Words never come alone. They are never straightforward, even though they seem to leave no trace. "The word," Paulo Coelho said, "manage[s] to destroy without leaving clues."

Take the Indonesian word pribumi, for instance. We accept that word along with its history, emotive associations, trauma and dreams. We interpret it with our feelings, at a particular time, in a particular place. People who only search in dictionaries-while acting impartial or d