<![CDATA[The Mukomuko language, a regional Malay variety spoken in Mukomuko Regency, Bengkulu Province, remains insufficiently documented, particularly regarding the interaction between phrase structure and phonological–morphophonemic patterns in natural language use. Previous studies have examined phonological, morphological, or lexical features separately, leaving limited integrated evidence on their structural relationships. This study investigates phrase categories, structural patterns, phonological variation, and morphophonemic alternation in the Mukomuko language within a structural linguistic framework. A descriptive qualitative approach was employed involving 15 native speakers aged 50–75 years, purposively selected based on native-speaker status, continuous residence, and active daily use of the language. Data were collected through observation, listening, note-taking, semi-structured interviews, documentation, and five digital audio-recording sessions conducted in Mukomuko Regency. The resulting corpus comprised 618 phrase tokens, transcribed using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) and validated through source and method triangulation as well as inter-speaker verification. The analysis identified 214 verbal, 152 nominal, 103 adjectival, 76 numeral, and 73 prepositional phrases. Nominal and adjectival phrases predominantly exhibit Head–Modifier (D–M) patterns, whereas verbal phrases consistently follow Modifier–Head (M–D) structures. Recurrent phonological variation includes rhotic realization, vowel alternation, final consonant reduction, nasal alternation, and glottal realization, while morphophonemic alternation is primarily reflected in the allomorphic realization of the meN- prefix through regular nasal assimilation. These findings provide an integrated description of phrase structure and sound patterns, contributing to the documentation of regional Malay varieties and comparative studies in Indonesian Malay dialectology.]]>
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