Predicate nominalisation

Predicate nominalisation was already discussed in Topik 7, Kegiatan 3. This is a refresher of this important feature of Indonesian.

EXAMPLE 1

Look at the following (abbreviated) sentences:

"Salah satu penyebab masuknya gelombang Tsunami adalah kurangnya vegetasi."

Masuknya functions here as a noun . We call this predicate nominalisation (cf. Sneddon 3.136-142). Another case of nominalisation is kurangnya, which also functions as a noun: "One of the causes for the penetration of the Tsunami waves is the lack of vegetation"

The process is illustrated with the following clause:

The verb is placed before the subject and -nya is attached to it; the subject now acts as the possessor to the nominalised verb:

EXAMPLE 2

"Rusaknya atau hilangnya hutan bakau di kawasan pantai tidak hanya terjadi di pantai barat Aceh, tetapi juga terjadi di sebagian besar kawasan pantai di Indonesia."

The predicate 'rusak atau hilang' in hutan bakau rusak atau hilang 'mangrove forest is damaged or lost' has been nominalised by -nya: Rusaknya atau hilangnya hutan bakau. The subject now acts as possessor to the nominalised verb: 'the destruction or loss of mangrove forest'. The whole construction is now a noun phrase which can occur in a larger construction:

Rusaknya atau hilangnya hutan bakau di kawasan pantai tidak hanya terjadi di pantai barat Aceh, tetapi juga terjadi di sebagian besar kawasan pantai di Indonesia.

Destruction and loss of coastal mangrove forests does not only happen on the west coast of Aceh, but also in most other coastal areas in Indonesia.