YOUR BAHASA IS ELEGANT AND SMOOTH

Language teachers please read

As an officer of the Australian Army, I attended the RAAF School of Languages in 1973 to study Bahasa Indonesia. I passed the year with a broad skill in Bahasa. But I was not brilliant.

Each week, we had to pass tests involving translation and interpreting. It was pressure study.

I graduated in December 1973 and was immediately put to work .... in Papua New Guinea. I have never used my Bahasa in a formal way.

I worked for two years in PNG and was sent back to teach language. Bahasa? No. I conducted courses in Tok Pisin.

After one year of teaching Tok Pisin, I returned to the RAAF School of Languages for refresher in Bahasa. To my surprise, it came out smoothly, far better than in 1973.

The lecturer in charge briefed me at the end of the course as was done to each refresher student. He said that my Bahasa skill was OK at the end of the course in 1973.

The lecturers commented that my fluency had improved markedly over the five years since 1973. But I had not ever used Bahasa in that time.

I had used Tok Pisin. I feel now that there was transfer from Tok Pisin to Bahasa in so many ways. Often I found my Bahasa running smoothly in Tok Pisin formats. Some patterns were identical.

When the Army School moved to the RAAF School, I found there were PNG officer students having problems with their Bahasa. So I found myself given the task to produce lists of Tok Pisin to Bahasa.

Saya John. Mi John
Saya orang Indonesia. Mi man bilong Indonesia
Itu buku.  Em i buk
Itu buku saya. Em i buk bilong mi.
Itu buku merah. Em i retpela buk.

Jangan masuk. No ken kam insait
Jangan kwatir. No ken wari.

Saya pergi. Mi go
Saya pergi ke kota. Mi go long taun.
Siapa yang akan pergi? Husat bai go?
Saya pergi dengan ibu saya. Mi go wantain mama bilong mi.
Saya akan pergi. Mi bai go.
Dia akan pergi tiap tiap hari. Em bai go wan wan de.

and hundreds more.

TEACH YOURSELF TOK PISIN

BAHASA INDONESIA TREE (1)

RHYTHM IS A KEY TO LANGUAGE LEARNING

So there may be a transfer of skill from vernacular to English. But the vernacular teacher has to include English patterns to be able to show the links. Focus should be on rhythm.

English should be taught with the occasional comparison with the vernacular pattern. Elementary teachers will not naturally have the skills mentioned in this report.

It is not enough just to teach vernacular then English and think that it will all fall into place.