Comparative study of compound words in English and Indonesian Fransiska Napitupulu

Confixes

1. 
   Confix ke - an :
   

This is the most commonly used confix and about one in every 65 words in Indonesian publications will have the "ke - an" confix.

Examples: keadaan {ke+ada+an} = situation; condition

keluruhan {ke+luruh+an} = subdistrict

2. 
   Confix ketidak - an :
   

The ke - an confix may also consist of the negative tidak and an adjective root word to form a noun that indicates an opposite state of being or something uncharacteristic of the adjective root word.

Examples: ketidakadilan {ke+tidak+adil+an} = injustice ketidaksamaan {ke+tidak+sama+an} = disparity; inequality ketidaksukaan {ke+tidak+suka+an} = a dislike; disfavor

3. Confix pe - an, pem - an,pen - an, peng - an;penge - an, peny – an

All six of these confixes have the same meaning and usage but have different spellings. We refer to these as the "pe - angroup". Adding a confix from this group usually creates an abstract noun that indicates the process of performing the action referred to by the verb in the sentence (as opposed to the result of the action). Indonesian words formed from the "pe - an group" are often nouns that have English translations which use the "-ing" English suffix when referring to a process in the sense of a noun.

Examples: pelatihan {pe+latih+an} = training; exercising penstabilan {pen+stabil+an} = stabilizing pengeboman {penge+bom+an} = bombing

4. 
   Confix per – an
   

Adding the "per - an" confix often results in a noun that indicates the result of an action (as opposed to the process). This resultant state or condition is similar to that obtained when using the "ke - an" confix, but the "ke - an" confix usually forms a word that has a more abstract or less general meaning.

Examples: perkawinan {per+kawin+an} = a marriage ceremony

perkiraan {per+kira+an} = an estimation


permobilan {per+mobil+an} = the automobile industry

5. 
   Confix se - nya
   

This common confix often combines with single or repeated adjective root words to form adverbs indicating the utmost or highest level that is able to be achieved by the action of the root word.

Examples: selamanya {se+lama+nya} = forever; as long as can be

selanjutnya {se+lanjut+nya} = afterwards; hereinafter


setinggi-tingginya{se+tinggi-tinggi+nya} = as high as possible