Every language in the world shares some sounds with other languages. While there may be slight variations in how these sounds are produced, they are generally universal. For example, the sound /m/ is fairly consistent across most languages.
Some languages have a limited number of sounds (phonemes), while others have a rich variety. Hawaiian has the second-smallest inventory of phonemes among known languages, with just eight consonants (p, k, ’ [glottal stop], m, n, l, h, and w) and five vowels (a, e, i, o, and u).
European languages differ significantly in the number of phonemes they contain. Italian has 28 phonemes, English has 36 (49 if diphthongs are included), which is already a lot, but other languages, like Danish, have even more.
Indonesian is relatively easy in terms of pronunciation, with only six vowels (compared to English’s 12) and 18 consonants.
When I hear foreigners speaking Indonesian, I can often tell where they are from based on their pronunciation, or “accent”. Unfortunately, native English speakers tend to struggle the most with pronunciation. This is because they typically pronounce Indonesian words as they would in English, especially when it comes to vowels.
In addition to vowels, one aspect of Indonesian phonology that is challenging for speakers of European languages is the /ng/ sound. Most native speakers of European languages have difficulty with this sound, which is a single sound, not a combination of /n/ and /g/. Words like angin, dengan, ingin, and sangat are often mispronounced with an extra /g/, resulting in pronunciations like anggin, inggin, or sanggat. However, the correct pronunciation is a-ngin, i-ngin, and sa-ngat. It might take some practice, but with time you’ll become accustomed to pronouncing them correctly.
Now, listen carefully to the following 11 words, paying close attention to the /ng/ sound. Do you hear /ng/ or /ngg/?
Listen to the sound file again, then use the voice recorder to capture your own pronunciation. Next, play the above sound file of a native speaker pronouncing the word again, and compare it with your version.
—————————————11 August 2024—————————————