Letter "J" in Indonesian?
102
Could someone please set me straight!
I was under some impression that "j" in Indonesian is pronounced like English "y" (as, for example, in Northern European languages' writing). I guess I supposed that had something to do with Dutch influence.
However, I am seeing in the Duo course that "j" is pronounced more or less like English j in "job."
I am just crazy?
And isn't there some other, maybe colloquial, mix-up between j and y sounds?
Thanks!
7 Comments
- 274
Before the switch towards Republic Spelling System (in 1947), "j" is read as "y", meanwhile "dj" is read as "j".
In the Republic Spelling System (1947-today), "j" is read as "j".
However, some brands and names still use "dj", like in Djarum, a brand of Indonesian cigarettes. But in everyday life, "j" is accepted.
Notes: If you are interested, here are the original spelling of some alphabets
U is written as Oe
C is written as Tj
J is written as Dj
Y is written as J
- 102
Thanks. So, in other words, those are all Dutch spellings.
I think this is the way you'll still see words spelled in the Netherlands. I saw some of that when I was visiting recently.
On the other hand, maybe that is Surinamese spelling?
- 274
Yes, it is used by the Dutch to transliterate Indonesian, so that the Dutch know how to read it correctly.
I don't know about Surinamese spelling though. Probably, you're right.
- 595
Under the old spelling the letter 'j' was pronounced as a 'y' sound. However, nowadays, the letter j' is used to represent the 'j' sound in English.
