Journal of English Teaching and Applied Linguistics (JETAL)
Vol 8 No 1 (2026): September In Progress

A MORPHOPHONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH LOANWORD ADAPTATION IN INDONESIAN EFL SPEAKING CONTEXTS

Arsy Damopolii (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo)
Jhems Richard Hasan (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo)
Abdul Kadir Ismail (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo)
Marina Pakaja (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo)
Zulkifli Akhmad (IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo)



Article Info

Publish Date
03 Jul 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the morphophonological adaptation of English loanwords used by Indonesian EFL students during speaking activities. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach, the study involved 60 students from the English Education Department of IAIN Sultan Amai Gorontalo. Data were collected through audio and video recordings of classroom discussions, presentations, video assignments, and examinations. A total of 16 English loanwords were identified and analyzed through transcription, coding, and classification based on morphophonological categories by comparing the adapted forms with their original English counterparts. The analysis revealed nine major morphophonological processes, namely sound substitution, vowel simplification, syllabification, stress neutralization, consonant cluster simplification, epenthesis, sound omission, orthographic adaptation, and morphological integration. The findings indicate that vowel simplification, sound substitution, syllabification, and stress neutralization were the most recurrent processes, reflecting the strong influence of Indonesian phonological and morphological systems on the adaptation of English-derived vocabulary. The study demonstrates that English loanwords are systematically reconstructed to conform to Indonesian linguistic patterns during spoken communication. These findings contribute to morphophonological scholarship by providing empirical evidence of the interaction between phonological and morphological adaptation in EFL speaking contexts and offer pedagogical insights for improving pronunciation awareness in English language teaching.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

jetal

Publisher

Subject

Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

Journal of English Teaching and Applied Linguistic (JETAL) is a peer-reviewed journal published in Indonesia by the Department of English Education, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, the University of HKBP NOMMENSEN (PSPBI FKIP UHKBPN). This journal is published twice a year: April and ...