author

Abraham Anthony Fokker

1862–1927

Born in the Dutch East Indies and later active in both Batavia and Amsterdam, this Dutch scholar devoted much of his work to Malay language study. His books and teaching helped bring Malay phonetics and practical language learning to a wider readership.

1 Audiobook

Maleisch-Nederlandsche Gesprekken

Maleisch-Nederlandsche Gesprekken

by Abraham Anthony Fokker

About the author

Abraham Anthony Fokker (1862–1927) was a Dutch scholar of Indonesian studies, born in Kramat, Batavia, on September 27, 1862, and later dying in The Hague on January 1, 1927. Reference sources on Indian and Indonesian studies describe him as a scholar who earned his Ph.D. at Leiden in 1894 and went on to teach in Batavia before later teaching Malay at the University of Amsterdam.

He is best remembered for language-focused works connected with Malay, including Malay Phonetics and practical Malay-Dutch conversations. His writing suggests a strong interest in how the language sounded and how it could be learned and used, making his work useful not only for specialists but also for readers interested in the linguistic world of the Dutch East Indies.

Some biographical details about his wider life and career appear in specialist reference sources, but the clearest confirmed picture is of a teacher and linguist whose work centered on Malay and whose career linked scholarship in the Netherlands with colonial-era Southeast Asia.