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[ghost]

Bahasa (language) Indonesia is one of the most user friendly and accessible Asian languages around (probably around the same level of difficulty or ease as Tagalog/Filipino). When I listen to people speak in B.I. it reminds me very much of Tagalog in basic sounds and intonation.

Do you think it necessary, nevertheless, to take a formal course in Bahasa Indonesia to learn the language, or have any of you picked it up through self study methods and talking with the people?

My feeling is that most 'average learners' of B.I. should be able to pick up decent skills in the language within 6 months, with a little motivation and persistence.

Having said that, I recall when working in Guatemala, that quite a few foreigners were still low level in Spanish despite extended stays in the country, and Spanish and B.I. are probably at similar levels of difficulty for English speakers.

I have also been told that there are certain areas of the country (Sulawesi/Makassar) where if you don't learn B.I. or the local tongue, you will not be able to communicate.

And are there courses available for Bules in most locales in Indonesia, or are they restricted to the major cities only?

Also, can anyone recommend a course for a newbie to Indonesia. The course, preferably, should be for about 2-4 hours per day, and can include a homestay for increased exposure to the language.

In Korea - many foreigners who have been here for years, still speak virtually no Korean. Korean seems to be a discouraging language to learn for several reasons. It takes a really determined and thick skinned foreigner to successfully learn Korean.

In my case, I was able to learn decent conversational Mandarin with pinyin writing system within one year of study of Mandarin, including 4 months intensive Mandarin University course in Taichung, Taiwan.

In Korea, on the other hand, despite being in the country for more than 4 months, I can say little more than a couple of sentences, though I have learned to read and write in basic Hangul/Korean. I also think the fact that I find Koreans difficult to connect with on a social level to be a definite disadvantage in learning Korean. Indonesians, on the other hand, appear to be much more sociable compared with Koreans. That will go a long way in improving in a language rapidly.

Thank you.

Ghost in Korea

[Atoms for Peace]

For self study, I'd recommend a book called 'Colloquial Indonesian'. There's a tape to go with it, but you don't need it. The language is a bit formal, but at the back of the book, there is a very useful appendix listing the prefixes and suffixed, which are the key to the language.

Once you're in country, a very useful way to get exposure is to watch the sinetron soap operas on TV. The language is very simple and the acting so camp and over the top, it is easy to work out what's going on.

I'd also suggest occasionally buying an Indonesian newspaper, and reading the foreign news with a list of the discourse markers beside you. This is a good way to build up your vocab.

[sherlock]

I Studied Indonesian at university in Australia and Indonesia - but I found I have to take a week or so to catch up with the local language in each different part of Indonesia I go.

I recommend studying it formaly as you then have the basics and can pick up on the differences in each place. Thing is if you learn Jakarta slang then you will be speaking that tripe right the way throughout Indonesia.

[tanyakenapa]

Im fluent....

Firstly I learnt it through talking with the local people, it was just so easy to pick it up Also great fun learning javanese/sundanese as well Its great when you visit say Bandung or Central Java then you talk the local lingo and their eyes light up!! I speak Javanese better than my boyfriend who's half javanese!! All good fun

However I also studied Bahasa at highschool (at JIS) for 3 years up to the IB level, so I could learn the formal language,grammar etc etc.

I went back to Australia to do a degree, and the teacher forced me to go to the lower levels of Bahasa, even tho I spoke it better than him, and I passed a test he gave me before the term started with flying colours!!!

What a waste of time. Then he told me before the first class started, try not to answer every question first, let the other students try and answer. Dumbass!!!

I dropped out of his classes because it was a waste of time and money for me!!

[KCA420]

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[ghost]

Good to know you consider Bahasa Indonesia to be harder than Tagalog, because I found Tagalog, at least at a basic level, the easiest language to master for basic needs and low level conversation. Unlike some languages where if you don't pronounce it exactly right, Tagalog is really 'easy on the tongue' and all Pinoys will understand you no matter how 'bad' your accent.

Listening to songs from Indonesia on youtube in interesting, because the way they pronounce the words is so clear and enticing. A lot of vowel sounds come through, and it should not be difficult for a foreigner.

Do you think it is possible to teach and take a course at the same time?

Thank you.

Ghost in Korea

[malu]