per-...-an (kelembagaan)
Institutional Per-...-an Nouns
The per-...-an circumfix creates nouns that describe a 'domain' or 'system' (like perbankan for banking) or a 'result' (like perjanjian for an agreement). It is highly formal and common in academic and bureaucratic contexts.
How It Works
The per-...-an circumfix is a sophisticated tool in Indonesian for creating abstract nouns. It serves several specific functions:
- Institutional/Sectoral: It names entire industries or systems. For example, bank (bank) becomes perbankan (banking system/sector).
- Result or State: It refers to the outcome of an action. Janji (promise) becomes perjanjian (an agreement or treaty).
- Locative: Occasionally, it indicates a place where an activity occurs, such as perhentian (a stopping place/station) from henti (stop).
Morphological Rules:
1. Stability: Unlike the peN- prefix, the 'r' in per- does not usually change based on the following consonant.
2. Established Variants: Learn pekerjaan (work/job), corresponding to bekerja, with pe- rather than per-. Do not mechanically delete r whenever a root's first syllable contains er: gerak gives pergerakan, corresponding to bergerak.
3. The 'ajar' Exception: The root ajar (teach/learn) becomes pelajaran (lesson), whereas the process of teaching is pengajaran.
Examples (5)
- Pemerintah sedang memperkuat sistem perbankan nasional.
The government is currently strengthening the national banking system.
Word by Word: Government is currently strengthen system per-bank-an national.
'Perbankan' refers to the entire banking sector/system, not just a single bank.
- Pertemuan itu menghasilkan sebuah perjanjian perdamaian.
That meeting resulted in a peace treaty.
Word by Word: Meeting that result-in a per-janji-an peace.
'Perjanjian' is the result (an agreement) of the act of promising or negotiating.
- Industri perfilman Indonesia berkembang pesat tahun ini.
The Indonesian film industry is growing rapidly this year.
Word by Word: Industry per-film-an Indonesia develop fast year this.
'Perfilman' refers to the world or industry of film.
- Dia sedang mencari pekerjaan baru di Jakarta.
He is looking for a new job in Jakarta.
Word by Word: He is currently look-for pe-kerja-an new in Jakarta.
Note the R-deletion: 'per-' + 'kerja' + '-an' becomes 'pekerjaan'.
- Persatuan adalah kunci keberhasilan kita.
Unity is the key to our success.
Word by Word: Per-satu-an is key success-ness our.
'Persatuan' refers to the state of being united (unity).
Common Mistakes
Applying nasalization (like peN-) to the per- prefix.
Pemerikanan sangat penting bagi ekonomi kita.Perikanan sangat penting bagi ekonomi kita.Learners often confuse 'per-' with 'peN-'. 'Per-' does not undergo nasal assimilation (it stays 'per-' or 'pe-').
Writing perkerjaan instead of the established form pekerjaan.
Saya suka perkerjaan saya.Saya suka pekerjaan saya.Pekerjaan is the standard noun corresponding to bekerja. Do not infer a universal deletion rule from this word: pergerakan retains r, as does its related verb bergerak.
Confusing 'per-...-an' (system/result) with 'peN-...-an' (process).
Pengadilan hak asasi manusia harus ditegakkan.Peradilan hak asasi manusia harus ditegakkan.Pengadilan can mean the process of judging and also names a court. Peradilan refers more broadly to the administration of justice. Choose according to the intended referent: the suggested version concerns the justice system, not a claim that pengadilan has only a process meaning or is ungrammatical in every similar sentence.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand institutional per-...-an nouns, learners must first be familiar with the basic per-...-an circumfix used for locations or fields. Additionally, since per-...-an nouns often correspond to verbs starting with the ber- prefix, knowledge of ber- verbs is essential. Finally, distinguishing per-...-an from the more common peN-...-an process nominalizer is necessary to grasp its specific lexical and institutional nuances.
- per-...-anPer-...-an Nouns
The per-...-an circumfix is first introduced in its more concrete locative or field-of-study sense before moving to abstract institutional meanings.
Level 3 - ber-Basic Activity Verbs with Ber-
Many per-...-an nouns are the nominalized counterparts of ber- verbs, sharing the same root and morphological relationship.
Level 2 - peN-...-anProcess Nouns with PeN-...-an
Understanding how process nouns are formed with peN-...-an helps the learner distinguish the institutional or systemic focus of per-...-an.
Level 3
Related Patterns
- ke-...-an (keadaan)Abstract States with Ke-...-an
Both form abstract nouns, but ke-...-an usually refers to a quality or condition, whereas per-...-an refers to a system or sector.
Level 3 - peN-...-an / per-...-anChoosing Process Nominalizers
This pattern specifically compares the nuances between these two common nominalizers.
Level 4 - per-...-an (peristiwa)Events and Processes with Per-...-an
A related usage of the same circumfix that focuses specifically on events or occurrences.
Level 4 - belajarIrregular Ber- Form Belajar
The root 'ajar' is irregular in both its ber- form (belajar) and its per-...-an form (pelajaran).
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice per-...-an (kelembagaan) in Bubblegum
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