This is a review of Version 2 of Rosetta Stone’s Indonesian program. In brief: this program provides neither practical nor comprehensive instruction. It teaches a few things quite well, but it does not teach how to converse with Indonesians or how to read or write ‘authentic’ texts. At best, it can supplement more-fully realized materials.
Version 2 is the highest version currently available for Indonesian; however, Rosetta Stone offers a Version 3 for most of its languages. So I recommend against applying my comments to any Version 3 product.
What it does well
Rosetta Stone teaches the writing and sound system of Indonesian quite well. Through repetitious exposure to native speakers’ voices, I became quite familiar with the basic phonemic patterns. It also imparts a limited range of vocabulary and a decent amount of basic grammar. I should note, however, that I comprehended some of the grammar by referring to a grammar text, and I have a head start anyway because I’ve learned several other languages and have linguistic training. As an example of Rosetta Stone’s strength, I learned the names for colors and numbers quite easily and thoroughly.
What it does poorly
Rosetta Stone’s use of pictures and repetition works well when the program presents sufficient repetition and clear contrasts between terms. Unfortunately, much of the vocabulary does not receive this treatment. The program fails to clarify the meaning of quite a few terms, and it fails to repeat much of the vocabulary, too.
In addition, all of the learner’s linguistic production – that is, speaking and typing – consists of repetition of phrases that the program has presented immediately beforehand. This has some value, especially for learning the sound system. But my extensive experience indicates that the fullest learning and confidence come from applying newly learned patterns in novel ways.
What it doesn’t do
The most obvious difference between Rosetta Stone and any other language-learning method that I have tried is this: Rosetta Stone does not explain anything about the language. There is no glossary, no translation, no notes about pitfalls regarding particular words, explanations of grammar – nothing whatsoever. While this might seem refreshing, it makes the rest of the learning less useful. For my part, I used other resources to determine the meaning of words and grammatical patterns that Rosetta Stone had introduced. Also, as any introductory course in linguistic anthropology will indicate, knowing grammar and vocabulary is necessary but insufficient for communicating; speakers need to understand the “pragmatics” of language, too.
The topics that this program does not cover are alarming. I kept telling myself that it was providing me the building blocks to understand useful phrases that would eventually be introduced, but here is a partial list of items missing:
- introductions
- greetings
- anything unique to or characteristic of Indonesia, including the name of the country and language
- different levels of formality
- many basic familial relations, such as siblings
- asking where the bathroom is
- one basic way of saying “we” and the way to say “you” (plural)
Rosetta Stone’s marketing makes it difficult to discern what the program covers, and it suggests that users will be able to communicate meaningfully with native speakers. Given the shortcomings that I have signaled, I strongly doubt that anyone could use this program as their main source of training and converse freely with Indonesians. Unless a learner has access to this program at low or no cost, it seems too expensive for the benefits it confers.
By the way, the most productive single source of language instruction that I have used thus far – and I’ve tried several – is Keren!, a textbook for Australian teenagers.
Disclaimer
I have no expectation of receiving compensation from Rosetta Stone or any other company for this review, and I have no financial interest in this industry.
Indonesian observations 