Comparative study of compound words in English and Indonesian Fransiska Napitupulu

Infixes

There are 3 types of infix that are inserted after the first syllable of root words to create new words with varying meanings: el, em and er. Infixes are rarely used and are not productive (not capable of being used to form new words freely). In general, an infix adds a notion of "being many, having repetition, being in the form of or being an actor or tool."

Prefixes

1. 
   Prefix –ber
   

Adding this prefix –ber to verb, noun or adjective root words results in a verb that often means "being something, having something, having a certain attribute" or "indicating a state of being or condition".

Examples: beragama {ber+agama} = having a religion ["agama" is a noun]= religion

berbahaya {ber+bahaya} = being dangerous ["bahaya" is an adjective]= dangerous


berhenti {ber+henti} = to stop ["henti" is a verb]= stop

2. Prefix me-, mem- men-, meng-, menge-, meny

me-, mem- men-, meng-, menge-, meny-, All six of these prefixes are variations of the same prefix "me-" and we refer to them collectively as the "me-group". They have the same meanings and usage but are spelled differently, depending on the first letters of the root word to which they are attached. Examples: melihat {me+lihat} = to see; to look at

menjadi {men+jadi} = to become


mengerti {meng+erti} = to understand


mengelap {menge+lap} = to dust with a cloth
menyapu {meny+(s)apu} = to sweep with a broom


membuat {mem+buat} = to make; to build

Prefixes from the me-group may be optionally dropped in informal speech, except when the root word also has the suffix -kan or -i attached, in which case it cannot be dropped. Prefixes from the me- group are never used in imperatives when the speaker gives a command.

3. 
   Prefix –di
   

This prefix has a strong connection with the me- group of prefixes discussed

above.

Examples: dilarang {di+larang} = prohibited

diparkir {di+parkir} = parked

Don't confuse the di- prefix discussed above with the use of "di" as a separate word which means "in, at, on or to". The separate word "di" is not to be attached to other words although some Indonesians do use it that way incorrectly.

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