Verbalization Affixes in the Limola Language: A Descriptive Analysis

This article highlights the verbalization of affixes in the Limola language. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method with the following data collection techniques: elicitation, recording, and note-taking. The affixation process proves three kinds of verbalization affixes in the Limola language, i.e., 1) prefixes: {ma-}, {mo-}, {pa-}, {mopa-}, {mapa-}, {ipa-}, {i-}, and {ti-}; 2) suffixes: {-i}, {-nga}; and 3) confixes: {i—i}, {i—a}, {ipa-i}, {mapa—i}, and {mopa—i}. Verbalization of an inflectional affix does not change the word class when attached to a verb root morpheme. Meanwhile, the affix attached to an adjective base morpheme called derivation changes the word class. The change due to the morphophonemic process is found in the prefix {ma-}, which has allomorphs /mang-/, /man-/, /mam-/, and /mab-/. These allomorphs occur when the initial phonemes of the word are /k/, /s/, /t/, /p/, and /b/. In addition, the process of affixing the suffix {-i} to the base morpheme endings in vowels /i/, /u/, and /e/ causes epenthesis of the vowel /a/, which lies between the end of the base morpheme and the beginning of the bound morpheme. This study’s results provide a comprehensive viewpoint of the affixation process in Limola, illustrate how affixes interact with base morphemes to affect word formation and class transformation and emphasize the complex role of morphophonemic processes in the Limola language. The findings are beneficial for deepening understanding of the Limola language structure and, simultaneously, can be used in designing teaching materials for the Limola society to preserve and maintain the Limola language.