Presented as Partial Fulfillments of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ADISTI HERLININGTYAS Student Number: 044214018
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
Presented as Partial Fulfillments of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
ADISTI HERLININGTYAS Student Number: 044214018
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA 2008
UNTIL THE END OF YOUR LIFE
Whatever you do in words or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus.
(Colossians 3:17)
FOR
MY BELOVED JESUS CHRIST
MY BELOVED PARENTS, MOM and DAD
MY BELOVED BROTHER AND SISTER
MY BELOVED FAMILY
MY BELOVED LECTURERS
MY BELOVED SPECIAL CLOSE FRIEND
MY BELOVED BEST FRIENDS
I want to dedicate this thesis to those who had supported me from the
first semester until I graduated from Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta
on this year. First, I am very thankful to Jesus Christ, who always blesses me
and my family and also people around me along my life no matter whether
we are in good or bad condition.
Second, I am grateful with Dra. Bernardine Ria Lestari, M.S. as the
advisor for my thesis who always helps me when I have trouble with this
thesis and thanks for the book title “The Pronunciation of English: A Course
Book in Phonology” that she lend me. She always gives her suggestion in the
writing of this study patiently. Then, Dr. Fr. B. Alip, M.Pd., M.A. as my
co-advisor, who read and gave a lot of suggestion and correction to this study.
Third, I want to dedicate this thesis for my Mom, my Dad, though he
has the kidney’s problem, and also my younger brother Yus, who helps me
when I have trouble with my computer. I want to thank so much for your
pray, hope and desire. It will give motivation for me to work hard to be a
successful woman, to be more energetic also stronger.
Fourth, I want to say thanks for my beloved chubby Yohanes Adi
Kusumo Kristianto Putro, who loves me with grateful heart and also
accompanies with me along this time in every condition. Then, for his
parents, his younger brother Dani, and his younger sister Fica too.
Dita Ndutz, Sheilla, Nofi, Lutfi, Rani, Martha, Risa “Cha2”, Elin, Deta,
Astrid, Intan, Ci’e Amel, Pita, Corry, Ririn, Dede’, Lisis, Mas Jati, Soni, Sis,
Rizqi, Edward, Nanang, Feme, Bang Ison, Mas Vitra, Ferdi “sapi putih”,
crew of play performance “In the Blood” (Donny, Fred, Crisci, Jojo, Ucok),
members of KKN Ponggok XXXIV (Dimas “Jantro”, Franky “Pepeng”,
Vembri “Tata”, Wisni, Heni, Lucy, Wenni, Theo, and Mace Rini), and so on.
Thanks for being my friend, I love them all.☺☺☺☺☺☺
Sixth, I want to say thanks to my lovely sister in my second home in
Jogja, Sister Lina “Tamara”, Sister Widhi, and Younger Odhie, also my
family in my second home Mr. Edy, Mrs. Nancy and Kevin. Then, for my
friends in AATC office, Mba Indy and Bu Eny, who gave me suggestion and
support me to be a good woman. Then, for my friends from Agriculture
Faculty of Gadjah Mada University, Mas Abid, Mas Mono, Mas Gembuz,
and Shinta. At last, all of my best friends who always support and encourage
me. I would like to thank so much for Astria, Veni, Mas Rukhi, Dian
Polwan, Rani, Nida, Wenni, Renita, Dita Karlos, Dyarike, Brian, Popo,
Agnes, Fenty “Jepunk”, Frida, Troy “Trondol”, Ika, Ajeng, Adri, Angger,
Bambang, Jack, Sogol, Gudheg, Mas Tomy, Pandhoe, Yosep, Mas Ian, Koh
Andre, Maya, Zil, Angga “Bro”, Giri, Sani, Ari, Aji’x, Sulis, Topan, Adi
“Gimbal”, and so on.
Adisti Herliningtyas
ACCEPTANCE PAGE ... iii
MOTTO PAGE ... iv
DEDICATION PAGE ... v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... ix
CHAPTER II: THEORETICAL REVIEW ... 7
A. Review of Related Studies ... 7
B. Review of Related Theories ... 8
1.Theories of Morpheme ... 8
2.Theories of Allomorph ... 13
3.Theories of Morphophonemic Processes ... 15
4.Theories of Affixation ... 17
5.Theories of Derivation ... 17
6.Theories of Causative Verbs ... 19
7.Review on the suffix -ize ... 20
C. Theoretical Framework ... 20
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 22
3.The Function of the Suffix –ize ... 29
4.The Meaning of the Suffix –ize ... 31
C.The Distribution of the Suffix -ize35 1.The Affixation of the Suffix –ize... 35
2.The derivatives formed with two morphemes ... 35
3.The derivatives formed with three morphemes ... 36
4.The derivatives formed with more than three morphemes ... 38
5.The Suffix that can be attached before the derivatives of suffix –ize... 38
6.The Suffix –al ... 39
7.The Suffix –an... 39
8.The Suffix -ar... 40
9.The Suffix -ic ... 40
10. The Suffix -ile ... 41
11. The Affix that can be attached after the Derivatives of Suffix –ize... 41
12. The Suffix –ion... 41
13. The Suffix –er... 42
14. The Prefix de-... 42
15. The Prefix dis-... 43
D. The Morphophonemic Processes Occuring in the Suffixation of Suffix –ize .. ... 44
1.Stress Shift ... 44
2.Consonant Change ... 46
3.Vowel Change... 47
4.Insertion .. ... 48
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 51
BIBLIOGRAPHY... 54
APPENDICES.. ... 56
Appendix 1 : words using suffix –ize which stem some from adjective ... 56
Appendix 2 : words using suffix –ize which stem some from noun ... 78
Appendix 3 : Phonetic transcription from words using suffix –ize... 103
Dictionary………...…27
Table 2. The classification of the lexical meaning of suffix -ize based on Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary……….……….….33
Table 3. The measurement of the data based on the classification meaning from Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary………34
Table 4. The process of consonant change from the words Italicize………....46
Table 5. The processes of consonant change from the words romanticize……….…..…..46
Table 6. The processes of vowel change from the words oxidize……….47
Table 7. The processes of vowel change from the words fertilize………...48
Table 8. The process of the insertion schwa (∂) from the word modernize…………..….……….49
Table 9. The processes of the insertion consonant (r) from the word popularize………..49
Table 10. The processes of the insertion consonant (t) from the word dramatize………………49
Sanata Dharma University, 2008.
Language is important for human life in the world to communicate with other people. Everyone knows more than one language including thousands even tens of thousands of words. One example of the language is English. As we know that English is the important language among the world and it is known as the international language. When people study about words they know not only parts of the words like root, stem, base, morpheme, syllable, prefix, and suffix but also the morphophonemic processes including morphological processes and phonological processes. This thesis is meant to analyze some words which are formed by suffixation with the suffix -ize, such as: analyze, socialize, organize, modernize, capitalize, formalize, and so on.
This study was designed to answer the problems from the research that are formulated as follows: (1) What stems do the suffix -ize take? (2) What function and meaning does the suffix -ize have? (3) What the morphophonemic processes occur in the suffixation with the suffix -ize?
The researcher applied the method of empirical research to describe the function of suffix -ize, to show which words can be attached to suffix -ize, and to explain the morphophonemic processes occurring in the suffixation. In order to collect the data, the researcher has made a library research. The primary data for the qualitative research and analysis are words with the suffix -ize, its allomorphs and also their phonetic transcription.
The results of this research can be drawn from the analysis of suffix -ize as the answer of the problem formulation. The suffix -ize belongs to the English suffix which are always added to the stem of noun or adjective. It means that the stem of the suffix -ize comes from noun or adjective. The function of the suffix -ize is to change noun or adjective into verb.Based on the change of the class of a word from a noun or an adjective into verb, the process can be called verbalization. Verbalization is the process of the formation of a verb from a noun or an adjective. The suffix -ize does not change the meaning of the derived word entirely. It means that the new meaning from the word with the suffix –ize is rather similar with the meaning of the stem from that word. In morphological processes, suffix -ize can attach to other suffixes that are used previously to form the new words in English vocabulary such as: suffix -al, -an, -ar, -ic, and -ile. This suffix can also be used to other suffix after attaching suffix -ize firstly, such suffix -ion and -er. The suffix -ize may also be combined with the prefix de- or dis- to form the new derived words without changing the class of word. In phonological processes we can find the stress shift, consonant change from [k] into [s], vowel change and insertion of schwa [ə] and the consonant [r] also [t] occurs in suffixation of suffix –ize.
Sanata Dharma, 2008.
Bahasa merupakan sarana yang sangat penting bagi kehidupan manusia untuk berkomunikasi dengan orang lain. Setiap orang dapat menguasai lebih dari satu bahasa termasuk ribuan bahkan jutaan kata-kata. Salah satu contoh dari banyaknya bahasa tersebut yaitu bahasa Inggris. Seperti kita ketahui bahwa bahasa Inggris merupakan bahasa yang dikenal oleh seluruh dunia dan bahasa Inggris dikenal sebagai bahasa internasional. Ketika seseorang belajar tentang kata maka mereka tidak hanya mengenal istilah kata dasar, morfem, suku kata, awalan, akhiran tetapi juga proses morfofonemik termasuk perubahan bentuk serta bunyi. Tesis ini disusun untuk meanganalisis kata-kata yang berakhiran -ize, seperti: analyze, socialize, organize, modernize, capitalize, formalize, dan sebagainya.
Tesis ini disusun untuk menjawab rumusan masalah dari penelitian yang disusun sebagai berikut: (1) Apa jenis kata dasar dari kata-kata yang berakhiran -ize? (2) Apakah fungsi akhiran -ize dan arti dari kata-kata yang berakhiran -ize? (3) Bagaimanakah proses morfofonemik terjadi pada kata-kata yang berakhiran -ize?
Peneliti menerapkan metode penelitian empirik untuk menjelaskan fungsi akhiran -ize, menunjukkan kata-kata apa saja yang bisa diberi akhiran -ize, dan menjelaskan bagaimana proses morfofonemik terjadi pada akhiran -ize. Peneliti menggunakan studi kepustakaan dalam proses pengumpulan data. Data primer yang dibutuhkan dalam penelitian kualitatif untuk dianalisis adalah kata-kata yang menggunakan akhiran -ize beserta dengan simbol fonetiknya.
Hasil penelitian dapat diambil dari analisis tentang akhiran -ize sebagai jawaban atas rumusan masalah yang diajukan. Akhiran –ize termasuk dalam akhiran bahasa Inggris yang dapat dipakai pada kata-kata dasar yang tergolong kata benda atau kata sifat. Ini artinya bahwa akhiran ss-ize menempel pada kata sifat atau kata benda. Fungsi dari akhiran -ize adalah mengubah kata benda atau kata sifat menjadi kata kerja. Berdasarkan perubahan kelas kata dari kata benda atau kata sifat menjadi kata kerja, prosesnya disebut verbalisasi. Akhiran –ize tidak mengubah seluruh arti kata dasarnya, maksudnya arti kata baru yang berakhiran –ize mempunyai arti yang agak mirip dengan arti kata dari bentuk dasarnya. Dalam proses morfologi, penggunaan akhiran -ize dapat dikombinasikan dengan akhiran lain, misalnya: -al, -an, -ar, -ic, -ile, -ion, and -er. Tidak hanya akhiran tetapi akhiran –ize dapat juga dikombinasikan dengan awalan lain seperti de- dan dis-tanpa mengubah jenis kelas kata tersebut. Dalam proses fonologi, kita dapat menemukan perubahan penekanan bunyi, perubahan konsonan seperti bunyi [k] menjadi [s], perubahan vokal, dan sisipan dari bunyi ‘schwa’ [ə], bunyi konsonan [r] dan [t] yang terjadi pada proses penambahan akhiran -ize.
1 A. Background of the Study
Language is important for human life in the world. Every speaker of every
language knows thousands, even tens of thousands of words. People realize that
language is a main tool for communication, and conversation always happens by
producing many words. They also may produce thousands of sentences to express
people’s idea, feeling or attitude towards something everyday. Without knowledge
of the language, it is not even possible to tell how many words have been said.
Without knowing words people would not be able to convey their thoughts through
language.
Words are important parts of linguistic knowledge and constitute a
component of speaker’s mental grammars. Words are the smallest meaningful unit
of a language. Starting from words, people can produce sentences, paragraphs, texts,
even discourses. When people study about words they find some parts of the words,
such as: the root, stem, base, morpheme, syllable, prefix, and suffix. All of them are
included in morphology as the branch of linguistics which studies the nature and
arrangement of morpheme to form words. Morphology discusses the process of the
formation of words, the ways different classes of word are formed namely
morphological processes. It also discusses the phonological processes which occur
while morphological analysis talks about the process of the word formation like
what the researcher does through this thesis.
Most of the English words are formed by affixation by adding a prefix, a
suffix, and an infix to the root of the words. Affixation is the most frequent and
wide-spread method of producing morphologically complex words in human
language. The commonest type of affixing found in various natural languages is
suffixation. As we know, the definition of suffixation in general is a process of
adding suffix in final position after the root or it is attached after its base. There are
many suffixes in English word. We can find the noun suffixes like the suffix –ion,
-ment, -ance, -age, -ure, -y, -ness, -ity, -acy, -ancy, -ism, -er, -ant, ry, -dom, and –ee.
We can find the adjective suffixes like the suffix –al, -ed, -ful-, -less, -free, -like,
-ish, and -able. We can also find the verb suffixes like the suffix –en, -ize, -ify, and
-ate. In this thesis, the researcher just analyze on suffix -ize whose function is to
create verbs from adjectives or nouns, see example, we can find some words with
the suffix -ize in some terms, such as: organize, carbonize, industrialize, and
modernize.
As we can see there are many words which are formed by adding suffix -ize
in English language. Students often hear those words when they are in the class,
such as: analyze, socialize, organize, recognize, modernize, capitalize, formalize,
industrialize, specialize, and many other words. Perhaps it might not only be in the
class but also outside of the class, but they use some words with the suffix -ize more
and more in their conversation.
This research is designed to analyze some words which are formed by
which will discuss derivational suffixes forming verbs. The aim of doing this is to
find out the morphological processes which occur in derivational causative verbs. It
is helpful for English learners to recognize verbs and use the right forms of verbs
with the right meanings. The suffixation of the suffix -ize has enriched English
vocabulary. The study of suffix -ize is expected to give deeper understanding about
the process, function, and meaning of the suffix -ize.
B. Problem Formulation
Based on the above discussion, the problems of this research can be
formulated as follows:
1. What stem does the suffix -ize take?
2. What function and meaning does the suffix -ize have?
3. What the morphophonemic processes occur in the suffixation with the suffix
-ize?
C. Objectives of the Study
The first objective from this study is to identify what stems that the suffix
–ize take. In this study, the researcher will separate words with the suffix -ize into
free morpheme and bound morpheme. Then, the researcher classifies the stems from
words with the suffix -ize as the free morpheme based on the part of speech. The
part of speech can be defined as the class of word, e.g: noun (N), adjective (A), and
verb (V).
The second objective from this study is to identify what function and
suffix -ize are significant because not all stems can occur with the suffix -ize. From
the bases analyzed, we can know the change from the stem into the new derived
words and draw a conclusion about the function of suffix -ize. On the other hand, the
meaning of the stem from words with the suffix -ize can be taken by looking up in
the dictionary.
The third objective from this study is to analyze what the morphophonemic
processes in the suffixation with the suffix –ize occur. For the learners, it is also
important to describe the speaker’s morphological competence by recognizing
words as being well-formed or ill-formed through morphological processes and to
define how the words by adding suffix -ize are formed to any morphological
analysis. For instances, the word specialize (V) consist of two morphemes between
special (Adj)recognized as a stem as the free morpheme and suffix -ize as the bound
morpheme, so suffix -ize as the bound morpheme attaches to that free morpheme.
Moreover, the suffix will change the word both morphologically and phonologically.
In other words, the word will experience some changes at morphological and
phonological level. In short, these processes are called morphophonemic processes.
D. Benefit of the Study
It is expected that the findings from this study will give more contribution to
the study of word formation. Furthermore, it can be a starting point for those who
are interested in studying about word formation to make other researchers to develop
the subsequent study of linguistic field. The study of English suffix -ize will
distribute one more study of suffixation to complete our knowledge about English
vocabularies. Not all of the words can attach to the suffix –ize. They will know
which words with using the suffix -ize and also the meaning of those words by
looking up in the dictionary.
E. Definition of Terms
To avoid misinterpretation and misunderstanding, it is necessary to give
definitions of terms used in this study. These definitions are:
1. Morphology
According to Akmajian, et al (1984:55), morphology is the subfield of
linguistics that studies the internal structure of words and the relationship
among words. For example: the word organ cannot be broken down into any
meaningful parts. In contrast, the word organize seems to be made up of two
parts: the word organ as the root form and an additional element of suffix -ize.
2. Suffix
According to Carolyn McManis, et al (1987:119), a suffix is one kind of
affixes which attached to the end of a word or morpheme. When suffixes are
attached to other morphemes they change the meaning or the grammatical
function of the word in some way. According to Victoria Fromkin, et al
(1991:68), a suffix belongs to part of words that are called bound morphemes
which distinct from free morphemes. Suffix always occurs following other
morphemes.
3. Morpheme
According to Carolyn McManis, et al (1987:119), a morpheme is the
Morphemes are taken from words which can be broken down into smaller units.
While the other definition according to Victoria Fromkin, et al (2000:67), a
morpheme may be defined as the minimal linguistic sign, a grammatical unit in
which there is an arbitrary union of a sound and a meaning that cannot be
further analyzed.
4. Derivation
According to Szymanek (1989:274), derivation is an affixation process that
forms a word with a meaning or category distinct from that of its base. While
according to Laurie Bauer (1988:76), derivation is the process of adding affixes
to change sub-categorization features associated with the base.
5. Morphophonemic Process
According to Random House Webster’s College Dictionary (2001),
morphophonemics is the study of the relations between morphemes and their
phonological components. Katamba (1993:34) gives another definition that
morphophonemic refers to the rules of this kind that account for the realization
of phonologically conditioned allomorphs of morphemes.
6. Causative
According to Walter A. Cook (1989:77), a causative is a derivational unit
which converts an intrinsic or derived process verb into a derived action-process
verb. The addition of the causative derivational unit will require the addition of
an agent noun to the structure as the process verb become an action process verb.
The derive process verb is the verb which shows the process of doing something
to achieve a certain purpose, while the action-process verbs are derivationally
7 A. Review of Related Studies
The commonest type of affixation of English words seems to be
suffixation. Some kinds of suffix like: -ing, -ic, -al, -ity, -ion, and –ous have been
discussed by some other students. For example, Dalan Mehuli Perangin-Angin
(2000) has discussed suffix -ion in his thesis “A Morphological Study of the
English Noun Suffix -ion.” The thesis analyzes that suffix –ion has nine
allomorphs like –ion, -ation, -ition, -tion, -cation, -action, -ution, -iation, and
–sion. The grammatical meaning of suffix –ion has a structural function to change
the word category of the stems verb into noun. That is why it is called a noun
suffix.
The other example, Mariana Setyorini (2005) has discussed suffix
–al in her thesis “A Morphological Study of the English Adjective Suffix –al.”
The thesis analyzes that suffix –al has a function to form the adjectives from
nouns. It also has four allomorphs like –ual [u∂l], -ial [i∂l], -inal [in∂l], and –ar
[∂r] also two types of consonant change.
The previous thesis must be different from this one because this
thesis analyzes the suffix –ize which has a function to form the verbs from
adjectives or nouns, and the allomorphs and morphophonemic processes will be
B. Review of Related Theories
This chapter discusses some theories used in this study. They are theories
on morphemes, allomorphs, morphophonemic processes, affixation, derivation,
and causative verbs. Each subchapter discusses each subject of these theories.
1. Theories of Morphemes
A morpheme is an important part of word arrangement. It also
belongs to morphology as a branch of the linguistic study of words building.
There are some definitions of morphemes based on research from linguists.
According to Adrian Akmajian, Richard A. Demers and Robert M. Harnish in
Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication, the definition is:
The basic part of a complex word that signify the different building blocks that make it up are called morphemes. For instances, each of the plural noun listed in the words boys, rakes, lips, dogs, and brothers is made up of two morphemes. The words boy, rake, lip, dog, and brother are known as a base morpheme and a plural morpheme –s, which is attached to the base morpheme. In short, morphemes are the minimal units of word building in a language. Morphemes cannot be broken down any further into recognizable or meaningful parts (Akmajian et al, 1984:58).
A morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of language because it
cannot be broken into smaller units without destroying its meaning. H. A
Gleason in An Introduction to Descriptive Linguistics said that:
Some morphemes can be usually described as the smallest meaningful units in the structure of the language. The smallest meaningful unit means a unit which cannot be divided without destroying or drastically altering the meaning. For example, the words strange recognizes as a morpheme which is the smallest meaningful unit in the structure of the language (Gleason, 1955:53).
For example, the morpheme table cannot be broken into ta- and ble,
furniture which has a flat top surface and also one or more than one leg used to
write, eat, and do some other works. The morpheme of the compound windbreak
can be broken into wind and break. Although wind and break each have a
meaning, their meanings are not related in any way with the meaning of
windbreak. The meaning of windbreak is a row of trees, wall, or screen
providing shelter from the wind, while the meaning of wind is the perceptible
natural movement of the air, especially in the form of a current blowing from a
particular direction, and the meaning of break is separate or cause to separate
into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.
H. A Gleason also analyzed the relation between words, morphemes,
and phonemes in his same book and states that
A morpheme is the unit on expression side of language which enters into relationship with the content side. A morpheme is typically composed of one to several phonemes. Morphemes also have meaning. The morphemes enter into combinations in accordance with definite and intricate patterns. The simpler words of English are morphemes, while other words consist of two or more morphemes (Gleason, 1955:11).
Morphemes are generally short sequences of phonemes. A morpheme consists of
phonemes and has meaning. Phonemes are arranged to form morphemes, then
morphemes will form a new word. Phonemes are the individual sounds that
appear in the basic form of morpheme, for example: the basic form /s/ for the
English regular plural morpheme. Phonemes represent the way in which sounds
are kept in people’s mind. The symbol for the phoneme is placed between
slashes / /.
A morpheme is meaningful because as a unit of sounds it has a
does not necessarily refer to an object in the real world like paper, glasses, and
dictionary but also an abstract concept like hesitation, prohibition, and anger.
A morpheme is different from a word. A word must be a morpheme
but a morpheme must not be a word. A word may consist of one or more than
one morphemes. The word carbonize consists of two morphemes: carbon and
-ize while the word dispute only consists of one morpheme: dispute. The
meaning of a word depends not only upon the morphemes that are present but
also on the order of their occurrence.
A morpheme is also different from a syllable. A syllable is simply a
group of phonemes which consists of one vowel, diphthong, or syllable nucleus
with or without a consonant before and after it. The word modernize consists of
three syllables: /mo-dern-ize/ but it only consists of two morphemes: modern
and -ize. A morpheme may consist of only a single phoneme. The /d/ in pledged
is not only voiced sound but it is to indicate that the word pledged is the verb
with past form. Frequently two morphemes are alike in sound expression but
have different content, it is called homophonous. It means that they have similar
sounds but their meanings are different. For instances, the sounds of /d/ in the
words mode and dislodged. The /d/ in mode indicates as a noun with the
meaning is a formal way in which something is done while in dislodged
indicates as a verb with the past form with the meaning is force or knock out
something out of its position (Gleason, 1955:53-54).
A morpheme can be differentiated into two kinds: free morphemes and
bound morphemes. Free morphemes can stand alone as independent word. In
a large language unit. For example, a young brave teenager is a noun phrase,
which consists of four words a, young, brave, and teenager as free morphemes.
Free morphemes sometimes are known as root of the words. Free morphemes
can be classified into two elements. They are content words (open classes) and
function words (closed classes). Content words include nouns (computer, music,
chair, etc), verbs (write, read, count, etc), adjectives (smart, expensive, modern,
etc), and adverbs (well, carefully, hard, etc). Content words can stand by
themselves because it has meaning. Function words are conjunction (but, then,
and, etc), articles and demonstratives (a, an, that, this), pronouns (your, mine,
her, his, our, their) and prepositions (in, on, at, next, etc). Function words have
the grammatical meaning and it is important grammatically.
The other kind of morpheme is the bound morpheme that cannot stand
independently but must be attached to the beginning or at the end of a free
morpheme. It can be the form of affixes attached to an already existing word to
form a new word or to show a syntactic meaning. According to the position,
affixes can be prefixes when they are attached to the beginning of another
morpheme, like: unlimited, disconnect, indirect, enlarge, and pre-natal, and as
suffixes when they are attached to the end of another morpheme, such as:
government, coordination, industrialize, arrival, and sensitivity. (Akmajian et al,
1984:58, 65-67). The process of adding an affix to an already existing word is
called affixation. Affixation is the most productive morphological process in
English and the commonest affixation is suffixation. It is by adding suffix at the
end of the word. As a bound morpheme, an affix either prefixes or suffixes
According to Victoria Fromkin, David Blair, and Peter Collins in An
Introduction to Linguistic, a morpheme may be defined as the minimal linguistic
sign, a grammatical unit in which there is an arbitrary union of a sound and a
meaning that cannot be further analyzed. They underline some characteristic of
morphemes. A morpheme is represented by a single sound, such as the
morpheme a- meaning ‘without’ as in amoral or asexual. A morpheme may be
represented by a single syllable, like child and boy. However, it can be
represented by more than one syllable: by two syllables, as in lady, father, or by
three syllables, as in barbarian, or by four or more syllables, as in
supplementary. Two different morphemes may have similar phonological
representation but the meaning is not always the same. The rule that adds –er to
verbs in English to produce a noun meaning ‘one who performs an action (once
or habitually)’ likes lover, examiner, reader, and so forth. On the other hand, the
suffix –er can also signify the degree of comparison that something is more than
another things in comparative, like higher, wider, and thicker (Fromkin et al
1991:67,77).
According to Adrian Akmajian, Richard A. Demers and Robert M.
Harnish, based on function affixes can be classified into inflectional and
derivational, and both of them are different. Inflectional affixes never change the
part of speech of the base morpheme to which they are attached. In contrast,
derivational affixes often change the part of speech of the base morpheme. For
instances, the suffix –s in noun or verbs indicates that it is plural noun or third
person without changing the part of speech from that words, while another
there is a change of the part of speech from the root. So, the suffix –s belongs to
inflectional affixes while suffix -ize belongs to derivational affixes.
The function of derivational affixes is to create new members for a given
part of speech class, whereas inflectional affixes are always attached to already
existing words without changing the part of speech class but it will give a change
on the grammatical meaning. In the case of inflectional affixes, the relation
between the meaning of stem morpheme and the meaning of the stem and affix
is quite regular. In contrast, the relation between the meaning of the base
morpheme and the meaning of the base and affix is sometimes unpredictable in
the case of derivational affixes.
2. Theories of Allomorph
John Lyons described the definition of allomorph in his book
Introduction to Theoretical Linguistics as follows:
A further point may now be made with regard to the relationship between morphemes and morphs. It frequently happens that a particular morpheme is not represented everywhere by the same morph, but by different morph in different environments. These alternative representations of a morpheme are called allomorphs (Lyons, 1968:184).
Victoria Fromkin, David Blair, and Peter Collins (1991:293) underline
that in English, the regular plural morpheme like [s], [z], [∂z] belongs to the
forms of allomorphs. The use of [s], [z], [∂z] will be determined by rules. The
voiced /z/ is preceded by a voiced sound, like bugs where /g/ is voiced. The
voiceless /s/ is preceded by a voiceless sound, like cats where /t/ is voiceless.
The sound /∂z/ occurs when a regular noun ends in a sibilant as in matches.
All the morphs that represent a given morpheme are called allomorphs of
There are two conditions of allomorph: phonological condition and
morphological condition. Phonological condition can be seen in the case of the
regular plural suffix which has three different pronunciations /-z/, /-s/, and /-iz/.
The change of the allomorph is conditioned entirely by phonological change. It
means that the choice of the allomorph from the regular plural suffix depends on
the phonetic nature of the preceding phonemes, such as: cats /kats/, dogs /dogz/,
and horses /ho:sez/. We can know that /-z/ occurs only after voiced sounds; /-s/
only after voiceless sounds; and /-iz/ only after fricatives and affricates (Spencer,
1991:6). Morphological condition means that if the selection is determined by
the specific morpheme or morphemes forming the contexts rather than by any
phonologic feature, example: the plural form of ox is oxen (Gleason, 1955:62).
The choice of allomorph used in a given context is normally
phonologically conditioned. It means that allomorph is selected to represent the
morpheme in particular context and a neighboring morpheme influences the
sounds of allomorph. The choice of allomorph may be grammatically
conditioned, for instances in certain verbs of English the form of past tense
morpheme require the specific rule. In past tense we can find the regular and
irregular verbs, for example: kiss→kissed, weep→wept, and put→put. The
choice of allomorph can be lexically conditioned like the use of a particular
allomorph may be obligatory if a certain word is present; for example, the plural
of ox is not oxes but oxen. The choice of the allomorph –en is lexically
3. Theories of Morphophonemic Processes
Morphophonemic processes are related to morphophonemic rules. The
rules which come into the alternations among allomorphs in the
morphophonemic processes are called morphophonemic rules (O’ Grady et al,
1989:116). Morphophonemic processes may result in phonological change.
Morphemes may appear in different phonological forms because of the effects of
general processes, for example the English regular plural suffix [s], [z], and [-iz].
So, phonological rules are allowed to influence with the phonological forms of
morphemes (Spencer, 1991: 53-57).
The rule that determines the phonetic form of the plural morpheme has
been called a morphophonemic rule because it combines both morphological
change and phonological change. When a morpheme has alternative phonetic
forms, these forms are called allomorphs. The sounds [z], [s], and [∂z] would be
allomorphs of the regular plural morpheme, and determined by rule. The sound
[z] occurs only after voiced sound in the words bugs. The sound [s] occurs only
after voiceless sound in the words carts. The sound [∂z] occurs which a schwa
[∂] is inserted before the plural ending when a regular noun ends in a sibilant as
in fishes. The past form rule like [t], [d], and [ed] like the plural formation rule
must include morphological change. After a vowel or diphthong the form of the
past tense is always [d], as shown by the words cared, tied, loved. When the
word is a verb and when the voiced consonant represents the past tense
morpheme, it must be a voiced [d], such as: rouged, judged, grabbed, etc. When
the voiceless consonant represent the past tense morpheme, it must be a
schwa [∂] can be inserted in the past tense of regular verbs ending with alveolar
stop, such as: stated, raided, etc. (Fromkin et al, 1991:293).
One of the commonest types of morphophonemic change is assimilation.
This is a label for the situation where some phonemes are more nearly like its
environment than is the phoneme sound in the base form. Gleason argues that
there are two kinds of allomorphs in assimilation conditioned. Progressive is a
kind of assimilation in which the assimilated sound follows the conditioning
sound. For instances, the word helped, judged, accepted, all of them are the form
of past verbs with the final sounds pronounced in different sound likes [t], [d],
[∂d] which the sound before influences the sound after.Regressive is also a kind
of assimilation in which the assimilated sound precedes the conditioning sound,
like the word imbalance, incorrect, inanimate, illegal, impossible the
pronunciation of these words will be different because the sounds after
influences the sound before (Gleason, 1955:83-84).
When we postulate a systematic morphological relation between sets of
words we will describe phonological change or sound change, for example,
when –able is attached to a base, the pronunciation of the base is augmented by
the phonetic sequence [-∂bl]. Then, a category change or part of speech change,
such as: suffix –able is attached to transitive verbs and converts them into
adjectives. Finally, a semantic change is related to the changing of meaning of
the words. For instances, if calculable from calculate + -able, then –able adds
the meaning ‘able to’, so the meaning of calculable is able to calculated
4. Theory of Affixation
Affixation is the most common morphological processes for modifying a
root which occurs in English words. The definition of affixation is the addition
of an affix occurring before, after, inside of, or around the root. This process
needs an affix as a grammatical morpheme which must be bound to a root. An
affix can be classified into four kinds based on the position of affixation:
Affixes which attach to the right, or end, of a base are called suffixes. Affixes which attach to the left, or front, of a base are called prefixes. In addition to prefixes and suffixes, some languages make use of infixes, a kind of affix that is inserted inside a lexical root. Infixation is less common than suffixation or prefixation across the world’s languages. Another unusual kind of affixation is cicumfixation, in which a two-part or discontinuous morpheme surrounds a root (Fasold et al, 2006:66-67).
Affixation can be divided into three types: prefixation, suffixation, and
infixation. Prefixation is the process of giving a certain affix before the root,
such as: unhappy, disorder, enlarge, and so on. Infixation is the process of
giving the certain affix inside the root. English has very limited kinds of infixes.
Suffixation is the process of giving the certain affix after the root, such as:
generation, sadness, government, and soon. Suffixation is the commonest
affixation occurring in English.
5. Theory of Derivation
Derivation is the process of building a new word by giving a certain
suffix to change the meaning of the root. The important key of derivation is there
will be a change of the meaning and the class of words. For instances, the suffix
-ize in English create a verb from a noun or an adjective, such as: hospitalize,
types. Firstly, affixes often change in the consonant or vowel segment of the root
and may effect the placement of stress. For instances, the suffix -ize in publicize
shows that final consonant of the root changes from /k/ to /s/. Secondly, affixes
tend to be phonologically neutral because there is no effect on the consonant or
vowel segment of the root and the stress placement, such as: promptness,
hairless, hopeful, quietly, and selfish (O’ Grady et al, 2005: 118-122).
A derivational process needs derivational morphemes which are needed
to the root. We know that the words are not usually simple but it has a
hierarchical structure because there are some words which have more than one
morpheme like unsystematically, denationalization, etc. A derivational process
shows that there is a change of meaning and it gives the different grammatical
class from the root (Fromkin et al, 1991: 74-75).
Derivation and inflection belong to morphological processes in which
they have different functions. Derivation needs an affix to change the class of
words while inflection needs an affix without changing the class of words.
Derivation is the most common way among the world’s languages to change the
root into the new form. Derivation often occurs in English language. Derivation
often changes the class of word, or its meaning, or both. Several different affixes
sometimes have the same function, for examples: singer, violinist, magician, and
so on. From those examples, we know that not all the affixes can attach to any
root freely. The suffix -er for example, can only attach to verbs (singer), while
the suffix -ist attaches only to nouns or adjectives (violinist, cartoonist), and -ian
can only attach to noun (magician, mathematician, politician) (Fasold et al,
6. Theory of Causative Verbs
The definition of causative is a derivational unit which converts a derived
process verb into a derived process action verb. The addition of an agent noun or
subject can be decided as a sign of changing to form of causative verbs. We
know that a process verb must be different from process action verb. A process
verb is a verb which involves motion without an agent like in the sentences: A
smell came across the harbor from the shark factory. The process verb from this
sentence is came across. An action verb expresses an activity which is being
done by someone. It combines between motion and agent for example in the
sentence: That young boy traveled in the desert for six months. The action verb
of this sentence is traveled. An action process verb expresses an action and a
process. An agent is required to this verb as a subject similar with people who do
something and as an object that people will accept the effect or be affected by
activity that has been done by the subject. For instance, Paul smelt something
burning and smoke rising. The agent from this sentence is Paul who becomes
the subject of this sentence(Cook, 1989: 77).
Francis Katamba said there are three ways of reflecting causatives in
English. First, lexical causatives come from the lexical meaning based on the
dictionary, e.g.: drop means ‘cause to fall’, kill means ‘cause to die’. Second,
morphological causatives are influenced by affixation especially derivational
affixation, e.g.: widen means ‘make wide’, shorten means ‘cause to become
short’, etc. Third, syntactic causatives by separating words in phrases and
7. Review on the suffix -ize
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary states that the suffix –ize
belongs to one of the most productive suffix in English language, and has been
commonly used since the late 16th century. The words with suffix –ize are
suddenly heard and seen everywhere, especially in the context of advertising,
commerce, education, and government.
The suffix -ize is widespread in borrowed and neo-classical words, e.g.:
epitomize, and organize. It is also very productive, especially in association with
abstract nouns in –ization, such as: generalization, rationalization,
nationalization, etc. The function of the suffix -ize is to form chiefly transitive
verbs from nouns and adjectives (Quirk, et al, 1972:1001). The suffix -ise is an
alternative spelling in British English. The British spelling -ise is becoming less
common in British English, especially in technical or formal writing chiefly
because some influential British publishers prefer to American form.
C. Theoretical Framework
This study uses the empirical analysis. It means that this study tries to
describe everything about suffix –ize based on the primary data that the
researcher had. Most discussion relates to morphemes, allomorphs, and
morphophonemic processes. Morphemes relate to morphological analysis, while
allomorphs relate to phonological analysis, and morphophonemic processes
combine both of them. From that analysis, we can know the process of how the
word is formed which includes the affixation, the sound change, the changing of
The morphophonemic system is the way in which the morphemes of a
given language are variously represented by phonemic shapes that can be
regarded as a kind of code. Therefore, the morphophonemic process is always
occurred in the forming of the words in every language. To make the analysis of
this topic more understandable, then the theories of morphemes, allomorphs, and
morphophonemic process are needed as the basic requirement of morphological
analysis, one of them cannot be ignored. In other hand, the theory of affixation,
derivation, and causative verbs are also needed as the additional requirement of
22 A. Object of the Study
The main object of this study is the words with the suffix –ize, such
as: modernize, specialize, categorize, etc. The class of words from the root
with the suffix -ize is either an adjective or a noun. The suffix –ize has the
alternative spelling in British English into –ise although both of them have
different sound but they have different function and meaning.
Based on the problem formulation in previous chapter, this study
focuses on the stems that the suffix –ize take, the function and meaning that
the suffix –ize take, and the morphophonemic processes occur in the
suffixation with the suffix –ize.
In collecting the data, the researcher had taken two kinds of
dictionaries namely Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. The researcher used both
dictionaries to get the data completely. Random House Webster’s College
Dictionary is used to find the list of words and its meanings and Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is used to find the phonetic transcription
from those words. From both sources, there are 353 words from the list of
words with using the suffix –ize that are used as the main data to be
B. Method of the Study
The main purpose of the research in this study is empirical. The
empirical method is chosen because it depends on the primary data. As we
know that the primary data is the important material for the research to this
study. The primary data that are used in this study is the words with using the
suffix –ize, its meanings and its phonetic transcription that are taken from
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary. So, the researcher applied the method of empirical
research to describe the issues that are related to suffix –ize, e.g.: to describe
the function of suffix -ize, to show which words can be attached to suffix
-ize, and to explain how the morphophonemic processes of the suffix -ize
occur.
The researcher would like to provide the classification of the stems
and to show the alternate phonetic form. In order to collect the data, the
researcher has conducted a library research. The researcher has got the book
sources that are related to the linguistics and dictionaries. The primary data
for the qualitative research and analysis are words with the suffix -ize, its
allomorphs and also their phonetic transcription. To collect the data, all the
derived words with using the suffix –ize were listed by the order of
alphabets. To select the data as the example on the chapter of analysis is
taken randomly. The secondary data is the review of related studies which
C. Research Procedure 1. Data Collection
To collect the data, first of all the researcher decided on the source
data which was more accurate and trustable. The data analyzed in this study
is taken from Random House Webster’s College Dictionary as the most
complete dictionary to find the words which are attached by suffix –ize and
its meaning. The other source of that data analyzed is also taken from Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary because this dictionary uses the International
Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to find the phonetic transcription and also to
analyze the phonological changes. After deciding the sources, the researcher
gathered the data by looking up the words that were attached by suffix -ize in
those dictionaries.
This study focused to analyze the root of words with suffix –ize from
adjective, then the researcher divided into five groups, words with the base
form of the suffix –ize which most often end in –al in formalize, nationalize,
pluralize, -an in Balkanize, urbanize, -ar in popularize, regularize,
familiarize , -ic in eroticize, publicize, and -ile in infantilize, sterilize,
fertilize.
This study also focused to analyze the root of words with suffix –ize
from noun, then it was divided into five groups, words with the base form of
the suffix -ize which most often end in -ry in accessorize, allegorize,
memorize, -an in Africanize, womanize, Romanize, -y in agonize, analogize,
tyrannize, -al in canalize, hospitalize, journalize and -ic in narcoticize,
2. Data Analysis
Some steps were taken to analyze this subject. In analyzing the data,
the researcher implemented the analytical technique to solve the problem
stated in problem formulation on chapter I. There were three points of
problem to be analyzed: part of speech from the words which attached by
suffix –ize, the meaning, and the distribution of suffix -ize through the
morphophonemic processes.
The first was analyzing the data by separating words with suffix –ize
into free morphemes and bound morphemes. The second was classifying free
morphemes based on the part of speech of the root from words with suffix
–ize into noun (N) or adjective (Adj). The third was analyzing the meaning
of the derived words semantically or morphologically. To reduce errors in
classifying the words and also analyzing the meaning, the researcher used
Random House Webster’s College Dictionary. The fourth was finding the
phonetic transcription of the root and the words with the suffix –ize in order
to analyze the phonological changes. At this step, the researcher used Oxford
Advanced Learner’s because the dictionary uses International Phonetic
Alphabet (IPA). The reason was the IPA proposes one symbol for one sound.
It was helpful in the analysis on morphophonemic processes. The last was to
show the morphophonemic processes and to find the morphophonemic rule
in the suffixation of suffix -ize either morphologically or phonologically by
26
This chapter will explain about the answer of the problem formulation in
chapter one. Based on the problem formulation, the researcher will discuss the stem
of suffix -ize, the function and meaning of the suffix -ize, and the morphophonemic
processes that occur in the suffixation of the suffix -ize. From both sources, Random
House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary,
there are 196 words with suffix –ize the stem of which comes from noun, and 157
words with suffix -ize the stem of which comes from adjective. From the data, we
can make the classification of the words with the suffix -ize based on the final letters
before creating the new words. In other word, the classification is based on the
writing system.
Table 1. The data of words of suffix -ize taken from Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
Words End with Letters
Examples Occurrence Percentage
-al Formalize, generalize, industrialize, legalize, nationalize, neutralize, personalize, pluralize
93 26.35%
-ar Familiarize, polarize, popularize, regularize, secularize, velarize, vulgarize
10 2.83%
-an Africanize, Americanize, Italianize, Balkanize, Christianize,
15 4.25%
-ic Arabicize, fanaticize, publicize, historicize
27 7.65%
-ile Fertilize, mobilize, sterilize, stabilize 8 2.27%
Consonant Westernize, solemnize, standardize, modernize, symmetrize, theorize, victimize, synopsize, methodize,
hydrogenize, fragmentize, categorize Vowel Alkalize, anathematize, dramatize,
acclimatize, corporatize, miniaturize, satirize, pressurize, temporize
59 16.72%
TOTAL AMOUNT 353 100%
From the table above, we can know that the suffix –ize can attach to the word
ends with letters –al, -ar, -an, -ic, -ile, consonant (b, d, h, l, m, n, r, t, y), and vowel
(a, e,i). The suffix -ize is attached to the stems which end with consonant letters,
such as: Westernize, solemnize, standardize, modernize, symmetrize, victimize,
synopsize, methodize, hydrogenize, fragmentize, categorize, and so on. The suffix
-ize is also attached to the stem which ends with vowel letters, such as: alkalize,
climatize, corporatize, miniaturize, satirize, pressurize, and temporize. The suffix
–ize is attached to the word ending with -al, for example: formalize, industrialize,
nationalize, personalize, etc. The suffix -ize attached to the word ending with –ic,
like in the words eroticize, fanaticize, publicize, and historicize. The suffix -ize
attached to the suffix -an, such as in the words Africanize, Americanize, Italianize,
Balkanize, Christianize, humanize, and urbanize. Fourth, the suffix -ize is attached
to the word ending with -ar, for example: familiarize, popularize, and secularize.
The suffix –ize can be attached to the word ending with -ile which can be seen in the
words fertilize, mobilize, sterilize, and stabilize. Before analyzing the data
furthermore, we can observe the stem attach to the suffix -ize, the function and
meaning of the suffix –ize. We have to realize that the word ending is different from
the word with using the certain suffix, so although the form looks similar but the
A. The Stem of the Suffix -ize
The stems attach to the suffix -ize are adjectives or nouns.
1. Adjectives
Most of the stems are adjectives to which the suffix -ize is
attached to as in the following examples:
Adjective Verb
Absolute Absolutize
Capital Capitalize
Christian Christianize
Erotic Eroticize
Fertile Fertilize
Interior Interiorize
Modern Modernize
Particular Particularize
From the example above, the words absolute, capital, Christian,
erotic, fertile, interior, modern, and particular belong to the
adjective before attaching to the suffix -ize. Thus, it can be said
that the suffix -ize takes an adjectives as its stem
2. Nouns
Based on the explanation above, the suffix -ize takes
adjectives as the stems. On the other hand, the suffix -ize can also
attach to nouns. This can be seen in the following example:
Noun Verb
Carbon Carbonize
Hospital Hospitalize
Motor Motorize
Symbol Symbolize
Tempo Temporize
Unit Unitize
Weather Weatherize
From the list, the words analogy, carbon, hospital, motor,
symbol, tempo, unite, and weather belong to the noun before
being attached to the suffix -ize. So, the researcher can say that
the suffix –ize also takes nouns as its stem.
B. The Function and Meaning of the Suffix -ize 1. The Function of the Suffix -ize
The stems of the suffix –ize can be nouns or adjectives. Quirk state
that the suffix –ize is used to form chiefly transitive verbs (Quirk et al,
1972:1001). It means that these verbs need a direct object as one of the
requirement of transitive verbs.
As we know that the suffix -ize is recognized as the bound morpheme
and the stems that come from adjective or noun are recognized as the free
morpheme. The function of the suffix -ize is to change adjective or noun into
verb. We can find some words with nouns as the stems such as: accessory,
canal, ebony, fossil, and hydrogen. When these words added with suffix -ize,
can also find some words with adjective as the stem such as: annual, classic,
erotic, legal, modern, and so on. When these words are added with suffix
-ize, it will become annualize, classicize, eroticize, legalize, and modernize.
In other words, the suffix -ize belongs to the derivational morpheme because
it changes the class of words which come from adjective or noun into verb.
Suffix -ize can be found in some words of English language, such as:
Africanize, baptize, characterize, fanaticize, and so on after the process of
affixation especially suffixation.
Look at the following example:
From Noun (N) → Verb (V)
Atom + -ize → Atomize
Botany + -ize → Botanize
Canal + -ize → Canalize
Ozon + -ize → Ozonize
Phonetic + -ize → Phoneticize
From Adjective (Adj) → Verb (V)
Annual + -ize → Annualize
Classic + -ize → Classicize
Mobile + -ize → Mobilize
Regular + -ize → Regularize
Western + -ize → Westernize
The examples above show that words with nouns as the stems and the
derived word is verb. It means that the suffix -ize has the function to form
into verb. In addition, the following examples above show that the words
with adjective as the stems and the derived word is verb. It means that the
suffix -ize has the function to form verbs from adjectives too. The suffixation
of suffix –ize also changes the stem from noun into verb.
It can be concluded that the function of suffix -ize is to form verb.
Based on the change of the class of word from noun or adjective into verb,
the process can be called verbalization. Verbalization is the process of the
formation of a verb from a noun or an adjective. In this case, the suffix -ize
can be called as a verbalizer.
2. The Meaning of the Suffix -ize
The above explanation shows that the function of the suffix -ize is to
form a verb. The verbs are formed from nouns or adjectives. Although the
class of the derived word is different from the one of the stem, the meaning
of the derived word does not change entirely. It means that the derived words
still have the meaning or the characteristics of the stem. It is important to
know the meaning of some of the derived words with the suffix -ize in order
to know what suffix -ize means.
In this part, the researcher will discuss about the meaning of the
words with the suffix -ize based on the lexical meaning. To know the lexical
meaning, the researcher must use the dictionary because the meaning of the
words with suffix -ize are related to the meanings of the stems. Random
House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary are used as the reference in analyzing the meaning of the suffix
the dictionary which share similarities. According to both sources Random
House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s
Dictionary, the suffix –ize has eight meanings. The meanings are “to cause to
be formed into”; “to conform to be like”; “to subject to an action”; “to act
upon in such a way as result in”; “to cause to combine with a specified
substance”; “to engage in or carry on an activity”; “to render make” and “to
convert into”. All of that meaning can be seen in the following examples
from words with using the suffix –ize:
Union (‘the action or fact of uniting or being united’) + -ize →Unionize (‘to organize people into a made union’)
System (‘a set of things working together as a mechanism or
interconnecting network’) + -ize → Systemize (‘to arrange in or
according to a system’)
Critic (‘a person who expresses an unfavourable opinion of
something’) + -ize → Criticize (‘to indicate the faults of somebody or
something’)
Commercial (‘making or intended to make a profit’) + -ize →
Commercialize (‘to make money or try to make money out of
something’)
Hydrogen (‘a colourless, odourless, highly flammable gas, the
chemical element of atomic number 1’) + -ize → Hydrogenize (‘to
combine or treat with hydrogen, especially to add it to an unsaturated
organic compound’)
Philosophy (‘a set of theories of a particular philosopher’) + -ize →
Philosophize (‘to think or reason as a philosopher)
Actual (‘existing in fact’) + -ize → Actualize (‘to make actual or
Drama (‘plays a genre or literary style’) + -ize → Dramatize (‘to
make something such as a novel or an event with a play’)
All of the meaning above can occur when suffix –ize is attached to the words
which belong to adjective or noun. The words with similar meanings are
often grouped to make the analysis easier and simple. The following part is
about the classification based on the lexical meaning and its explanation.
Table 2. The classification of the lexical meaning of suffix -ize based on Random House Webster’s College Dictionary and Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
No Meaning Example
1 To cause to be formed into Unionize, diphthongize
2 To conform to be like Systemize, liquidize, Americanize, crystallize
3 To subject to an action Criticize, plagiarize 4 To act upon in such a way as
result in
Brutalize, commercialize, rationalize
5 To cause to combine with a specified substance
Hydrogenize, oxidize
6 To engage in or carry on an activity
Botanize, philosophize, attitudinize
7 To render make Actualize, fossilize, sterilize
8 To convert into Computerize, dramatize, itemize, motorize
From the table above, we know that suffix -ize has the lexical
meaning. First, to cause to be formed into, such as: unionize, diphthongize.
Second, to conform to be like in the words systemize, liquidize, Americanize,
crystallize. Third, to subject to an action in the words criticize, plagiarize.
Fourth, to act upon in such a way as result in, such as: brutalize,
commercialize, and rationalize. Fifth, to combine with, such as: hydrogenize,
oxidize. Sixth, to engage in or carry on an activity in the words botanize,
![Table 8. The process of the insertion Schwa [∂] in the word modernize](https://thumb-ap.123doks.com/thumbv2/123dok/1641822.2068686/63.612.208.475.280.405/table-process-insertion-schwa-word-modernize.webp)
