The Characteristics of Adjective Stems Attached to the Suffix {-en}
ɛnˈnəʊbəl and embitter ɛmbɪtə but we cannot find largen, dearen, noblen,
and bitteren. It is because the stem dear ˈdɪə, noble ˈnəʊbəl, bitter
bɪtə have sonorant in the final letter which is vowel
ɪə, ə and lateral l and voiced affricates
dʒ in the stem large ˈlɑːdʒ. So the stem that can be attached to prefix {en-} have vowel, bilabial consonants [m, n, p, b], alveolar consonants [t, d, l, r],
velar [g] and voiceless fricatives [f,s] in the initial letter and sonorant vowel, nasal, liquid in final letter. There is a constraint on the {en-} prefixation of
adjective stems. There are adjective stems that cannot be attached to the prefix {en-} such as white, hard, black, bright, etc because the stems have the consonant
with the glide w, h in initial letter such as white, wide, and weak and liquid [l,r] in the second letter such as black and bright eventhough there is bilabial
consonant in the initial letter. The other phonological analysis on the stem words of the prefix {en-} is about
the stress shift. In Victoria Fromkin’s opinion, one or more of the syllables in each content word words other than ‘little words’ such as to, the, a, of, and so on are
stressed. A stress shift is a phonological process when the stress pattern change or has different position after the word is added by the inflectional or derivational
prefixes or suffixes. In the English phonetic transcription, stress pattern is symbolized with an apostrophe ‘ before the stressed syllable of the word.
Based on the analysis of the data of the prefix {en-}, this study finds a stress shift between the stem words and the complex words added by the prefix {en-}.
This phenomenon can be examined by analyzing the phonetic transcription of the stem words and complex words. For example when we have the word bitter
embitter ˈbɪtəɛmˈbɪtə, the stress position change from first syllable to
second syllable. The process of stress shift can be seen in notation below:
Underlying forms
bɪtə ɛm+bɪtə
Stress position +stress
+stress Surface forms
bɪtə ɛmbɪtə
The other example is when we have the word able enable
1
ˈeɪbəl
1
ɛˈn
2
e ɪbəl, there are stress shift changes. The stress shifts are
moving from stressing the vocal e to stressing the consonant [n]. The process of stress shift can be seen in notation below:
Underlying forms
eɪbəl ɛn+eɪbəl
Stress position +stress
Stress Insertion +stress
Surface forms
ˈeɪbəl ɛˈneɪbəl
From the first and the second examples, we can see that the stem has one or more than one syllable poly-syllabic, the possibility of changing the stress
pattern of the complex words are high. However the changes happened only on syllabic point of view while the stress remains in the stem.
2.
Phonological Analysis in The Process of the Deadjectival Verbs in {-en} Suffixation
The next analysis on the deadjectival verbs of the suffix {-en} will be discussed from the phonological analysis. The data collection on this study also
covers on phonetic transcription both of the complex words and the stem words of the suffix {-en}. Not only the phonetic transcription, but this study will also try to
analyze the stress shift between the stem words and the complex words of the
suffix {-en}. The aim of this phonological analysis is to examine whether there is some phonological change before and after the stem words attached to the suffix
{-en}. Generally, the form of phonetic transcription on the final position of the
complex words is in the same form. The phonetic transcription from the suffix {- en} is
ən. This study found that there are phonological change between the stem words and complex words. The phonological change here concerns with the
consonant change before and after the addition of the suffix {-en}. The suffix {
–en} can be attach to fricatives and stop as follows: Quicken ˈkwɪk. ə n , Roughen ˈrʌf. ə n, Cheapen ˈtʃiː.p
ə
n From the data of adjective stem of the suffix {-en}, we can see that all of the
stem are monosyllabic stems. The stems end with stop and fricative [k, d, f, p] are obstruent. It means that the suffix {-en} can only be attached to adjective stem if
adjective stem is monosyllabic stem and only if they end in an obstruent. This study notices that when we have stem word with two consonant in which
the consonant is considered as obstruent in the final position. There will be deletion of the consonant [t] in the final position. For example;
Soft
Soften s ɔːft
s ɔːfn
Moist
Moisten mɔɪst
ˈmɔɪsən Fast
Fasten fɑːst
ˈfɑːsən There is a process of deletion when a stem has two obstruent, phonological
rules applied to delete the [t]. The notion will be state: [t] ᶲ C[+fricative] _V.
underlying forms
s ɔːft
s ɔːft+ən
T-deletion surface forms
s ɔːft
s ɔːfn
The suffix { –en} is attached to stem which already pass the process of
deletion, namely sof-, mois-, and fas-. This means that the condition must be stated as: the suffix {-en} attaches to monosyllabic stems which end in obstruent
. This rule also make a constraint for the productivity of the suffix {-en}.
The word quick, black, loose, thick, tough, cheap, and white are possible to attach to the suffix {-en} however, not all adjective monosyllabic word can be attached
to suffix {-en} such as dry, free, new, blank, blind, and clean. We cannot have dryen, freen, newen, blanken, blinden, and cleanen. It is because dry
draɪ , free fri, new nju, blank blæŋk, blind blaɪnd, and clean klin have sonorant
aɪ, i, u in the final letter of the stem dry, free, and new and nasal n and glide
ŋ before the final letter which is a stop k,d. So the stems that can be attached to suffix {-en} have a consonant with stop, and fricatives in final letter
while the stem that cannot be attached to suffix {-en} have vowel, liquid, voiced affricate and nasal in final letter.
In this study also found that some of the deadjectival verb form pairs of antonyms such as softenharden, tightenloosen, weakentoughen, darkenlighten
brighten however there are some that do not form the pair such as sweetensouren, lessenmoren, thickenthinnen, and roughensmoothen.