Bandung, July 24, 2025 – Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) continues to strengthen its presence in the development of digital linguistic resources based on research. Through the 2025 Regular Fundamental Research scheme funded by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, a research team from UPI held an event titled Focused Discussion on the Compilation of a Corpus-Based Pronunciation Dictionary of Indonesian Lexicon with the Phonemes /e/ and /ə/ for BIPA Learners. The event, held on Thursday, July 24, 2025, in the Smart Class Room, 4th Floor, Center of Excellence Building, UPI Bandung, is part of a research phase aiming to develop an interactive corpus-based digital pronunciation dictionary.
The dictionary is specifically designed to address phonetic challenges often encountered by learners of Indonesian as a Foreign Language (Bahasa Indonesia bagi Penutur Asing – BIPA), especially in distinguishing the pronunciation of /e/ and /ə/, which are frequently confused in spoken communication.
Researcher-Student Collaboration in Digital Lexicography
This focused discussion was attended not only by the research team from the Indonesian Language and Literature and BIPA Education Programs at FPBS UPI but also actively involved 25 students who had completed the Lexicography course in the even semester of 2024/2025. The students participated in compiling the dictionary’s microstructure - classifying lemmas, inputting data into Lexique Pro, and adjusting the pronunciation format using phonetic transcription and audio that will be integrated into the digital version.
“This activity offers a highly strategic opportunity to integrate research and teaching. Students not only understand lexicographic theory but directly apply it in developing a corpus-based digital dictionary for foreign learners,” said Dr. Sri Wiyanti, M.Hum., the lead researcher.
About the /e/ and /ə/ Pronunciation Dictionary Project
The project is motivated by phonological difficulties commonly experienced by BIPA learners, especially when pronouncing two acoustically similar yet phonemically distinct sounds. The dictionary under development will present Indonesian lemmas containing both phonemes, along with IPA phonetic transcription, pronunciation audio, and color visualization: /e/ in red and /ə/ in navy blue.
The data used is sourced from the CQPweb digital corpus, ensuring authentic and evidence-based linguistic content. The dictionary is being developed using Lexique Pro, which allows effective multimodal entry construction.
Research Objectives and Outputs
This study aims to produce:
- A corpus-based digital pronunciation dictionary for BIPA learners
- A scientific publication in a reputable international journal (Catalan Journal of Linguistics, Scopus Q1)
- Application of research outcomes in BIPA teaching institutions both domestically and abroad
- Strengthening students’ phonetic competencies, especially in pronunciation practice based on phonological data
Research Team
- Dr. Sri Wiyanti, S.S., M.Hum. (Lead Researcher)
- Dr. Ida Widia, M.Pd. (Member)
- Dr. Jatmika Nurhadi, S.S., M.Hum. (Member)
- Istiqomah Putri Lushinta, M.Pd. (Member)
- Saila Hayatun Nufus, S.S. (Member)
- Inry Ayu Fathmawati (Member)
- Alena Diva Putri Mustafa (Member)
- Intan Rismayanti (Member)
Study Program of Indonesian Language and Literature
Faculty of Language and Literature Education
Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia
Email: [email protected]