English pronunciation for Indonesian speakers
Indonesian speakers most need audible word-endings: final stops are swallowed and clusters simplified, deleting the -s and -ed that carry English grammar. Then /v/→/f/, /z/→/s/, and the missing long/short vowel contrast.
- 6 sounds to fix, in order
- Every sound read aloud
- A listening game for each contrast
Your sounds, in order
- t
1
t as in tea
final stops unreleased and clusters simplified: '-ed' and '-st' endings vanish
Fix: Touch your tongue tip to the ridge just behind your top teeth.
- z
2
z as in zoo
/z/ devoices to /s/ or hardens to /dʒ/: plural endings blur
Fix: Same position as /s/, tongue near the ridge.
- v
3
v as in very
/v/ becomes /f/: 'very' → 'ferry', 'have' → 'haf'
Fix: Touch your top teeth to your bottom lip, same position as /f/.
- ɪ
4
i as in sit
long/short pairs merge: ship/sheep, full/fool
Fix: Relax your lips and jaw, no smile.
- ʃ
5
sh as in she
/ʃ/ becomes /s/: 'she' → 'see'
Fix: Pull your tongue slightly further back than for /s/.
- θ
6
th as in think
/θ/ → /t/, /ð/ → /d/; address after endings and v/z
Fix: Place the tip of your tongue lightly between your top and bottom teeth.
Stress and rhythm
- Even 'machine-gun' rhythm is the main prosodic habit; pick one stressed word per phrase and compress the rest.
- You already have a schwa (the e in 'besar'); recruit it for English unstressed syllables.
- Finish words completely before starting the next; unclear endings compound across a sentence.
Start this week
- Endings bootcamp: over-pronounce -s/-ed for two weeks: 'workeD', 'planS', 'askeD'.
- v-drill with a mirror: teeth on lip, motor on: 'very, every, never'.
- Long-vowel stretch: 'sheep, pool, food' held twice as long as feels natural.