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knowledge on prefix derived from their learning and memorization. However, there is still a need to give a proper proportion to the discussion of prefixes in
language teaching so that this specific language element can be discussed and mastered thoroughly.
This study, while taking a similar issue of the mastery of prefixation
un-
and
dis-
among the students of English Language Education Study Program, focuses on analyzing students’ mastery of the use of prefix
un-
and
dis-
among sixth semester and eighth semester students. It is argued that students of English
Language Education Study Program in those semesters have already profound knowledge of English linguistics including prefix. This study also attempts to
know the differences o f students’ mastery level of prefixation
un-
compared to prefixation
dis-
. Therefore, through the questionnaire which consists of questions related to the prefixation
un-
and
dis-
, the students’ mastery of prefixation
un-
and
dis-
can be measured.
2. Morphology
Morphology, according to Aronoff and Fudeman 2005, deals with words, their internal structure, and how they are formed. It is conducted through
identification, analysis and description of linguistic units, consisting of morphemes, lexemes, affixes, parts of speech, intonation, and implied context p.
1-2. Within the scope of morphology, two terms of inflectional morphology
and derivational morphology are introduced. Inflectional morphology analyzes
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lexemes from lexicon and constructs them to serve as actual words in actual sentences. Derivational morphology involves two general processes, namely
affixation and compounding. Different from inflectional morphology, the process of lexemes creation in derivational morphology significantly change the words not
only in form but also in meaning and category “Derivational Morphology”, n.d..
Derivational morphology in the process of changing the meaning of a word can take place in the form of affixation where affixes attached to a base change the
meaning of the word. The example of such process can be seen in the word
belief
. When attached with prefix
dis-
, the word is modified into
disbelief
, therefore experiences changes in meaning due to the difference between the word
belief
and
disbelief
, where
disbelief
means the opposite meaning of the
belief
. Derivational morphology can also take a word from any category of verbs,
nouns, or adjectives to change it into a word of another category. The example of changing a word’s category into another can be seen in the word
kind
, which stands as an adjective. When
kind
is attached with suffix
-ness
into the word
kindness
, the word undergoes changes in category since
kindness
falls into the category of noun.
3. Affixation
In relation to this study, the concept of affixation as a part of derivational morphology is elaborated. Affixation involves several different process including
suffixation, prefixation, interfixation, circumfixation, infixation, mixed-type of affixation, and transfixation. Szymanek 1989, Affixation is probably the most
frequent and wide-spread process of producing morphologically complex words
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in human language p.62. According to Szymanek 1989, affixation can be divided into :
a. Suffixation Szymanek 1989 points out that suffixation consist in attaching a suffix to
a base root p. 63. A suffix is an affix which follows the base form. It is argued to be the most common type of affixation found in many languages, including
Turkish, Eskimo, and Yana. In such languages, prefix can only be found in a very few occurence but there are complex uses of suffixes.
b. Prefixation Prefixation is a method of affixing contrary to suffixation. Szymanek
1989 argues that a prefix is attached in front of the base-form p. 63-64. Compared to suffix, there is an underlying difference in which the attachment of a
prefix does not affect the category of the base. It means that if the base is a Noun, the prefixed derivative must also be a Noun. This is in contrast to suffix, where
category shift is the most recurring phenomenon. c. Interfixation
To understand the concept of interfix, the designation of confix must precede it. It consists of a variety of both suffixes and prefixes in one attachment.
Thus, confix as an affix follows continuous affixation insinuated into the line of the base. Within the concept of confix, there is a distinct type called interfix,
which is defined as “a confix which precedes a root and follows another root” Mel’cuk, 1982, p.86. The term confix is meant to apply to a variety of vocalic
or, less frequently, consonantal connective elements which appear, in some
