yang mana'.
- Dia terlambat lagi. Hal itu membuat gurunya marah.
He/she was late again. That made his/her teacher angry.
Word by Word: He/she late again. Matter that make his/her teacher angry.
Instead of saying '..., yang mana membuat gurunya marah', standard Indonesian uses 'Hal itu' to refer back to the previous clause.
Common Mistakes
Using a general relative yang mana when the intended edited model is a yang description.
Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif, yang mana sangat efektif.Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif yang sangat efektif.For the standard relative-description model requested here, use yang or split the statement. Relative yang mana is attested in actual usage but is discouraged by standard editing guidance; this is not a claim that the ordinary which-one question is incorrect.
Confusing 'yang mana' with 'di mana' as a relative pronoun.
Rumah yang mana saya tinggal...Rumah tempat saya tinggal...For the intended place where I live meaning, rumah tempat saya tinggal states the location relationship clearly. Yang mana is not a substitute for every English where. Di mana has genuine location-question and embedded-location uses; its nonlocative relative-connector use is a separate issue.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand why 'yang mana' is often discouraged in formal prose, a learner must first be proficient in standard relative clause construction using 'yang'. They also need to understand the standard functions of 'mana' as an interrogative and how complex clauses are typically linked using 'bahwa' or direct modification.
- di manaWhere with Di Mana
The pattern 'yang mana' is often used incorrectly as a relative pronoun by analogy with the question word 'mana' (which) or 'di mana' (where).
Level 1 - bahwaContent Clauses with Bahwa
Learners often use 'yang mana' to connect clauses where standard Indonesian would use 'bahwa' or other restructuring techniques.
Level 2
Related Patterns
- yangRelative Clauses with Yang
The standard relative pronoun that should usually replace 'yang mana' in relative clauses.
Level 2 - di mana (bukan lokatif)Avoiding Nonlocative Di Mana
Another common nonstandard relative pronoun calqued from English 'where'.
Level 5 - tempat yang ...Relative Clauses After Place Nouns
Use tempat to state a location relationship, as in rumah tempat saya tinggal. Tempat yang... instead introduces an appropriate description of a place; the two structures are not interchangeable mechanically.
Level 3 - -nya (rujukan situasi)-Nya Referring to a Situation
Some -nya expressions can refer to a situation. Hal itu is another way to refer back to a preceding statement, but does not contain -nya; choose wording that preserves the actual reference.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice yang mana in Bubblegum
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