🇮🇩 Common Pronunciation Errors by Indonesian Learners (with Corrections)

1. Th sounds /θ/ and /ð/

Mistake: Replacing with /t/ or /d/

• Think → tink ❌

• This → dis ❌

Why: These sounds don’t exist in Indonesian.
Correction Tip:

• Place your tongue between your teeth and blow air (for /θ/ like in think).

• Vibrate your tongue for /ð/ like in this.
  🔄 Practice pairs: think-sink, then-den

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2. Ending consonants dropped or changed

Mistake: Final consonants are often dropped or devoiced.

• Bad → bat ❌

• Big → bik ❌

Why: Indonesian often omits final voiced consonants.
Correction Tip:

• Practice reading with emphasis on ending sounds.

• Record and compare your voice.
  🔄 Try: bad-bed-bag-beg

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3. Vowel Confusion (Long vs. Short)

Mistake: Mixing up short and long vowels.

• Ship → sheep ❌

• Full → fool ❌

Why: Indonesian vowel length is not phonemic.
Correction Tip:

• Hold long vowels twice as long.
  🔄 Contrast: ship-sheep, full-fool, hit-heat

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4. /f/ and /v/

Mistake: Confusing /f/ and /v/, or replacing with /p/ and /b/

• Very → bery ❌

• Fan → pan ❌

Why: /v/ and /f/ are not native sounds in many Indonesian dialects.
Correction Tip:

• Place top teeth on bottom lip and blow air (voiceless = /f/, voiced = /v/).
  🔄 Try: fan-van, fine-vine

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5. /ʃ/ and /s/

Mistake: Using /s/ instead of /ʃ/

• She → see ❌

• Shirt → sert ❌

Why: /ʃ/ is not common in Indonesian.
Correction Tip:

• Round your lips and push air like a whisper for /ʃ/.
  🔄 Try: ship-sip, she-see

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6. Stress & Intonation Problems

Mistake: Flat intonation and incorrect stress

• Saying record as REcord when noun → should be REcord

• Or saying reCORD (verb) with wrong stress

Why: Indonesian has more even stress across syllables.
Correction Tip:

• Learn stress rules for nouns/verbs, multi-syllabic words.

• Practice with audio and mimic rhythm.

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7. Syllable-timed Rhythm

Mistake: Speaking word-by-word, not in natural rhythm.
Why: Indonesian is syllable-timed; English is stress-timed.
Correction Tip:

• Practice chunking phrases (e.g., “I’m gonna go” vs. “I — am — going — to — go”)

• Shadow native speakers.

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🔁 General Correction Techniques

• Shadowing: Imitate native speakers in real-time audio.

• Minimal Pairs Practice: Focus on word pairs with only one sound difference.

• Record Yourself: Compare your speech to native audio.

• Use Phonemic Transcription (IPA): Helps you see the exact sound.

• Practice Tongue Twisters: Fun and effective.

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📚 Recommended Resources

• YouGlish.com – Search a word and hear how native speakers say it.

• Elsa Speak app – Great for pronunciation AI feedback.

• BBC Learning English – Pronunciation section.

• Rachel’s English / English with Lucy (YouTube) – Clear native pronunciation lessons.