An Analysis of Affixes in Kupang Malay Language
Keywords:
Affixation, Morphology, Kupang Malay, Regional Language, Creole LanguageAbstract
Kupang Malay is one of the regional varieties of Malay spoken in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, and serves as an important means of communication among multicultural communities in the region. As a Malay-based creole language, Kupang Malay has developed unique linguistic characteristics through continuous contact with various local languages, including languages spoken by indigenous communities in Timor Island. One linguistic feature that reflects this development is morphology, particularly affixation, which plays an important role in forming words and expressing grammatical meanings. This study aims to describe the forms, functions, and meanings of affixes found in Kupang Malay. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method. Data were collected through direct observation, interviews with native speakers, and documentation of daily utterances produced by the Kupang Malay-speaking community in Oesapa, East Kupang. The collected data were analyzed through identification, classification, and interpretation of affixation patterns based on morphological analysis. The findings reveal that Kupang Malay employs several affixation patterns, particularly prefixes and suffixes, which contribute to the formation of verbs, nouns, and other lexical categories. The study identifies productive affix forms that function to indicate grammatical processes such as verbalization, nominalization, and modification of word meanings. Several affixation patterns show differences from standard Indonesian morphological structures, particularly in their usage, distribution, and semantic functions. These variations demonstrate the influence of language contact and the dynamic development of Kupang Malay as a creole language This study contributes to the documentation of regional language morphology and provides further linguistic evidence for understanding the structure, variation, and development of Kupang Malay within the context of Indonesian multilingual society.
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