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Pronunciation
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Indonesian pronunciation is pretty simple. In some ways it's similar to German pronunciation, but then it also has rolled R's like Spanish - which is cool. Here is a link to a pronunciation guide:
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http://www.hello-indonesia.com/HelloIndonesia/Pronunciation.pdf
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Read this guide and then read the notes I added below
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http://www.hello-indonesia.com/HelloIndonesia/Pronunciation.pdf
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Read this guide and then read the notes I added below
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Some things you should remember about Indonesian pronunciation:
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* In general, stress is put on the next-to-last syllable of a word. There are a few exceptions, as we'll see below, but this is a good rule to follow.
If an E falls at the end of a word, it is pronounced more like the E in "bet".
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C - always pronounced like the ch- in "China". This is really simple to understand, but it can be easy to forget at first.----------------------------
D - The D sound is similar to the T sound (see T below). It's made by placing the tip of your tongue on the spot where the back of your front teeth meet the roof of your mouth, and then pushing the air out of your mouth. It's sort of like the sound in between the words "and the" (spoken at full speed).----------------------------
E - somewhat tricky. If an E falls between two consonants, it is pronounced very faintly and sounds like a soft "-uh" sound. The word for "friend" - teman (pronounced "tuh-MAHN") - is a good example of this rule.
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**Also, when the first syllable of a word contains an E that falls between two consonants, stress does not fall on that syllable. So for teman, stress falls on the second syllable. It's almost voiced as if it's silent when in this position.
--If an E falls at the end of a word, it is pronounced more like the E in "bet".
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G - always a hard G sound (as in "game")...
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NG- the G is unvoiced like the G at the end of "something". This is basically the same as in English, except that the rule still applies even if -ng falls in the middle of a word.
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For example, the word which means "to type" - mengetik - is pronounced "muhng-uh-TIK", with the -ng voiced like the -ng in "singer", and the K voiced like the C in "macbook".
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As you can see, these pronunciation rules can accumulate within single words. With practice you can get used to them and speak without an English accent.
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For example, the word which means "to type" - mengetik - is pronounced "muhng-uh-TIK", with the -ng voiced like the -ng in "singer", and the K voiced like the C in "macbook".
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As you can see, these pronunciation rules can accumulate within single words. With practice you can get used to them and speak without an English accent.
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NGG - pronounced like the -ng in "fungus"
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J - pronounced almost exactly like it is in English, but with one subtle difference; it is pronounced with a slight y- sound after it, giving it a -jy sound (with Y making its consonant sound). The word for "road" - jalan - is pronounced more like "JYAH-lahn". This is very subtle, but if you pick it up you'll sound much more like a native speaker.
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K - If K falls at the beginning or in the middle of a word, it is pronounced like in English.
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When K falls at the end of a word, it is voiced like the C in "Macbook".
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When K falls at the end of a word, it is voiced like the C in "Macbook".
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Q - always pronounced like "Q" in "quesadilla".
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R - rolled like in Spanish. Jakarta sounds almost like "Juh-KAH-duh-tuh".
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* If you have trouble making the rolled "R" sound, practice saying "I got it" really fast; the way you say the -t at the end of "got" is the way you should pronounce the letter R in Indonesian.
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T - pronounced almost like in English, but with a subtle difference. In English, the "T" sound is made by placing the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and then exhaling. In Indonesian, the "T" sound is sort of a cross between the "T" and "TH-" sound in English. It (the T sound) is made by placing the tip of your tongue on the spot where the back of your front teeth meet the roof of your mouth, and then exhaling. It sort of sounds like the sound in between the words "got the" (spoken at full speed).
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If you say your T the English way when speaking Indonesian, your foreign-ness and non-fluency will be quite obvious.
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If you say your T the English way when speaking Indonesian, your foreign-ness and non-fluency will be quite obvious.
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Y - check the guide I provided a link to above. I know it's pronounced like the Y in "yard". I don't know if it's pronounced like vowel in any cases.
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Z - I suspect that this letter has a wierd pronunciation. Check the link above.
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Basic Words
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Saya-
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Saya (pronounced "SAH-ya") -"I". This word is a standard way to address yourself, and is acceptable in any situation.
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As you will see, there are various ways of saying "I" and "you" in Indonesian; some titles are more formal than others. The less formal titles are usually used among friends or children, or when addressing someone younger than yourself.
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When introducing yourself, you might say:
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"Saya Mark", or "Saya Erin" (literally "I Mark" and "I Erin").
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"Saya Mark", or "Saya Erin" (literally "I Mark" and "I Erin").
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You might have noticed that there is no word for "am" between "I" and the name. Indonesian doesn't use any equivalents of "is", "are", or "am" to imply being. At first an English speaker might think that such phrasing is a little awkward, because using such wording in English makes you sound like a caveman - "Me Tarzan. You Jane." Indonesian syntax is extremely simple, and you'll be relieved by this simplicity as you progress in your study.
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Anda
Anda (pronounced "AHN-duh") - "you". This is a more formal word for "you", and could be used with somebody you just met or are working professionally with. The more friendly, informal word for "you" is kamu.
Anda Sarah. ("You are Sarah")
Anda Sarah? ("Are you Sarah?")
In Indonesian, as in English, statements of fact can be turned into questions without changing any words, but by simply raising your tone of voice at the end of the sentence.
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In the next post I'll go through some more vocabulary and common sentence patterns. Until then, selamat belajar (happy studying)!
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