WORD FORMATION IN GORONTALO LANGUAGE

This paper describes the process of affixation in the word formation of Gorontalo language. The affixation in the word formation of Gorontalo language consists of 34 prefixes, 3 infixes, and 2 suffixes. The word formation in Gorontalo Language through the process of affixation can be classified in the formation based on thederivationalparadigm of verbs, nouns, and adjectives. In Gorontalo language there are four types of derivation, namely: (a) verbs derived from nouns, or denominal verbs; (B) adjectives derived from verbs, or deadjectival verbs (c) verbs derived from verbs, or deverbal verbs; and (d) nouns derived from verbs or deverbal nouns. The process of affixation in the word formation in Gorontalo language indicate differences in the word forms due to the addition of a bound form to the root which can change its form and meaning. For example: the prefix /mo-/ changes/replaces /loses the phoneme /t/ into / l /; /b/ into /m/; /p / into /m/ and /il/ into /m/; adds the phoneme /ti/ and /hin/. If observed carefully, the prefix /mo-/ has allomorphs: /mot-/, /mom-/, /mol-/, and /moh-/; and the prefix /o-/ changes the sound [o] at the end of word into [a] or [wa] and the sound [u] into [e]; and in the formation of adjectives the prefix /o- / ends with the sound /