Colloquial Indonesian [Paperback]

S. Atmosumarto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 28, 1994 | Series: Colloquial

This is a practical course in modern written and spoken Indonesian. The lessons contain explanations of the grammar, a range of exercises and some authentic language material. Two 60-minute audio cassettes, recorded by native Indonesian speakers, are designed to accompany the textbook. These aim to complement and reinforce the material covered in the text, and to assist the pronunciation and understanding of Indonesian.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Routledge; Bk&Cassett edition (September 28, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415092019
• ISBN-13: 978-0415092012
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,812,249 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Foreign Language > Bahasa Malay

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars No attempt to control vocabulary, April 25, 2000

By 

Philip Reed - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colloquial Indonesian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Paperback)

I have to be fair and admit that I haven't spent the time with this book/tape set to do it justice. However, I found this book incredibly frustrating. That's because it seems no effort was made to present vocabulary in an orderly, controlled manner. They might use a word in Lesson 2 but not bother to list it as new vocabulary until Lesson 4. A dictionary is an absolute must to do any of the exercises. Also, not all the taped exercises are transcribed in the book, or at least it's not 100% clear how they correspond, so I keep finding words in those that I don't quite understand and can't look up. It's a so-so book/tape combo, but only so-so. I love to dabble in languages, and I've definitely seen better.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good basic introduction with a few flaws..., January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Colloquial Indonesian: The Complete Course for Beginners (Colloquial Series) (Audio Cassette)

While I did find that this book was comprehensive in its introduction of useful, relevent vocabulary, and had a good audio companion, I found that some of the exercizes in the book lacked answer keys, making it occasionally frustrating. I would generally recommend it, but I would also recommend purchasing a companion volume that covers Indonesian grammar, and/or a good dictionary with a section devoted to it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive, easy-to-use course, September 29, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Stoke On Trent, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Colloquial Indonesian (Paperback)

Colloquial Indonesian is a comprehensive textbook, logically arranged and easy to use. Each unit contains prose and/or conversational passages, grammar and plenty of exercises.

The Indonesian verb, with its system of affixations, is taught in a lucid and easily comprehensible manner. The book also contains a good 'Ready Reference Grammar'. When you finish this course (count on taking six months) you will have a thorough grounding in Bahasa Indonesia. I found the accompanying cassette tapes, which are recorded by native speakers, very useful.

I can find only one fault with the book - the author introduces a lot of vocabulary which is not to be found in the Indonesian-English glossary at the back, so you really need a dictionary to get the most out of it. Despite this, I enjoyed the course and often return to it for revision.