Indonesian

Study the whole book, but also pay special attention to the topics outline below. These are common areas of difficulty for Indonesian students of English.

Consonants

The th Sound

Review Chapters Three and Four to learn the correct pronunciation of this sound. A common mistake is to substitute a /t/ or a /d/ for the th.

Voiced and Voiceless Consonants

Review voiced and voiceless consonants in Chapter Three. There is a tendency for Indonesian speakers to change a voiced consonant into a voiceless one.

Words Contrasts for Practice

Make sure you pronounce the words in each pair differently.

Words Contrasts for Practice

Pronounce the two words in each pair differently

Confusing /s/ and /z/

The s in many English words is frequently pronounced as a /z/ sound. Learn the rules for this sound, and refer to the list of common words with a /z/ sound in Chapter Four. Other words pronounced with a /z/ sound include: husband, design, observe, always, and chose.

Words Contrasts for Practice

Make sure you say the words in each pair differently:

Consonant Clusters

When a word contains two consonants next to each other, make sure you pronounce both of the consonants. Review Chapter Four for more help with consonant clusters.

Words for Practice

Pronounce both of the final consonants in the words below:

1. just
2. act
3. lost
4. hand
5. paint
6. project
7. mixed
8. paint
9. sense
10. desks

Confusing /v/ and /w/

All explanations and exercises for the /v/ and /w/ sounds are in Chapter Four.

The Initial h

Make sure you pronounce the /h/ sound at the beginning of words. The h is always pronounced in English except in these common words: hour, honest, honor, herb, heir, exhaust, vehicle, and ghost.

The /r/ Sound

Learn to create the correct American /r/ sound by studying Chapter Three and by doing all of the /r/ exercises in Chapter Four. Make sure you do not roll the /r/ with the tip of your tongue, as this creates a harsh sounding Indonesian /r/.

Indonesian speakers tend to roll the /r/ when it is followed by another consonant, as in bring, program, friend, or when it is in the beginning of the word, as in red and right.

When the /r/ sound is at the end of the word, as in far and computer, or before another consonant, as in dark and concert, Indonesian speakers tend not to pronounce it at all. Remember, the /r/ is never silent in Standard American English whereas in British English it sometimes is.

Word Pairs for Practice

Make sure you don’t pronounce these pairs of words the same:

Confusing s and sh

Indonesians tend to pronounce an /s/ sound when a word contains the letters sh. Common words that pose this problem include finish, decision, physician, wish, and cash.

Words Contrasts for Practice

Make sure that you pronounce the words in each pair below differently:

Vowels

It is recommended that you study all of the American vowel sounds in detail. (See Chapters One and Two.) However, pay special attention to the vowel sounds highlighted below which are the most problematic ones for Indonesian speakers of English.

The /eɪ/ Sound

Indonesian speakers tend to pronounce /eɪ/ (as in take) as /ɛ/ or /æ/, so the word same ends up sounding like Sam. Here are some other examples of words that tend to sound the same when Indonesian speakers pronounce them:

The /a/ Sound

Be careful about words spelled with an o but pronounced with an /ɑ/ sound, as in father. Common words in this category include: job, hot, God, problem, and possible.

Syllable Stress

Study Chapter Five to review the rules of syllable stress. Your tendency will be to stress the first syllable of a word. If you speak quickly and use the wrong syllable stress, your speech will be difficult to understand.

Word Stress

Indonesians tend to place the most stress in the first part of a phrase or sentence, whereas Americans stress the endings more. Remember to place the most emphasis on the last content word of each sentence. Review Chapter Six for more guidance on this topic.