Study Tips
Tips and tricks to help you learn Indonesian
Just in case you haven’t realised it, all those ads promising that you can master a language in a week are not telling the whole truth. I’ve either been teaching languages or studying how to teach languages for the last ten years, and I’ve never come across someone who can do that.
The average number of words a person can learn in
a day is around 7 or 8 – while you may be able to do better than this, you
are never going to learn the thousands of words necessary to become
fluent in a language in seven days.
At the same time, there are very few people who are not able to at least communicate in another language when they are motivated, living in the country and when they can believe they can do it. So, just because you were not successful at languages when you were at school does not mean that you can not learn one now.
Learn high frequency words and phrases first
It’s no use learning words you will only use once a year. You need to start with the words you will use most often. Try noting down words that you need when you are trying to speak to people, and then translating and learning those words.
Linking words
I learnt to do this by using the link word books. Use images/ or connections to help you remember words. For example, when I wanted to remember makan (eat) I just imagined my mother (ma) eating from a can (kan). When you need to recall the word, just think of the image.
Don’t always use a dictionary
Dictionaries can sometimes impede progress for two reasons:
1 Translating words can be frustrating: It is often better to struggle on, and try to work out meaning from context, than to waste time finding low frequency words every two minutes. If the word is important, you can be sure to come across it again – and again, and again.
2. Dictionary definitions are not exact: A good dictionary will give you the best approximation (there are many bad dictionaries in Indonesia!) However, may words can’t be translated exactly, or have their own special context. If you work out the meaning of a word by repeatedly hearing it in context, you will gain a better understanding of that word. And remember – this is how you learnt language the first time round!
Learn phrases rather than just words
When you learn a phrase you don’t have to worry about the grammar that connects the words – you automatically use it correctly. It also means that you from the start you use the words like a native speaker, rather than joining the words together in ways that may seem logical to you but will sound strange to your listener.
Keep a notebook.
I used to write down useful new words, and also words I needed to know in English. (My wife still remembers me flicking through the notebook looking for words when I first met her.)
Don’t allow failure in schools to stop you from trying
It is perfectly possible to do abysmally at languages at school, and become a proficient speaker in a foreign language when you are in the country. It's certainly a lot easier to learn when the language is all around you. However, without the belief and confidence that you will succeed, you won’t.
Practice speaking at every opportunity
Practice is essential. As
you speak you will be reviewing and recycling the vocabulary you have
learnt. Although you won’t understand a lot of what you hear, you will
understand some things from context – and after a while new words and
phrases will magically appear in your vocabulary.