Learn where Indonesian is spoken
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: Where is Indonesian spoken? |
| Blanca: And how many varieties of Indonesian are there? |
| Michael: At IndonesianPod101.com, we hear these questions often. Consider the following situation. Sandi Sasmita is a college student and he is meeting another student, Emma Hartanto, for the first time. On hearing Emma speak Indonesian, he asks, |
| "Where did you learn Indonesian?" |
| Sandi Sasmita: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| Dialogue |
| Sandi Sasmita: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| Emma Hartanto: Di sini, di Indonesia. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Sandi Sasmita: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| Michael: "Where did you learn Indonesian?" |
| Emma Hartanto: Di sini, di Indonesia. |
| Michael: "Here, in Indonesia." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: In the conversation, we hear Sandi Sasmita ask, |
| Blanca: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| Michael: "Where did you learn Indonesian?" |
| Michael: to which Emma Hartanto responds, |
| Blanca: Di sini, di Indonesia. |
| Michael: "Here, in Indonesia." |
| Michael: As you might expect, Indonesian is predominantly spoken in the Southeast Asian country of Indonesia, which is made up of thousands of islands and constitutes one of the biggest nations in the world, not only in terms of landmass but population. In fact, Indonesia is the fourth most populated country in the world with 267 million people. |
| Michael: To understand where Indonesian is spoken, we must first understand the language's relationship to the more broadly used, standardized Austronesian language, |
| Blanca: Malay. |
| Michael: Malay is spoken in many Southeast Asian countries, including Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Thailand, in addition to Indonesia. Each of these countries has its own language subset of Malay that is spoken locally. In Malaysia, for example, it is known as |
| Blanca: Bahasa Malaysia |
| Michael: or |
| Blanca: Bahasa Melayu, |
| Michael: meaning "Malay," In Singapore and Brunei, it's also called |
| Blanca: Bahasa Melayu. |
| Michael: However, in Indonesia, it's generally known as |
| Blanca: Bahasa Indonesia |
| Michael: or "Indonesian," but is sometimes also referred to as |
| Blanca: Bahasa Melayu |
| Michael: or "Malay" especially in southern Sumatra. |
| Michael: It's important to note that Indonesia is a very ethnically diverse country. Over 300 ethnic groups inhabit the nation. Although most Indonesians also speak a local language, of which there are more than 700, |
| Blanca: Bahasa Indonesia, |
| Michael: or simply, "Indonesian," is the lingua franca and has been since the very early days of trading, dating back to the 7th century. During the 1920s, strong nationalism in Indonesia only solidified this shared national language. In fact, even during periods of colonialism, primarily Dutch colonialism in the mid-20th century, Indonesian did not succumb to the imposition of any other language. Today, it's estimated that there are nearly 23 million native Indonesian speakers worldwide. |
| Practice Section |
| Michael: Let's review the sample conversation. I'll say each sentence in English, and I want you to try and reply out loud in Indonesian. The native speaker will then model the correct answer. Listen and repeat, with an emphasis on your pronunciation. |
| The first sentence is "Where did you learn Indonesian?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| Michael: Did you get it right? Listen to the native speaker again and pay careful attention to her pronunciation before repeating after her. |
| Blanca: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Belajar bahasa Indonesia di mana? |
| Michael: The second sentence is, "Here, in Indonesia." |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Di sini, di Indonesia. |
| Michael: How did you do this time? Listen again and repeat. |
| Blanca: Di sini, di Indonesia. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Blanca: Di sini, di Indonesia. |
| Cultural Insight/Expansion |
| Michael: As a former province under Indonesian authority, many older generations of East Timorese are Indonesian-educated and speak fluent Indonesian. However, as the country is easing back into using Portuguese as the official language, fewer people are now speaking Indonesian. Although Indonesian is maintained as a working language, especially due to East Timor and Indonesian's bilateral relations. And, in some remote areas in Indonesia, it is likely that the local language is being spoken, for example in |
| Blanca: Baduy. |
| Michael: Baduy people use the Indonesian language to communicate with outsiders. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We're here to answer them! |
| Blanca: Dadah. |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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