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while the other seven words use the variation of the suffix {-ure} as its ending. The variant {-ature} appears in the words curvature and signature. The bases of
those words are curve and sign which are verb bases. However, the variant {-iture} appears in the words expenditure and investiture in which their bases are also
verbs: expend and invest. The last variant is {-ture} which appears in the words fixture and mixture. The bases of both of them are fix and mix which are also
verbs. In analyzing the distribution of the suffix {-ure}, the researcher uses two
methods. In the first method, the data are analyzed based on the last letter of the bases of the suffix {-ure}, whereas the last phoneme of the bases of the suffix {-
ure} is applied for the second method.
a. The Last Letter of the Base
In this part, the data are analyzed based on the orthography of the words before and after receiving the suffix {-ure}. It is because the addition of the suffix
{-ure} can alter some bases orthographically, particularly in the last letter of the bases. Besides, it is needed as the result of the allomorphs of the suffix {-ure}.
Hence, this part discusses the alteration of the last letter of the bases after receiving the suffix {-ure} based on the spelling and writing of the words. Below
is the table of the first method.
Table 1. The Distribution of the Suffix {-ure} Based on the Last Letter of the Bases
NO. THE LAST LETTER OF THE BASE
FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE
1 e
12 40
2 t
11 37
3 x
2 7
27
4 d
2 7
5 l
1 3
6 s
1 3
7 n
1 3
TOTAL 30
100
i. The Base Ending with the Letter ‘e’
The base ending with the letter ‘e’ of the suffix {-ure} is the dominant in this study leading 40 of the data. It contains twelve bases. Below are the
examples. Close
closure Curve
curvature Erase
erasure Please
pleasure Seize
seizure Examining the examples of the data above, it can be seen that when the
suffix {-ure} is added to the base, the last letter ‘e’ of the base is omitted and replaced with the suffix {-ure}. It can be seen in the words close + {-ure} and
please + {-ure} which do not become closeure and pleaseure but closure and pleasure. The letter ‘e’ in the final position of the base is omitted and not
pronounced. Thus, retaining the letter ‘e’ would be unnecessary when there is an addition of suffix {-ure}.
Nonetheless, there is an exception on the base ending with the letter ‘e’ for the word curve which turns into curvature when attached to the suffix {-ure}.
The word curvature is not formed from curve + {-ure} but curve + {-ature}, the allomorph of the suffix {-ure}. It is because the word curve is a loan word from
Latin curvatus which is the past participle of curvare. Because the letter ‘s’ is not
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pronounced and the double letter ‘uu’ is pronounced as one sound of u, curvatus + {-ure} becomes curvature.
ii. The Base Ending with the Letter ‘t’
The number of the base ending with the letter ‘t’ is eleven bases. It leading 37 of the data. These are the examples of the data taken from Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English Ninth Edition 2015. Architect
architecture Depart
departure Forfeit
forfeiture Invest
investiture Prefect
prefecture Almost the entire bases ending with ‘t’ have no alteration. In other
words, the suffix {-ure} is added to the base directly without any modification of the base. For instance, architect + {-ure} becomes architecture or prefect + {-ure}
becomes prefecture. On the other hand, there is a word which is not formed from the suffix {-ure}. The word is investiture which is not formed from invest + {-ure}
but invest + {-iture}. It is because, historically, the base of that word which is invest comes from the Latin word investitus. Considering that the letter ‘s’ is not
pronounced in Latin and double vowels are pronounced as one sound, investitus + {-ure} becomes investiture, not investitusure. That addition is known as
allomorph of the suffix {-ure} since it does not change the function of the suffix, but it only shows the variation of the suffix {-ure
}
. Based in the word investiture, it can be indicated that one of the variations in the suffix {-ure} is {-iture}.
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iii. The Base Ending with the Letter ‘x’
The suffix {-ure} also attaches to the base ending with the letter ‘x’. Based on the data, there are two bases ending with the letter ‘x’. The data is listed
as follows. Fix
fixture Mix
mixture The words receiving the suffix {-ure} mentioned above show that there
is an insertion of the letter ‘t’ between the last letter of the base ‘x’ and the suffix {-ure}. The insertion of the letter ‘t’ is influenced by the Latin loan words which
are fixus and mixtus. Since there is no pronunciation of the letter ‘s’ in Latin, it is omitted when attached to the suffix {-ure}. Therefore, in English, mixtus + {-
ure} becomes mixture, not mixtusure. Nonetheless, there is an exception for the word fixture formed from fixus + {-ure} which should be orthographically
written as fixure. According to The New Oxford American Dictionary Second Edition, there is an alternation in 16
th
century found in Shakespare in the word fixure which becomes fixture with ‘t’ inserted on the pattern of mixture 2005:
637. Hence, it can be concluded that the pattern of bases ending with the letter ‘x’ are always followed by the allomorph {-ture} since it does not change the
meaning and function of its morpheme which is the suffix {-ure}.
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iv. The Base Ending with the Letter ‘d’
The base ending with the letter ‘d’ rarely appears on the data. There are only two bases of the suffix {-ure} ending with the letter ‘d’. These are the data.
Expend expenditure
Proceed procedure
The data above show that the bases ending with the letter ‘d’ have no certain characteristics when they are attached to the suffix {-ure}. The base
expend is attached to the allomorph {-iture} so that it becomes expenditure while the base proceed is not. In this case, the diachronic approach is used. The base
expend comes from Latin word expenditus. As explained in the words borrowed from Latin before, the letter ‘s’ is not pronounced while the double vowels are
pronounced as one sound in Latin. Thus, expenditus + {-ure} does not become expenditusure but expenditure. Meanwhile, the base proceed is originated from
the French word which is procéder. In French, the letter ‘r’ in the end of a word is not pronounced, whereas the double-vowel letter is pronounced in a single
sound. Thus, procéder + {-ure} becomes procédure, not procéderure.
v. The Base Ending with the Letter ‘l’
