From: danny@cs.su.oz.au (Danny Yee) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 1995 21:20:02 +1000 Subject: Book Review - Vocabulary Building in Indonesian title: Vocabulary Building in Indonesian : An Advanced Reader series: Ohio University Monographs in International Studies No. 64 by: Soenjono Dardjowidjojo publisher: Ohio University 1984 subjects: language, reader, Indonesian other: 647 pages, A$45.95 _Vocabulary Building in Indonesian_ is a collection of Indonesian reading passages grouped around nine subject areas and coupled with exercises designed to improve the reader's vocabulary in both size and accuracy. The nine subjects covered are anthropology, language and literature, art, religion, education, population, agriculture, economics and politics. There are four passages on each subject, the first two specially written for the book and the other two taken from existing literature in Indonesian. Following each passage is: a list of words to help the reader with the passage; a set of questions on the text, in Indonesian and to be answered with Indonesian sentences; examples of usage for sets of words with overlapping/contrasting semantics (or, in some cases, similar sounds); explanation of subtle points of grammar where mistakes are often made; and a set of exercises where the reader is tested on the preceding by having to choose the appropriate word to complete sentences. _Vocabulary Building in Indonesian_ is aptly titled, and I'm finding it an extremely effective (and enjoyable) way of expanding my vocabulary and improving my understanding of my existing vocabulary (I'm a third of the way through it at the moment). This may, however, reflect my personal interests; someone without an interest in the social sciences might find the passages boring and some of the vocabulary esoteric. _Vocabulary Building in Indonesian_ was obviously printed from typed copy, giving it that uniformity of formatting which yells "academic monograph". Unlike many such, however, it is clearly laid out and carefully edited, and is a very good demonstration of how one doesn't need a multiplicity of fonts and fancy graphics to produce an elegant and effective document. -- %T Vocabulary Building in Indonesian %S An Advanced Reader %Y Ohio University Monographs in International Studies No. 64 %A Soenjono Dardjowidjojo %I Ohio University %D 1984 %O paperback, index, A$45.95 %G ISBN 0-89680-118-7 %P 647pp %K language, reader, Indonesian Danny Yee (danny@cs.su.oz.au) 5 April 1995 ------------------------------------------------------------- All book reviews by Danny Yee are available via anonymous FTP ftp.anatomy.su.oz.au in /danny/book-reviews (index INDEX) or URL http://www.anatomy.su.oz.au/danny/book-reviews/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright (C) Danny Yee 1995 : Comments and criticism welcome -------------------------------------------------------------