Contrastive Analysis Between English and Indonesian Suffix

Abstract

Language serves as a vital instrument for human interaction, allowing individuals to convey thoughts, feelings, and ideas with clarity and nuance. Words, as the fundamental building blocks of language, are often modified through morphological processes like affixation, which includes the addition of prefixes and suffixes. This research seeks to examine and compare the suffixes used in English and Indonesian, with particular attention to their forms, meanings, and functions. Employing a qualitative descriptive methodology, the research drew on authoritative sources such as grammar textbooks, dictionaries, and scholarly linguistic publications. Through contrastive analysis, it identified both the similarities and distinctions between the two languages' suffix systems. The findings revealed that English and Indonesian suffixes share commonalities in word formation and grammatical modification, enabling the creation of nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, as well as conveying abstract concepts, professions, or ideologies, for instance, the English suffixes -ness and -ment correspond to the Indonesian -an, while English -ism aligns with Indonesian -isme. Nonetheless, notable differences emerge; English suffixes like -ly, -ward, and -wise often denote manner or direction, whereas Indonesian suffixes such as -kan, -i, and -pun typically express actions, directions, or inclusiveness. This research underscores the pivotal role of suffixation in morphological development, facilitating semantic shifts and grammatical transformations. It also illuminates both structural similarities and language-specific features, offering valuable insights for language education, learning, and further morphological investigation.