in English: for example, Pak is used for fathers and men who are not around your age, but are a lot older than you (like I could call someone who is my parents’ age "Pak ____ [first name]” because he is a lot older than me, even if he was not a father). The name Bu is used similarly for mothers and older women. In the same way, there are both male and female names for people who are around your age. These are important for being respectful and therefore keeping good relationships with people. Even though they do not usually mean a lot of special respect, unless the person is a family member or in authority over you, not using the appropriate name for a person would convey a lack of that normal respect, and therefore be disrespectful. When I call the older women teachers Bu [first name],” that does not mean that our relationship is like mother and son; instead, it just is a way of being polite. In the same way, when my students put my hand to their foreheads, as they would for their parents, they are not saying that our relationship is like that between their parents and them; rather, that is just a way of being respectful, as a part of keeping good relationships.
This tradition is not connected to the physical environment.
