Makassar — Pronunciation for English Speakers
This guide is based on a phoneme-by-phoneme comparison of Makassar and English. Makassar and English share 13 sounds — about 57% of Makassar's inventory. The remaining sounds are where English speakers will need to focus their practice.
Sounds to learn from scratch (10)
These phonemes exist in Makassar but not in English. English speakers will need to learn to produce and perceive them as new categories — not just a variation of an existing English sound.
Familiar sounds (13)
These phonemes exist in both Makassar and English. You already produce and perceive them — though they may appear in different positions or syllable structures.
English sounds not used in Makassar (32)
These English phonemes don't exist in Makassar. Native Makassar speakers learning English will face the reverse challenge with these sounds.