Comparative study of compound words in English and Indonesian Fransiska Napitupulu

e. 
Suffixes –lah 
 
This suffix has many different and confusing usages but for simplicity we can say 
it is often used to give emphasis, to soften a command or to add politeness to an 
expression. 
Examples:
pergilah {perg+lah} = go away! get out of here! 
buanglah {buang+lah} = please discard; please throw away 
Confixes 
a. 
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 
b. 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 

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c. 
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