Summary

This is a fresh and new podcast for learning the Indonesian language. As this article goes to press, there are three podcast episodes on the site, with the promise of more coming soon.

The podcasts themselves are clear, informative and well-organized.

Plus, we need podcasts for learning Indonesian because there is a serious lack on the Web! So many thanks to Ell Pond Language Services!

From Website

Learning Indonesian is a complete online Indonesian course geared towards developing conversational fluency in the Indonesian Language. This free course consists of:

• A progressive bi-weekly downloadable audio lesson available on our site or via podcast
• Full access to all previous lessons for review
• Study guides that compliment the audio lessons
• Online forums to ask questions and discuss your progress with other students

Link

Visit Learning Indonesian Podcast.

Subscribe

Subscribe to Learning Indonesian Podcast.
Subscribe to Learning Indonesian Podcast via iTunes.

Summary

If you don't know about Wikipedia, now is the time to find out! Especially since it is so useful in learning languages.

Wikipedia is the "Free Encyclopedia", a collectively-authored, dynamic, online encyclopedia that is free not only as in price, but also as in freedom. This means that the content you find anywhere on Wikipedia is free and open in the Public Domain. You can reproduce, redistribute and rehash the information there. This is empowered by the GNU Free Documentation License. This same license protects and empowers the contant on Free Language! (How?)

This particular resource links to the Wikipedia entry on the Indonesian language. This entry contains loads of information for the curious reader as well as for the serious Indonesian language learner, including historical and linguistic data.

Use this resource to become familiar with the Indonesian language and its context in today's world, to discover facts and linguistic data about Indonesian and its many varieties, access further information about and resources for learning Indonesian, and much more.

From Resource

Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a standardised dialect of the Malay language that was officially defined with the declaration of Indonesia's independence in 1945. The Malaysian and Indonesian languages remain quite similar.

Indonesia is the fourth most populous nation in the world. Of its large population the number of people who fluently speak Indonesian is fast approaching 100%, thus making Indonesian one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.[1] Most Indonesians, aside from speaking the national language, are often fluent in another regional language or local dialect (examples include Minangkabau, Sundanese and Javanese) which are commonly used at home and within the local community. Most formal education, as well as nearly all national media and other forms of communication, are conducted in Indonesian. In East Timor, occupied by Indonesia from 1974 to 1999, the Indonesian language is recognised by the constitution as one of the two working languages (the other is English, alongside the official languages of Tetum and Portuguese).

The Indonesian name for the language is Bahasa Indonesia (lit. "the language of Indonesia"). In the same way that English speakers would refer to the official language of France as "French" (not Français), the most accurate way of referring to Indonesia's national language in English is "Indonesian". However, the foreign term Bahasa Indonesia can sometimes still be found in written or spoken English. In addition, the language is sometimes referred to as "Bahasa" by English-speakers, though this simply means "language" and thus is also not an official term for the Indonesian language.

Link

Visit "Indonesian Language" on Wikipedia.

License

GNU Free Documentation License

Summary

Rosetta Stone doesn't want you to know this! The best deals on Rosetta Stone software can be found here on eBay.

Rosetta Stone is proprietary language-learning software produced by Rosetta Stone, Ltd. Its title and its logo are an allusion to the Rosetta Stone, an artifact inscribed in multiple languages that helped researchers to decipher Ancient Egyptian by comparing it to the Greek inscription.

The Rosetta Stone software utilizes a combination of images, text, and sound, with difficulty levels increasing as the student progresses, in order to teach various vocabulary terms and grammatical functions intuitively, without drills or translation. Their method is called the Dynamic Immersion method. The goal is to teach languages the way first languages are learned.

Rosetta Stone Packages

Several different packages of lessons are available. The full course in each language is separated into three levels. There is only one level available for Latin. All retail software packages except the homeschool version contain two CDs, one with the application software and another with the instruction. The homeschool version also consists of disks for a server program and a student management program.

Video Intro

Rosetta Stone Deals

Get the best prices here on all Rosetta Stone products!

Available Languages

Arabic (Modern Standard), Chinese (Mandarin), Danish, Dutch, English (American), English (British), French (Parisian), German, Indonesian, Swahili, Tagalog (Filipino), Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Persian (Farsi), Pashto, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Spanish (Spain), Swedish, Swahili, Tagalog (Filipino), Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese and Welsh

Rosetta Stone Version 2

All languages except Latin use the same set of words and sentences in the same order, with the same images (some of which are recycled from lesson to lesson). There are three levels of instruction, each sold separately, or they can be purchased bundled for a discount. In version two, most languages were offered with only two levels, though a few were offered in a third:

Level 1 consists of eight units, starting from simple vocabulary such as "boy", "girl", "man", "woman", moving up through numbers, the past and future tenses and concluding with a unit on giving directions. Units 1 through 4 have 10 lessons plus a review lesson, units 5 through 8 have 11 lessons plus a review lesson. 92 total lessons in level 1.

Level 2 offers units 9 through 19; however as a practical matter there are only nine units devoted to instruction since units 18 and 19 are "glossary" units devoted to single words having to do with a particular topic (school, nature, automobiles etc.). Level 2 units consider more advanced grammatical concepts, as well as specific subjects like banking, shopping and travel. These exercises also use short video clips in QuickTime format to illustrate some verbs. Units 16 and 17 consist solely of old Saturday Evening Post cartoons and their captions. 118 total lessons in level 2.

Level 3 is no longer offered on version 2 products, but when it was, it used longer video and writing passages to expand the level of instruction.

Rosetta Stone Version 3

In version 3, all languages have three levels, though what they cover is different; there is more of a focus on conversation and less on complex grammatical topics.

Level 1 consists of four units, each with four thirty-minute lessons and a number of five to fifteen minute activities. The level, which is supposed to "build a foundation of fundamental vocabulary and essential language structure," takes about 24 hours to complete following Rosetta Stone's recommended course. Starting from simple vocabulary such as basic greetings, "boy", "girl", "man", and "woman", moving up through numbers, comparisons, adjectives, nouns, future tense, and telling time. Each unit also contains a ten-minute simulated conversation called a "Milestone."

The four units in Level 1 are: The Basics, Friends and Family, Work and School, and Shopping.

Level 2 offers units 5 through 8, for a total of about twenty-four hours designed to teach you to "navigate your surroundings as you build on the vocabulary and essential language structure in Level 1." More grammar is covered, including past and future tenses, and imperative forms. Topics such as giving directions, writing letters, workplace terms, apologies, discussing emotions, and criticizing art are also covered. As in Level 1, each unit is followed by a ten-minute "Milestone."

The four units in Level 2 are: Travel, Past and Future, Friends and Social Life, and Dining and Vacation.

Level 3 offers the final four units (9 through 12), which are supposed to help "connect with the world around you by building on the language fundamentals and conversational skills you developed in Levels 1 and 2." In addition to expanding upon grammar learned in Levels 1 and 2, Level 3 teaches more in depth vocabulary, including botanical terms, culinary terms, how to express detailed opinions and judgments, and how to discuss politics, religion, and business. As in the first two levels, each unit contains a ten-minute "Milestone" activity in which the user participates in a simulated conversation.

The four units in Level 3 are: Home and Health, Life and World, Places and Events, and Talking About the World.

Other Rosetta Stone Packages

An Explorer package consisting basically of the first three units from Level I was available for a much cheaper price than the full Level I. This product is no longer available from the publisher.

A Traveler version, consisting of several lessons focusing on basic terms as well as vocabulary important for travel, was produced in the late 1990s and is no longer available.

Audio Companion was released on June 9, 2008 and is meant to reinforce what is learned using the computer software. It is portable and is meant to be played on a CD player or MP3 player.

The best deals on Rosetta Stone software can be found here.

From the site:

"World Nomads present a series of podcast language guides. They are yours to download for free and contain all the essential phrases to keep you travelling safely.

We hope that in 2007 there'll be time to produce a few more guides, so feel free to leave us a comment or send an email with suggestions for the languages you'd like to learn."

Comments

This podcast, along with other podcasts by World Nomads, has nice entries with world-traveler action and a transcription to boot.

Visit World Nomads Indonesian Language Guide for your iPod.

From the site:

"The Center for Southeast Asian Studies was established in 1963 at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. Located 65 miles west of Chicago, Northern Illinois University is a comprehensive undergraduate and graduate university with approximately 23,000 students. A federally funded National Resource Center since 1997, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies provides leadership, focus, and coordination for Southeast Asian studies at the university. It also provides outreach and K-12 teacher training for communities throughout northern Illinois.

Professor Jui-Ching Wang, NIU School of Music and the NIU Gamelan Ensemble performed for 450 freshmen at Naperville North High School in Naperville on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. The Gamelan performance was for Naperville North High School Cultures classes. A core group of NNHS social studies teachers have worked with the Center since 2002 in bringing Southeast Asian cultures into their classrooms.

One of our most unique resources is SEAsite, a comprehensive and varied set of interactive learning resources for studying Southeast Asian languages, literatures and cultures on the world wide web - all developed here by faculty and students and accessible from our home page."

Comments

This is an excellent resource for beginning learners of the Indonesian language. There is loads of helpful info here, including proverbs, colors, grammar info, housing, animals, family, foods, transportation and lots more.

Visit Learn Indonesian at SEASite.

From the site:

"Learning Bahasa Indonesia

The best time to start learning Bahasa Indonesia is before you even make your move to Indonesia, however it may be difficult to find language materials in your home country. Ask your sponsoring company to help you obtain tapes and books several months before you move, so that you can start becoming used to the sound of the language.

Formal Courses

Soon after your arrival in Indonesia, make it a priority to register for a Bahasa Indonesia course. There are several excellent schools and community organizations in Jakarta (and other cities) which have comprehensive, structured programs to help you begin learning Indonesian. Learning Indonesian properly from the beginning can not be stressed enough.

Another advantage of signing up for a course is that it's a great place to meet other newcomers and make friends. The people that you will be taking the course with will also be facing many of the settling in and adjustments challenges that you too face as a newcomer.

Tutors

Others opt for private lessons in their home or office from private tutors. This option tends to be the most expensive, and there is little control over the quality of the curriculum and instruction. Even though the tutor may come highly recommended from others, that does not ensure the quality of their instruction. You may, however, find it useful to meet with a tutor for a period after you have completed several levels of a formal course. That way they can help you with any special problems or requirements you may have.

Self-Taught Bahasa Indonesia

Some expats opt to learn Bahasa Indonesia on their own. Excellent books to learn Bahasa Indonesia are available in bookstores around Jakarta. Once you are in Indonesia, practice your fledgling Indonesian with your servants, driver, vendors and people you meet in the stores and social encounters. The diligent will quickly pick up enough Bahasa Indonesia to feel comfortable interacting with Indonesians on a daily basis.

Pen Pals and Indonesian Friends

True fluency in a language requires active use of the language. Many expats find it helpful to get a pen pal or have a "language buddy" relationship with an Indonesian where you help each other to learn a desired languages by sharing your skills. This can be as simple as setting up a time to meet once or twice a week where you focus on learning language and developing a friendship over coffee or email each other any questions you have about the language.

Many Indonesians want to learn English, or French, or German ... so if you want to learn Bahasa Indonesia, offer to "trade" skills by investing time in each other's language studies. Obviously you can pay a private tutor to do the same thing, but this type of a relationship is based on mutual benefit and doesn't involve payment. One time you focus on helping the expat to learn Indonesian, and the next time you meet you focus on helping the Indonesian to learn the foreign language."

Comments

This site has some audio recordings of some basic words and phrases for Bahasa Indonesia. It also has lots of cultural information and links to other resources.

Visit Learn Bahasa Indonesia at Expat.or.id

From the site:

"The purpose of this site is to give elementary students of Indonesian the opportunity to practise and review basic vocabulary, grammar and sentence structures as they work through their course and prepare for the examination. Each unit contains a range of exercises of various types, including:

* Multiple-choice quizzes
* Gap-fill exercises
* Matching exercises
* Short-answer questions
* Word-ordering exercises
* Sentence-ordering exercises
* Crosswords

All the exercises are interactive, so you can check your answers and get hints and feedback as you work."

Comments

This is a course that takes you through learning some initial vocabulary and practical use of Bahasa Indonesia.

The entire course is conducted in Indonesian, which might be daunting for some... but give it a try and you might find you like it!

Visit Beginning Indonesian.