The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)

In many textbooks designed for native English speakers, the pronunciation of Indonesian words is often described as follows: “anak (child) is pronounced as ah-nahk,” “orang (person) is pronounced as oh-rahng,” and “umur (age) is pronounced as oo-moor.”

While this method is helpful for English speakers, it may not be as useful for speakers of other languages. Since “The Indonesian Way” is used by native speakers of various languages, we will employ the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to accurately represent the pronunciation of Indonesian words. The IPA is a globally recognized system of phonetic symbols that was developed in the late 19th century, based on the principle of a strict one-to-one correspondence between sounds and symbols.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a standardized system of symbols that represent the sounds of spoken language. Created by the International Phonetic Association, it provides a consistent method for transcribing the pronunciation of words across different languages. Each IPA symbol corresponds to a specific sound or phoneme, and the system includes representations for consonants, vowels, tones, and other phonetic features.

The IPA is widely used by linguists, language teachers, and students to accurately describe how words are pronounced, regardless of the language. It’s particularly valuable because it transcends the limitations of regular spelling, which can vary significantly between languages and even within a single language.

The Indonesian Sound System

Phonetically, Indonesian is a simple language with only 6 vowels and 19 consonants.
According to Soderberg (2008), Indonesian has 32 phonemes: 6 vowels: /a/, /e/, /ə/, /i/, /o/, /u/, 3 diphthongs: /ai̯/, /au̯/, /oi̯/, and 23 consonants, but 4 of them only occur in foreign words, and are often substituted by similar native vowels. The consonants consist of 7 plosives: /b/, /d/, /g/, /k/, /ʔ/, /p/, /t/, 2 affricates: /tʃ/, /dʒ/, 4 nasals /m/, /n/, /ɲ/, /ŋ/, 1 trill /r/, 6 fricatives /f/, /h/, /x/, /s/, /ʃ/, /z/), 2 approximants: /w/, /j/, and 1 lateral approximant: /l/.

/f/ only occurs in foreign words, and is often substituted by /p/
/x/ only occurs in foreign words, and is often substituted by /k/
/ʃ/ only occurs in foreign words, and is often substituted by /s/
/z/ only occurs in foreign words, and is often substituted by /dʒ/

The Indonesian alphabet includes the letters “x” and “v”, but they are only used in certain foreign terms. The word “taxi”, for instance, must be spelled “taksi”. V is always pronounced as /f/ or /p/ and only occurs in a few foreign words such as “Vespa”, which is pronounces “Fespa” or “Pespa”.

Why is the IPA Important?

The IPA is important because it allows for precise and universal communication about pronunciation. It overcomes the inconsistencies of traditional spelling systems, providing a tool that can be used globally to describe any spoken language. For example, while the letter “a” in English can represent different sounds in “apple”, “about”, and “car”, the IPA would use different symbols for each sound: /æ/, /ə/, and /ɑː/, respectively.

The IPA also helps in learning new languages, teaching correct pronunciation, and conducting linguistic research. It’s an invaluable tool for anyone who works with languages, from linguists and phoneticians to language teachers and students.

Reference

Soderberg, Craig D. (2008) “Indonesian“. Journal of the International Phonetic Association. Volume 38 (2), pp. 209–213.