Developing an online self-learning system of Indonesian pronunciation for foreign learners

Abstract

The main part of learning a language is pronunciation. In language learning method, pronunciation practice requires more portion than the language theory. There are some obstacles experienced by foreign learners to learn Indonesian because they are still strongly influenced by their mother tongue which is really different from Indonesian. There are some courses of learning Indonesian, indeed, but the foreign learners have to stay in Indonesia to join them. On the other hand, the researchers have successfully proven that the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can help the learners in learning a language. In this paper, we have developed a system of the Online Self-Learning of Indonesian Pronunciation for Foreign Learner using Indonesian Text to Audio Visual Speech which is able to help the foreign learners to overcome their obstacles in learning Indonesian, especially the pronunciation. This system consists of 2(two) application modules: Indonesian Text to Speech (ITTS) and Indonesian Text to Audio Visual Speech (ITTAVS). In order to find out whether this system is feasible or not for foreign learners' skill in pronouncing the Indonesian words, a subjective measurement using subjective test Mean Opinion Score (MOS) is used. We organized native speakers (Indonesians) as the participants of this test. Some of them are lecturers of Indonesian language and can be considered as experts. The average scores (using MOS scale) of the tests given showed a promising result. This system is dedicated to the foreign learners who need to improve their skill in pronouncing the Indonesian words accurately and to change the classical method of learning into a self-learning method.