Comparison of the Phonological Systems of Indonesian and English (a case study in an English

course in Surabaya)

Abstract

This paper compares the phonological systems of Indonesian and English, describing their similarities
and differences. The students at Language Learning Center, an English course in Surabaya, do not find it
difficult to master L2 (English), but rather the contrasts between the two languages. As a result, the
parallels are not the examples that provide a challenge for L2 phonological system learning. On the basis
of the data gathered, several distinctions, such as phonemic oppositions and phonetic traits, as well as
their commonalities, are found. The study's methodology used a qualitative approach. Data were gathered
through observation. There are six students of Language Learning Center that participated in this study.
Although they have already had some experience learning English, they still struggle with word
pronunciation.

Keywords: comparison analysis, phonology, phonemes, phonemic systems, phonemic oppositions,

and phonetic features

Introduction

English is one of the most challenging languages to learn in terms of pronunciation. This claim is
supported by Vernick and Nesgoda (1980), who claim that because multiple spellings can be represented
by a single sound, language learners may have trouble learning to speak English correctly. In contrast to
Vernick and Nesgoda's theory, Lanteigne (2006) supports the notion that learners have trouble acquiring
English because parts of the language's sounds are absent from their native tongues.

It is customary to begin an investigation of a language with "utterances." According to this definition, an

utterance can range in length from a single word to a speech or oration. Even though there are an almost
unlimited amount of possible meanings and meaning combinations for any given utterance, just a small
number of different sounds (written symbols) are used to transmit all of the meanings that language may
express. Regarding the aforementioned claim, Goldsmith (1995) makes the generalization that every
language is a structurally unique system. When two languages are examined in terms of their organization
and structure, it is evident that the amazing range of human speech points to remarkable parallels. Both
languages have distinct parts of speech, systems, meanings, phonemes, morphemes, words, sentences, and
clear sentence variants. Dreasher and Anderson-Hsieh (as cited in Lanteigne (2006)) stated that
Portuguese does not have sounds like [θ], [ð], [ŋ] and, [ae] that are found in English. Another illustration
is seen in the Indonesian language, where English sounds like [v], [θ], [ð], [ʒ], [dʒ], and [t∫] are absent as
well (Alwi, Moeliono & Dardjowidjojo, 2003).

Main Objectives / Problems

At least two languages are evaluated in order to determine their contrast in order to recognize precisely
that each language is a structurally unique system of communication. In light of the various
characteristics of each phoneme, this study focuses its analysis Comparison of the Phonological
Structures of Indonesian and English. To find variations that might prevent students from learning L2,
comparative assessments of the phonological operations in L1 (the Indonesian language) and L2 (the
English language) should be conducted. The more differences that can be found, the more challenges that
it can be solved as a result of the differences between L1 and L2. In other words, all English phonemes
that do not occur in Indonesian phonological structures are evaluated and compared to their Indonesian
counterparts.

Discussion

1. Phoneme / z / in English and Indonesian

According to the data presented in this analysis, the Indonesian / z / does not occur in the final position,
thus the six students do not seem to have any trouble pronouncing English words that contain it initially
and medially, other than when it does. In relation to the aforementioned contrast, it is discovered that the
students in examining are more likely to pronounce the letter "s" than "z" when it appears in the final
position in English. The other variations relate to the phonetic characteristics of the phoneme / z / in
English and Indonesian. The analysis is listed below.

a. PHONEMIC OPPOSITIONS

ENGLISH INDONESIAN

Initial : ‘zit’ Initial : ‘zaman’

Medial : ‘zigzag’ Medial : ‘lezat’

Final : ‘zounds’ Final : None

b. PHONETIC FEATURES

ENGLISH INDONESIAN
Voiced : +

Dental : + None

Fricative : +

2. Phoneme / s / in English = / ŝ / in Indonesian

The Indonesian phoneme, / ŝ /, only appears in the word initial and medial places, unlike the English
phoneme, which appears in three locations: the word initial, medial, and final. English has the sound / ŝ /
in the sound system, however the letters 'sy' are used to represent it in writing. When the letter 'sy' appears
in an Indonesian word, the sound sign / ŝ / is used to represent it. The English /s/ sound differs slightly
from the English / ŝ / sound in that the English /s/ is rounded whereas the Indonesian / ŝ / is not. The
analysis of the students' phonetic characteristics and phonemic oppositions is provided below.

a. PHONEMIC OPPOSITIONS

ENGLISH INDONESIAN

Initial : ship Initial : syukur

Medial : motion Medial : isyarat

Final : dash Final :None

b. PHONETIC FEATURES

ENGLISH INDONESIAN

Voiced : + Voiced : +

Alveolar : + Alveolar : +

Fricative : + Fricative : +

Conclusion

The results clearly demonstrate that the phonological systems of both languages (L2 = English and L1 =
Indonesian) have certain similarities and differences in terms of phonemic oppositions and phonetic
properties. Of course, the distinctions make learning L2 considerably more challenging for speakers of
L1, especially when it comes to sound systems because both L1 and L2 have unique sound systems that
are distinct from those of other languages.
References

Alwi, H., Dardjowidjojo, S., Lapoliwa, H., & Moeliono, A. M. (2003). Tata bahasa baku bahasa
Indonesia. Jakarta: Balai Pustaka.

Goldsmith, John A. (ed.). (1995). The handbook of phonological theory. Cambridge, Mass. & Oxford:
Blackwell.

Lanteigne, B. (2006). Common, persistent errors in English by Brazilian Portuguese speakers. TEFL Web
Journal, 4(1), 80.

Vernick, J., & Nesgoda, J. (1980). American English Sounds and Spellings for Beginning ESL Students.
Pitt Series in English as a Second Language, 8. University of Pittsburgh Press, 127 North
Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.