Sound Shifts in Syllables During the Segmentation of Personal Names

Abstract

Names contain distinctive linguistic elements. The study of names falls under onomastics and is closely linked to morphology—a branch of linguistics concerned with word formation. Individuals' names are often addressed in unique ways; in some regions of Indonesia, for instance, names are shortened through truncation. For example, an individual named Rani might be addressed as Ran, and Riski as Ris. This truncation process can result in a sound shift; in the case of Rani becoming Ran, the /n/ sound—originally in the second syllable—shifts forward to the first syllable. However, some names do not undergo this shift or cannot be truncated at all, a phenomenon influenced by the community's social and cultural factors. This study aims to identify patterns of name truncation—specifically those involving sound shifts when reduced to a single syllable, those without sound shifts, and those that cannot be truncated—as well as the social factors influencing these variations. The study employs a dual approach combining morphosyntax and sociolinguistics and utilizes a descriptive-qualitative design. Data were collected via an online questionnaire distributed to a WhatsApp group of LPDP UGM awardees (Odd Semester 2024 cohort), who served as the study subjects. The collected data were analyzed using the Immediate Constituent Analysis (Bagi Unsur Langsung or BUL) technique (Sudaryanto, 2015). The findings are expected to contribute to the understanding of personal name truncation and its influencing factors, thereby addressing a gap in morphosyntactic and sociolinguistic research regarding this previously unstudied topic. The study identified 27 awardee names that exhibited a sound addition resulting from a sound shift within the syllable used for address. Sound additions resulting from sound shifts in the syllables of awardees' names used as forms of address can be classified into three types: a shift from the second syllable to the first (20 names), a shift from the third syllable to the second (3 names), and a shift from the first syllable to the second (5 names). There are 31 awardee names that do not undergo sound shifts. The influencing social factors include politeness, occupation, education, religion, and familiarity.