Indonesia 2

Listen to Indonesia 2, an 18-year-old woman from Medan, Indonesia. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject. 

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BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 18

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 01/03/2007

PLACE OF BIRTH: Medan

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Asian/Indonesian

OCCUPATION: college student

EDUCATION: pursuing four-year college degree

AREAS OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

The subject has never lived outside Indonesia for more than six months. At the time of this interview, she had been living in East Lansing, Michigan, United States, for about four months while attending college.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH:

She studied English from kindergarten through high school. Her household spoke predominantly Hokkien or Indonesian. Growing up, the subject watched a lot of movies, which she says impacted her pronunciation and comfort with English.

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: Nick Torres

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 15/12/2025

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

So, this semester at Michigan State University was actually really good for me even though it was pretty challenging. At the beginning, I was kind of, like, overwhelmed because, uh, I had to adjust to the workload and the pace of college classes. So everything felt faster than I expected, and I had to learn how to manage my time better. But as the semester went on I, I started to feel more comfortable. I figured out my routine, like when to study, when to rest, when to play, and how to balance my classes with my social life. Uh, I also learned a lot about myself, especially like how to stay organized and not pro-procrastinate too much.

So, um, academically I feel like I improve, especially in understanding how college classes work and what profes-professor expect from student. So, some classes were harder than others, but, overall, uh, I think they help me grow and become more independent. And socially, I met new people and became confident talking to others too.

Being at MSU actually made me feel more independent and responsible for my own choice. Uh, one thing that really surprised me that — was how big the campus is, and how independent everything feels because I used to be — I used to live with my parents, and I really like, uh, clinging to them, and they just take care of me; but now I am alone here with my brother, I need to manage everything alone. Yeah, it was kind of overwhelming, but I figure it out. …

[Subject speaks in Indonesian]: Jadi, waktu aku kecil di Indonesia, salah satu hal yang paling aku suka itu makanan, terutama sushi. Dulu aku suka banget makan sushi, dan itu jadi salah satu makanan favorit aku sejak kecil. Jadi, setiap ada kesempatan makan sushi, aku selalu ngerasa kayak akhirnya bisa makan sushi, dan aku ngerasa senang banget.

Biasanya aku pergi makan sushi itu bareng keluarga, jadi bukan cuma soal makanannya, tapi juga soal momennya. Aku bisa makan sambil menikmati makanannya sambil ngobrol sama mereka. Dan itu rasanya hangat banget, karena mereka rata-rata sibuk, jadi kita agak jarang pergi makan bareng. Terus, sekali ada kesempatan makan bareng, aku biasanya pengen makan sushi, supaya kita bisa menikmati makanan sambil ngobrol bersama. Jadi, sampai sekarang makanan masih jadi hal yang penting buat aku. Dan kesukaan aku terhadap sushi itu salah satu kenangan kecil yang sederhana, tapi berkesan.

[English translation: So, when I was a kid in Indonesia, one of the things I loved the most was food, especially sushi. I really loved eating sushi, and it became one of my favorite foods since I was little. So whenever I had the chance to eat sushi, I always felt like, finally, I could eat sushi and it made me really happy.

Usually, I would go eat sushi with my family, so it wasn’t just about the food, but also about the moment. I could enjoy the food while talking with them. It felt really warm, because they were usually busy, so we didn’t often get the chance to eat together. Then whenever we did have the chance to eat together, I would usually want to eat sushi, so we could enjoy the meal while talking together. So even now, food is still something important to me. And my love for sushi is one of those small, simple memories that is meaningful to me.]

TRANSCRIBED BY: Nick Torres

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 15/12/2025

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: N/A

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY: N/A

COMMENTARY BY: N/A

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

The archive provides:

• Recordings of accent/dialect speakers from the region you select.

• Text of the speakers’ biographical details.

• Scholarly commentary and analysis in some cases.

• In most cases, an orthographic transcription of the speakers’ unscripted speech.  In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).  The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages are Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage) and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings).

For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here, please go to Other Dialect Services.