In recent years, technological advancements have become inevitable. Various domains of human life are gradually being digitalized, including literacy activities. A concrete manifestation of this digital transformation in literacy is the emergence of numerous literary works in digital form on various platforms. One such platform is the Wattpad application, which has been downloaded more than 100 million times as of 2023. Wattpad hosts a wide range of story genres intended for readers aged 12 years and above.
The widespread use of Wattpad has attracted considerable reader attention to several stories hosted on the platform, one of which is “Warning: Physical Distancing!” by Kaggren. This story ranks first in the Chicklit genre, with 18.8 million reads and 1.81 million likes. The high level of reader interest in this story prompted the researcher to examine the grammatical patterns employed by the author, with a particular focus on the use of the prefix {meN-}. The prefix {meN-} represents the process of nasalization. Its pronunciation and spelling may vary depending on the initial phoneme of the base word to which it is attached. Studying this phenomenon is both necessary and significant, as words constitute a fundamental unit of linguistic analysis (Fromkin et al., 2022; Fromkin et al., 2014; O'Grady & Guzman, 2019).
Based on the research data collected, the prefix {meN-} attached to a number of basic words produces various allomorphs, including me-, mem-, meN-, meng-, meny-, and menge- (Ramlan, 1987). Allomorphs are pronunciation variants of morphemes (O’Grady & Guzman, 2019). First, the prefix {meN-} changes to me- when it meets the phonemes /l/, /r/, and /n/ at the beginning of the base word. Second, the prefix {meN-} changes to mem- when it meets the phonemes /p/, /m/, and /b/ at the beginning of the base word. Third, the prefix {meN-} changes to meN- when it meets the phonemes /t/, /n/, /c/, /d/, and /j/ at the beginning of the base word. Fourth, the prefix {meN-} changes to meng- when it encounters the phonemes /a/, /e/, /k/, /g/, /h/, /i/, or /u/ at the beginning of a word's root. Fifth, the prefix {meN-} changes to meny- when it encounters the phoneme /s/ at the beginning of a word's root. Sixth, the prefix {meN-} changes to menge- when it encounters the phonemes /c/ and /t/ at the beginning of a word's root. The existence of these six allomorphs encouraged researchers to study the form and formation process of words with the prefix {meN-} found in the story “Warning: Physical Distancing!” by Kaggren. Moreover, this study aims to examine the grammatical function and meaning of words. This is because derived words with the same form pattern and process do not necessarily have the same grammatical function and meaning. To achieve the research objectives, morphological theory was used to analyze the language data.
Morphology is the study of words and word formation (Dixon, 2010; Fromkin et al., 2014; Gebhardt, 2023; Lardiere, 2006; Lieber, 2009). Morphology, as a subfield of grammar, is closely concerned with word structure and the relationships between words, involving the morphemes that constitute them (Carstairs-McCarthy 2002; Kurdi 2016; Lieber 2016). Morphology deals with the internal organization of words (Haspelmath & Sims, 2010; Owens, 2016; Tokar, 2012). Words are composed of one or more smaller units, called morphemes.
A morpheme is the smallest grammatical unit that cannot be divided further without destroying its meaning or producing a meaningless unit (Owens, 2016; Tokar, 2012; Velupillai, 2015). Morphemes fall into two types: free and bound morphemes (Spencer, 1997). Free morphemes (base words) are autonomous and can stand alone (Fromkin et al., 2022; Fromkin et al., 2014; Owens, 2016; Velupillai, 2015), forming words or parts of words, such as buku (book), pergi (go), senang (happy), and besar (big), for example. Base words encompass nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs (Booij, 2005; Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002; Fromkin et al., 2022; Fromkin et al., 2014) and may or may not receive additional affixes (O'Grady & Guzman, 2019).
Bound morphemes attach to roots or stems in various ways: as prefixes (at the beginning of the root/stem morpheme) (Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002; Dixon, 2010; Fromkin et al., 2022; Hazen, 2015; Katamba, 1993; Lardiere, 2006; O'Grady & Guzman, 2019; Poole, 1999), infixes (in the middle) (Fromkin et al., 2022; Katamba, 1993), suffixes (at the end) (Dixon, 2010; Fromkin et al., 2022; Katamba, 1993; O'Grady & Guzman, 2019), or circumfixes (at both the beginning and end) (Fromkin et al., 2022; Hazen, 2015). Bound morphemes function as grammatical markers and cannot operate independently (Owens, 2016), and must be attached to free morphemes.
In this study, the bound morpheme under examination is a prefix. In Indonesian, bound morphemes include meN-, ber-, ter-, peN-, and di-. These bound morphemes are attached to nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. However, this study focuses exclusively on the prefix {meN-}. As noted in the background, {meN-} can be either derivational or inflectional (Bauer, 2003; Lieber, 2009). The key distinction between the two is functional: derivation creates new lexemes, whereas inflection creates different forms of the same lexeme (Booij, 2005). Both derivation and inflection serve to create new words and modify existing words in a language (Lardiere, 2006).

2.1. Derivation
Derivation is the process of forming a new lexeme from an existing one, resulting in either a change in the syntactic category (noun, adjective, verb, or adverb), the addition of substantial meaning, or both (Bauer, 2003; Booij, 2005; Dixon, 2010; Lardiere, 2006; Lieber, 2009; Mithun, 2019; Spencer, 2016). Derivational morphology is the branch of morphology concerned with how lexemes relate to one another through affixation, thereby producing words with meanings and/or categories different from the base word (Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002; O'Grady & Guzman, 2019). By nature, derivation is semi-productive (Bauer, 2003; Fromkin et al., 2014).
Fromkin et al. (2014) identify six key characteristics of derivation: (1) it has a lexical function; (2) it can cause a change in word class; (3) it can alter meaning; (4) it is never obligated by grammatical rules; (5) it precedes inflectional morphemes within a word; and (6) some derivational processes are productive, while many are not. Given that derivation can change word class, Fromkin et al. (2014) identified at least seven such changes: (1) noun to adjective, (2) noun to verb, (3) adjective to verb, (4) adjective to noun, (5) adjective to adverb, (6) verb to noun, and (7) verb to adjective (Fromkin et al., 2022; Fromkin et al., 2014).
The parameters of derivation, as identified by Spencer (2016), are: (1) purpose, to build a new lexeme from an existing one; (2) syntactic determinism, not determined by syntax; (3) obligatoriness, its function is optional; (4) productivity, not fully productive; (5) transparency, not always transparent; (6) feature inheritance, limited; and (7) exponent ordering, it precedes inflectional exponents.

2.2. Inflection
Inflection is a word formation process that expresses grammatical distinctions, producing forms that do not change the syntactic category or create new lexemes (Dixon, 2010; Lieber, 2009; McCabe, 2011; Mithun, 2019; Spencer, 2016). In other words, inflection merely alters the form of a lexeme to suit different grammatical contexts or syntactic requirements (Booij, 2005; Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002; Fromkin et al., 2014; Lieber, 2009; McCabe, 2011). For instance, the suffix {-s} expresses the relationship between a verb and its third-person singular subject. Accordingly, inflection is highly dependent on the relevance of a word within its syntactic context and grammatical role (Bauer, 2003; Booij, 2005; Fromkin et al., 2022; Lardiere, 2006; Poole, 1999). Changes in inflectional meaning tend to be regular and predictable (Bauer, 2003; Mithun, 2019). Inflection is productive by nature (Bauer, 2003).
Fromkin et al. (2014) identified six key characteristics of inflection: (1) it has a grammatical function; (2) it does not change the word class; (3) it produces little or no change in meaning; (4) it is often required by grammatical rules; (5) it follows derivational morphemes within a word; and (6) it is productive. Based on the fact that inflection does not change word class, at least three inflectional processes may be identified: (1) nouns remain nouns, (2) verbs remain verbs, and (3) adjectives remain adjectives. Inflectional processes are further divided into two categories: nominal inflection, encompassing (1) number, (2) gender, (3) definiteness/indefiniteness, (4) case, (5) pronominality, (6) portmanteau inflection, and (7) non-conjunctive inflection; and verbal inflection, encompassing agreement and certain other verbal affixes (Gebhardt, 2023; Lieber, 2009).
At least three prior studies are relevant to this study. First, Saputra et al. (2022) demonstrate that four categories of base words appear in the short story collection Kupu-kupu Banda Mua: verbs, adjectives, nouns, and nominals. The prefix {meN-} attached to base words serves two principal functions: changing the word class (derivational) and preserving the word class (derivational). Additionally, the study finds that words prefixed with {meN-} carry different grammatical meanings depending on their sentence context, including (1) performing an active transitive action, (2) giving, (3) increasing in degree, and many others. Second, Naschah et al. (2020) identified language errors in Covid-19 news texts in the online mass media CNN Indonesia, specifically at the level of spelling (italicization), morphology, syntax, sentence structure, and diction (non-standard words). Third, Saputri (2020) analyzed morphological errors in the oral speech of President Joko Widodo, including (1) omission of the prefix {se-}, (2) incorrect use of correlative conjunctions, (3) omission of the prefix {ber-}, (4) omission of the suffix {-an}, (5) use of ineffective sentences, and (6) use of non-standard vocabulary.
In relation to these three prior studies, the gap between this study and previous research lies in the data and methodology employed. This study adopts the research framework of Saputra et al. (2022), but differs in the source of data and the method of analysis: it draws on a Wattpad Chicklit story titled “Warning: Physical Distancing!” by Kaggren and makes use of AntConc 4.2.4.0 software for data processing. In contrast, the differences between this study and those of Naschah et al. (2020) and Saputri (2020) are more pronounced, involving different analytical focuses and data sources. Accordingly, this study makes a valuable contribution to the field by examining the use of the prefix {meN-} and its functions and grammatical meanings in popular fiction.

This study aims to describe (1) the form and morphological process of the prefix {meN-} with base words, (2) the function of the prefix {meN-}, and (3) the grammatical meaning of the prefix {meN-}. To achieve these objectives, this study employed a qualitative descriptive method. The data source is the Chicklit story “Warning: Physical Distancing!” by Kaggren, available on the Wattpad application. This story ranks first in the Chicklit genre category, with 18.8 million reads and 1.81 million likes. Based on the researcher's observation, the story contains many derived words bearing the prefix {meN-}. This study focuses solely on Chapters 1 through 10, yielding 144 tokens of prefixed words with {meN-}. Data were collected using a documentation technique, that is, the researcher catalogued all prefixed words bearing {meN-} found within the story. The analytical method adopted follows the model of Miles and Huberman (1994), comprising (1) data collection, (2) data reduction, (3) data presentation, and (4) data conclusion.
In the first stage, the researcher collected data on derived words with the prefix {meN-} based on the corpus with the help of AntConc 4.2.4.0 to view the word list and word usage in sentence contexts. In the second stage, after the data were successfully collected, the researcher performed data reduction. The selected data included derived words with the prefix {meN-}. In the third stage, the researcher presented the data descriptively and analyzed the data. The data are presented in five main discussion points: (1) the form and morphological process of the prefix {meN-} with basic words, (2) the function of the prefix {meN-}, and (3) the grammatical meaning of the prefix {meN-} (see Figure 1 and Figure 2).

Figure 1. Word List Display Based on AntConc 4.2.4.0

Figure 2. Word-in-Context Display Based on AntConc 4.2.4.0

The findings of this study focus on three principal analyses: (1) the affixation process, (2) the function of the prefix {meN-}, and (3) the grammatical meaning of the prefix {meN-}. Each of these analytical dimensions is further classified into several subsections.

4.1. Base Words Bearing the Prefix {meN-} in Chicklit Fiction on Wattpad
This section presents the morphological analysis of base words categorized by their grammatical class–nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs–that receive the prefix {meN-}. The word formation process for each category is described below.

4.1.1. Nominal Base Words Bearing the Prefix {meN-}
In this category, the study identifies several base words belonging to the noun class that receive the prefix {meN-}. The following section presents the noun base words and their morphological processes upon receiving {meN-}.

(1) {meN-} + bantah (deny) = membantah (refute)
(2) {meN-} + bungkus (wrap) = membungkus (wrap)

Data (1) and (2) are examples of noun-class base words that have received the prefix {meN-}: bantah and bungkus. Upon affixation, they become polymorphemic words: membantah and membungkus.

(3) {meN-} + tangkup (cup/cover) = menangkup (cup/cover with the hands)
(4) {meN-} + cakar (scratch) = mencakar (scratch)
(5) {meN-} + dengus (snort) = mendengus (snort)
(6) {meN-} + desah (sigh) = mendesah (sigh)
(7) {meN-} + desain (design) = mendesain (design)
(8) {meN-} + telepon (telephone) = menelepon (call/phone)
(9) {meN-} + terawang (see through/visualize) = menerawang (gaze into the distance/visualize)
(10) {meN-} + teror (terror) = meneror (terrorize)
(11) {meN-} + tetes (drop) = menetes (drip)
(12) {meN-} + jambak (pull by the hair) = menjambak (pull someone’s hair)
(13) {meN-} + jangkau (reach) = menjangkau (reach)
(14) {meN-} + jawab (answer) = menjawab (answer)
(15) {meN-} + julang (tower/soar) = menjulang (tower/rise high)

Data (3) through (15) are examples of noun-class base words, including tangkup, cakar, dengus, telepon, and jambak, that have received the prefix {meN-}, yielding the polymorphemic words menangkup, mencakar, mendengus, menelepon, and menjambak.

(16) {meN-} + angguk (nod) = mengangguk (nod)
(17) {meN-} + anggur (grape) = menganggur (be unemployed)
(18) {meN-} + kantuk (drowsiness) = mengantuk (feel sleepy)
(19) {meN-} + kernyit (frown) = mengernyit (frown)
(20) {meN-} + erti (understand) = mengerti (understand)
(21) {meN-} + geleng (shake the head) = menggeleng (shake one’s head)
(22) {meN-} + gonggong (bark) = menggonggong (bark)
(23) {meN-} + guncang (shake) = mengguncang (shake)
(24) {meN-} + hadap (face) = menghadap (face/confront)
(25) {meN-} + ikat (tie) = mengikat (tie)
(26) {meN-} + kira (estimate) = mengira (assume/estimate)
(27) {meN-} + isi (fill/content) = mengisi (fill)
(28) {meN-} + konfirmasi (confirm) = mengonfirmasi (confirm)
(29) {meN-} + konfrontasi (confrontation) = mengonfrontasi (confront)
(30) {meN-} + ucap (utter/say) = mengucap (utter/say)
(31) {meN-} + kutuk (curse) = mengutuk (curse)

Data (16) through (31) are examples of noun-class base words, including angguk, kantuk, erti, geleng, hadap, ikat, and ucap, yielding polymorphemic words mengangguk, mengantuk, mengerti, menggeleng, menghadap, mengikat, and mengucap.

(32) {meN-} + sahut (reply/respond) = menyahut (reply/respond)
(33) {meN-} + sapu (sweep) = menyapu (sweep)
(34) {meN-} + setir (steer/drive) = menyetir (drive)
(35) {meN-} + sumpah (curse/oath) = menyumpah (curse)
(36) {meN-} + suruh (order/tell) = menyuruh (order/tell someone to do something)

Data (32) through (36) are examples of noun-class base words, sahut, sapu, setir, sumpah, and suruh, yielding polymorphemic words: menyahut, menyapu, menyetir, menyumpah, and menyuruh. However, this study identifies one noun-class base word that undergoes an erroneous morphological process:

(37) {meN-} + sugesti (suggestion) = mensugesti [INCORRECT→menyugesti] (suggest/influence)
(38) {meN-} + langkah (step) = melangkah (step/take a step)
(39) {meN-} + rasa (feeling/taste) = merasa (feel)
(40) {meN-} + rekam (record) = merekam (record)
(41) {meN-} + remang (dim/faint) = meremang (bristle/shiver)
(42) {meN-} + respons (response) = merespons (respond)
(43) {meN-} + rintis (pioneer/initiate) = merintis (pioneer/initiate)
(44) {meN-} + rokok (cigarette) = merokok (smoke)
(45) {meN-} + nikah (marriage) = menikah (marry/get married)
(46) {meN-} + nyala (flame/light) = menyala (light up/be lit)
(47) {meN-} + tik (type) = mengetik (type)

Data (38) through (47) are examples of noun-class base words, including langkah, rasa, nikah, and tik, yielding polymorphemic words melangkah, merasa, menikah, and mengetik.

4.1.2. Verbal Base Words Bearing the Prefix {meN-}
In this category, the study identifies several base words belonging to the verb class that receive the prefix {meN-}. The following section presents the verb base words and their morphological processes.

(48) {meN-} + pakai (use/wear) = memakai (use/wear)
(49) {meN-} + pandang (view/look) = memandang (look at/view)
(50) {meN-} + baca (read) = membaca (read)
(51) {meN-} + bawa (bring) = membawa (bring)
(52) {meN-} + beri (give) = memberi (give)
(53) {meN-} + buat (make) = membuat (make)
(54) {meN-} + buka (open) = membuka (open)
(55) {meN-} + pegang (hold) = memegang (hold)
(56) {meN-} + peluk (hug) = memeluk (hug)
(57) {meN-} + periksa (check/examine) = memeriksa (check/examine)
(58) {meN-} + putar (turn/rotate) = memutar (turn/rotate)

Data (48) through (58) are examples of verb-class base words, including pakai and baca, yielding polymorphemic words such as memakai and membaca.

(59) {meN-} + tarik (pull) = menarik (pull)
(60) {meN-} + taruh (put/place) = menaruh (put/place)
(61) {meN-} + tatap (stare) = menatap (stare/gaze)
(62) {meN-} + cari (search) = mencari (search/look for)
(63) {meN-} + cekal (restrain/ban) = mencekal (restrain/ban)
(64) {meN-} + cengkeram (grip) = mencengkeram (grip/clutch)
(65) {meN-} + coba (try) = mencoba (try)
(66) {meN-} + copot (remove/detach) = mencopot (remove/detach)
(67) {meN-} + cubit (pinch) = mencubit (pinch)
(68) {meN-} + cuci (wash) = mencuci (wash)
(69) {meN-} + dengar (hear) = mendengar (hear)
(70) {meN-} + tebak (guess) = meniebak (guess)
(71) {meN-} + tekan (press) = meneikan (press)
(72) {meN-} + tempel (stick/attach) = menempel (stick/attach)
(73) {meN-} + tendang (kick) = menendang (kick)
(74) {meN-} + tenteng (carry by hand) = menenteng (carry by hand)
(75) {meN-} + tepuk (pat/clap) = menepuk (pat/clap)
(76) {meN-} + terima (receive) = menerima (receive)
(77) {meN-} + terjang (charge/ram) = menerjang (charge/ram into)
(78) {meN-} + jadi (become) = menjadi (become)
(79) {meN-} + jilat (lick) = menjilat (lick)
(80) {meN-} + julur (stick out/extend) = menjulur (stick out/extend)
(81) {meN-} + toleh (turn one’s head) = menoleh (turn one’s head)
(82) {meN-} + tuju (aim/head toward) = menuju (head toward/go to)
(83) {meN-} + tunduk (bow) = menunduk (bow / lower one’s head)
(84) {meN-} + tunggu (wait) = menunggu (wait)
(85) {meN-} + tunjuk (point) = menunjuk (point)
(86) {meN-} + turut (follow/obey) = menurut (obey/comply)
(87) {meN-} + tutup (close) = menutup (close)

Data (59) through (87) are examples of verb-class base words, including tarik, cari, dengar, and jilat, yielding the polymorphemic words menarik, mencari, mendengar, and menjilat.

(88) {meN-} + ada-ada (make things up) = mengada-ada (make things up/fabricate)
(89) {meN-} + ajak (invite) = mengajak (invite)
(90) {meN-} + ambil (take) = mengambil (take)
(91) {meN-} + anggap (consider) = menganggap (consider)
(92) {meN-} + angkat (lift) = mengangkat (lift/raise)
(93) {meN-} + atur (arrange/manage) = mengatur (arrange/manage)
(94) {meN-} + elus (stroke) = mengelus (stroke/caress)
(95) {meN-} + kerjap (blink) = mengerjap (blink)
(96) {meN-} + ganggu (disturb) = mengganggu (disturb)
(97) {meN-} + gantung (hang) = menggantung (hang)
(98) {meN-} + gedor (bang/knock loudly) = menggedor (bang/knock loudly)
(99) {meN-} + geser (shift/move) = menggeser (shift/move)
(100) {meN-} + giring (herd/escort) = menggiring (herd/escort)
(101) {meN-} + hapus (erase) = menghapus (erase)
(102) {meN-} + hela (draw/breathe) = menghela (draw/take [a breath])
(103) {meN-} + hilang (disappear) = menghilang (disappear)
(104) {meN-} + ingat (remember) = mengingat (remember)
(105) {meN-} + ubah (change) = mengubah (change)
(106) {meN-} + urus (manage/take care of) = mengurus (manage/take care of)
(107) {meN-} + utak-atik (tinker) = mengutak-atik (tinker)

Data (88) through (107) are examples of verb-class base words, including ajak, elus, kerjap, ganggu, hapus, ingat, and ubah, yielding polymorphemic words mengajak, mengelus, mengerjap, mengganggu, menghapus, mengingat, and mengubah.

(108) {meN-} + nyanyi (sing) = menyanyi (sing)
(109) {meN-} + sentuh (touch) = menyentuh (touch)
(110) {meN-} + serah (surrender) = menyerah (surrender/give up)
(111) {meN-} + seret (drag) = menyeret (drag)
(112) {meN-} + seruak (break through/emerge) = menyeruak (break through/emerge)
(113) {meN-} + setel (set/adjust) = menyetel (set/adjust)
(114) {meN-} + siram (pour/splash) = menyiram (pour/splash)

Data (108) through (114) are examples of verb-class base words, including nyanyi and sentuh, yielding polymorphemic words: menyanyi and menyentuh.

(115) {meN-} + lapor (report) = melapor (report)
(116) {meN-} + latih (train) = melatih (train)
(117) {meN-} + ledak (explode) = meledak (explode)
(118) {meN-} + lempar (throw) = melempar (throw)
(119) {meN-} + lengos (turn away) = melengos (turn away/look away)
(120) {meN-} + lihat (see) = melihat (see)
(121) {meN-} + lirik (glance) = melirik (glance)
(122) {meN-} + lompat (jump) = melompat (jump)
(123) {meN-} + longo (gape) = melongo (gape/stare blankly)
(124) {meN-} + longok (peek) = melongok (peek)
(125) {meN-} + luncur (slide/glide) = meluncur (slide/glide)
(126) {meN-} + raih (reach/achieve) = meraih (reach/achieve)
(127) {meN-} + rangkak (crawl) = merangkak (crawl)
(128) {meN-} + ronta (struggle) = meronta (struggle/writhe)
(129) {meN-} + melas (plead/pity) = memelas (plead/beg)
(130) {meN-} + minum (drink) = meminum (drink)
(131) {meN-} + mohon (request/plead) = memohon (request/plead)

Data (115) through (131) are examples of verb-class base words, including lapor, raih, and minum, yielding polymorphemic words melapor, meraih, and meminum.

(132) {meN-} + cek (check) = mengecek (check)

Data (132) is an example of the verb-class base word cek, which, upon receiving the prefix {meN-}, yields the polymorphemic word mengecek.

4.1.3. Adjectival Base Words Bearing the Prefix {meN-}
In this category, the study identifies several base words belonging to the adjective class that receive the prefix {meN-}. The following presents the adjective base words and their morphological processes:

(133) {meN-} + baik (good/better) = membaik (improve/get better)
(134) {meN-} + belalak (wide-eyed stare) = membelalak (stare wide-eyed)
(135) {meN-} + bungkam (silent) = membungkam (silence/shut up)

Data (133) through (135) are examples of adjective-class base words, baik, belalak, and bungkam, yielding polymorphemic words: membaik, membelalak, and membungkam.

(136) {meN-} + tahan (hold/endure) = menahan (hold back/endure)
(137) {meN-} + dekat (near) = mendekat (approach/move closer)
(138) {meN-} + tegang (tense) = menegang (tense up/ become tense)
(139) {meN-} + timbang (weigh/consider) = menimbang (weigh/consider)

Data (136) through (139) are examples of adjective-class base words, tahan, dekat, tegang, and timbang, yielding polymorphemic words menahan, mendekat, menegang, and menimbang.

(140) {meN-} + lekat (adhere/close) = melekat (stick/adhere)
(141) {meN-} + lepas (release/let go) = melepas (release/let go)
(142) {meN-} + rendah (low) = merendah (lower oneself/become humble)

Data (140) through (142) are examples of adjective-class base words, lekat, lepas, and rendah, yielding polymorphemic words melekat, melepas, and merendah.

4.1.4. Adverbial Base Words Bearing the Prefix {meN-}
In this category, the study identifies two base words belonging to the adverb class that receive the prefix {meN-}.

(143) {meN-} + dadak (sudden) = mendadak (suddenly)
(144) {meN-} + terus (continue) = menerus (continue)

Data (143) and (144) are examples of adverb-class base words, dadak and terus, yielding polymorphemic words mendadak and menerus.

4.2. The Function of the Prefix {meN-} in Derived Word Formation in Chicklit Fiction on Wattpad
Following the morphological analysis of 144 base words across the noun, verb, adjective, and adverb categories, the study proceeds to classify the function of the prefix {meN-} after it is combined with base words of different categories. The prefix {meN-} may either change or preserve the word class of a base word. A base word that undergoes a category change after receiving {meN-} is characterized as derivational, while a base word that does not undergo a category change is characterized as inflectional.

4.2.1. The Prefix {meN-} as a Derivational Affix
In terms of function, the prefix {meN-} that combines with certain base words serves to change their word class. The changes that occur are: (1) noun to verb, (2) adjective to verb, and (3) adverb to verb.

4.2.1.1. Change from Noun to Verb
The following are examples of noun base words that undergo a change to verbs:

(33) {meN-} + sapu (sweep) = menyapu (sweep)

Data (33) contains the derived word menyapu (sweep). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + sapu. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word sapu was a noun meaning a household tool made from tied palm fiber and given a handle to clean dust, rubbish, etc.. However, the word sapu, which was given the prefix {meN-} to menyapu (sweep), experienced a change in word category from a noun to a verb.

(44) {meN-} + rokok (cigarette) = merokok (smoke)

Data (44) contains the derived word merokok (smoking): This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + rokok (cigarette). Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word rokok (cigarette) was a noun meaning a rolled-up piece of tobacco. However, the word rokok (cigarette), which was given the prefix {meN-} to become merokok (smoking), experienced a change in word category from a noun to a verb.

4.2.1.2. Change from Adjective to Verb
The following are examples of adjective base words that undergo changes to verbs:

(137) {meN-} + dekat (near) = mendekat (approach/move closer)
Data (137) contains the derived word mendekat (approaching). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + dekat (near). Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word dekat (near) was an adjective meaning short or not far (in terms of distance or between). However, the word dekat (near), which is given the prefix {meN-} to become mendekat (approaching), experiences a change in word category from an adjective to a verb.

(142) {meN-} + rendah (low) = merendah (lower oneself/become humble)

Data (142) contains the derived word merendah (humility). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + rendah, meaning low. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word “rendah” was an adjective meaning close to or not high. However, the word merendah (humble) changed its category from an adjective to a verb.

4.2.1.3. Change from Adverb to Verb
The following is an example of an adverb base word that undergoes a change to a verb.

(144) {meN-} + terus (continue) = menerus (continue)

Data (144) contains the derived word menerus (continuously). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + terus. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word terus was an adverb meaning going straight, continuing, never stopping, and many more. However, the word terus, which was given the prefix {meN-} became menerus (continuously), experiencing a change in word category from an adverb to a verb.

4.2.2. The Prefix {meN-} as an Inflectional Affix
In addition to changing the word class, the prefix {meN-} frequently preserves the word class of the base word. That is, a base word that receives the prefix {meN-} may retain the same category—an adverb remains an adverb, and a verb remains a verb.

4.2.2.1. Adverb Remains an Adverb
The study identifies one adverb base word that does not undergo a category change:

(143) {meN-} + dadak (sudden) = mendadak (suddenly)

Data (143) contains the derived word mendadak (suddenly). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + dadak. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word dadak was an adverb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, the word “dadak” did not experience a change in word category. This means that both “dadak” and mendadak (sudden) are adverbs that have a meaning that is unexpected (known and estimated) prior.

4.2.2.2. Verb Remains a Verb
The study identified many verb base words that do not undergo category change. Several examples are presented below.

(51) {meN-} + bawa (bring) = membawa (bring)

Data (51) contains the derived word membawa (to bring). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} to bawa. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, bawa was a verb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, bawa did not experience a change in word category. This means that bawa and membawa are verbs that mean holding or lifting something while walking or moving from one place to another.

(61) {meN-} + tatap (stare) = menatap (stare / gaze)

Data (61) contains the derived word menatap (to stare). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + tatap. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, tatap was a verb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, tatap did not experience a change in word category. This means that tatap and menatap are verbs that mean to see or pay attention to an object, usually at close range, carefully, and for a relatively long duration.

(101) {meN-} + hapus (erase) = menghapus (erase)

Data (101) contains the derived word menghapus (erase). This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + hapus. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, hapus was a verb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, the word hapus did not experience a change in word category. This means that the words hapus and menghapus are verbs that mean to eliminate, erase, or remove.

(111) {meN-} + seret (drag) = menyeret (drag)

Data (111) contains the derived word, menyeret. This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + seret. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word seret was a verb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, the word seret did not experience a change in its word category. This means that both seret and menyeret are verbs that mean to drag or pull something forward.

(122) {meN-} + lompat (jump) = melompat (jump)

Data (122) contains the derived word, melompat. This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + lompat: Before being given the prefix {meN-}, lompat was a verb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, lompat did not experience a change in word category. This means that the words lompat and melompat are verbs that mean to move by quickly lifting the leg forward (down, up) or to jump.

(132) {meN-} + cek (check) = mengecek (check)

Data (132) contains the derived word mengecek. This word is the result of the affixation of the prefix {meN-} + cek. Before being given the prefix {meN-}, the word cek was a verb. After being given the prefix {meN-}, the word cek did not experience a change in category. This means that the words cek and mengecek are verbs that mean to check whether (calculations, lists of numbers, news, etc.) are correct or to check something.

4.3. Grammatical Meanings of the Prefix {meN-} in Chicklit Fiction on Wattpad
Beyond form and function, this study classifies the words bearing the prefix {meN-} in “Warning: Physical Distancing!” by Kaggren, according to their grammatical meanings.

4.3.1. Expressing the Meaning of 'an Active Transitive Action'
First, words bearing the prefix {meN-} may express the meaning of an active, transitive action. A transitive verb is a verb that is accompanied (generally or in a specific context) by a noun phrase fulfilling the syntactic function of “object,” which typically indicates the goal of the verbal action (Carstairs-McCarthy, 2002). More specifically, transitive verbs require both a subject and an object (Lieber, 2009), meaning that such words are directly followed by an object in syntactic order. The following are examples of {meN-}-prefixed words expressing an active transitive meaning (with the object in bold):

(2) Sabrina used her towel to membungkus (wrap) her wet hair.
(4) Karen gripped both of Sabrina's arms so she could not mencakar (scratch) Jun.
(12) Sabrina menjambak (grabbed) the towel wrapping her hair.
(13) (...) tried to menjangkau (reach) Zane's body to wake him up.
(25) (...) said Sabrina again, while mengikat (tying) her hair and pressing a cotton pad (...).
(27) (...) mengisi (filling) the jacuzzi in her bathroom with hot water.
(31) She mengutuk (cursed) herself, and so on.
(36) She menyuruh (ordered) Sabrina to wake her up.
(48) Zane was still memakai (wearing) the same clothes as the day before.
(50) Anxiously, Sabrina opened and membaca (read) the messages, her brow furrowing as she did so.
(61) Sabrina menatap (gazed at) Karen after glancing at her PC screen.
(62) She was deliberating whether to mencari (look for) Zane first or not.
(64) Karen mencengkeram (gripped) both of Sabrina's arms so she could not scratch Jun.
(66) Then she mencopot (took off) her clothes and let them fall to the bedroom floor.
(67) Sabrina glared while mencubit (pinched) Karen's waist to stop her from laughing.
(71) Zane menekan (pressed) the stub of his third cigarette into the ashtray.
(76) He had menerima (accepted) them all based on their skills, not because they were friends or had connections.
(79) Sabrina fell to the floor laughing as the fluffy creature began menjilat-jilat (licking) her face.
(87) Zane suppressed a grin, menutup (closing) the door of his room.
(90) (...) she went to the kitchen to mengambil (fetch) two glasses of cold water.
(92) Sabrina sighed, mengangkat (lifting) her face lazily from the PC screen.
(94) Sabrina could only mengelus (rub/stroke) her chest in exasperation.
(98) She decided to menggedor (bang on) the door while continuing to call.
(99) Zane pulled a chair from Iis's cubicle, sat beside Sabrina, menggeser (shifted) the PC screen towards him, and took the mouse from her hand.
(100) Zane stood up to dispel the tension in the office, menggiring (herding) Iis out of the pantry.
(101) She did not care if her boss saw her menghapus (removing) her make-up.
(106) She did not realize that the tap was set to high pressure by the cleaning staff mengurus (managing) her apartment.
(109) Sabrina reflexively menyentuh (touched) Zane's thigh under the table as a cue for him to cooperate.
(111) Zane pulled a chair from Iis's cubicle, menyeret (dragging) it beside Sabrina.
(113) She put on her earphones and menyetel (played) a song, menyanyi (singing) as she pleased.
(114) Sabrina finally entered because she was sure nothing would work without menyiram (splashing) water on her boss's face.
(116) She had not even had time to melatih (train) Milo not to jump on the table.
(118) Rachel quickly nodded and walked briskly to her room, still managing to melempar (throw) a sarcastic smile at Karen.
(120) He could still melihat (see) Sabrina.
(121) Sabrina melirik (glanced at) the watch on Zane's wrist.
(126) She sipped her still-hot coffee and then meraih (reached for) her phone.
(130) There was no way she could meminum (take) a sleeping pill at a time like this.
(135) Zane unconsciously membungkam (silenced) himself.
(141) Zane went back into his room, melepas (taking off) his jacket, and then went to the bathroom to wash his face.

Based on the data above, {meN-} prefixed words expressing an active transitive meaning are followed by nouns referring to human beings and body parts, inanimate objects (household items, clothing, etc.), and animals.

4.3.2. Expressing the Meaning of 'Becoming or Indicating a Process'
Second, words bearing the prefix {meN-} may express the meaning of 'becoming' or indicate a process—that is, they can indicate the impact or change undergone by the subject or the process the subject experiences. Examples include:

(41) Sabrina shook her muscular arm, suppressing the hair on her arms that suddenly began meremang (to stand on end).
(133) Twenty minutes of soaking was enough to make Sabrina's mood membaik (improve).

Based on data (41) and (133), the words meremang and membaik describe a process. The word meremang in data (41) shows that there is a process of fine hair standing on Sabrina's body when she wakes Zane. In addition, the word membaik in the data (133) also shows that there is a process of increasing or improving Sabrina's mood or state of mind.

4.3.3. Expressing the Meaning of 'Making'
Third, words bearing the prefix {meN-} may express the meaning of 'making', that is, creating or causing a particular state. Examples include:

(2) Sabrina grabbed the towel and membungkus (making/wrapping) her hair.
(4) Karen grips both arms of Sabrina so she cannot mencakar (make Jun unable to be scratched) Jun.
(99) Zane shifted the PC screen, menggeser (making it shift), so that it faced him.
(101) She did not care if her boss saw her menghapus (making the make-up removed) make-up.
(105) Sabrina mengubah (made) the position of her head so that it faced away from Zane.
(111) Karen also began menyeret-nyeret (drag) her chair closer.
(135) Zane unconsciously membungkam (made silent) his mouth fall silent.

The seven data points above have the same meaning, namely, the meaning of 'making.’ First, the word membungkus in data (2) followed by the object “hair” means to wrap Sabrina's hair. Second, the word mencakar in data (4) which begins with the lingual form tidak (cannot) and is followed by the object “Jun” means to make Jun unable to be scratched. Third, the word menggeser in data (99) followed by the object “PC screen” means to move the PC screen or change its appearance. This also applies to (1) the word menghapus which means to remove make-up, (2) the word mengubah which means to change the position of Sabrina's head, (3) the word menyeret-nyeret (drag) which means to drag or pull her chair so that its position becomes close, and (4) the word membungkam, which means to make Zane's mouth silent or tightly closed.

4.3.4. Expressing the Meaning of 'Uttering'
Fourth, words bearing the prefix {meN-} may express the meaning of 'uttering'—that is, producing or delivering utterance. Examples include:

(1) Sabrina did not membantah (protest); she quickly pulled a stool for Zane to sit.
(30) Zane complied without mengucap (uttering) a single word.
(31) Stupid! She mengutuk (cursed) herself and then tried to calm down.
(32) “Yes?” Sabrina menyahut (responded), sounding oddly awkward.
(35) “Apologise to Jun!” Karen shouted, drowning out Sabrina's menyumpah-nyumpah (cursing).
(50) Anxiously, Sabrina opened and membaca (read aloud) the messages, her brow furrowing as she did so.

First, the word “membantah” in data (1) refers to an utterance used to deny, whether in the form of an opinion, news, or other. Second, the word “mengucap” in data (30) certainly means to utter an utterance. However, seen from the context of the sentence, the word “mengucap” is preceded by the adverb “tanpa” which means “not with.” This means that the word “mengucap” in data (30) in the context of the sentence means not to utter an utterance. Third, the word “mengutuk” in data (31) means to curse or swear. Fourth, the word “menyahuti” in Data (32) means to answer or reply. Fifth, the word “menyumpah-nyumpah” which is reduplicated in data (35), means to utter dirty words (curses and so on) or to curse. Finally, the word “membaca” in data (50) means to spell or pronounce what is written or to say it. Of these six words, all have the same meaning, namely “to say.”

4.3.5. Expressing the Meaning of 'Producing a Sound'
Fifth, words bearing the prefix {meN-} may express the meaning of producing a sound. Examples include:

(5) “Your head is flat!” Zane mendengus (snorted) and walked straight towards the stairs.
(6) Sabrina mendesah (sighed), lifting her face lazily from the PC screen.
(22) Milo menggonggong (barked), and she ignored it and headed to the bathroom.
(102) Karen menghela (drew) her breath. “You're late.”
(108) She put on her earphones and played a song, menyanyi (singing) as she liked.

First, the word mendengus means an imitation of the sound of forceful exhalation. Second, the word mendesah means forceful exhalation to relieve annoyance. Third, the word menggongong means an imitation of the sound that a dog makes. Fourth, the word menghela followed by the word breath means inhaling air when breathing or exhaling. In the context of the sentence, the phrase menghela nafas indicates a feeling of tiredness and annoyance at seeing a colleague arrive late. Finally, menyanyi means to make a pitched sound. Based on these five data, it can be seen that mendengus, mendesah, menggonggong, menghela, and menyanyi have the same meaning, namely, to make a sound.

4.3.6. Expressing the Meaning of 'Giving'
Sixth, words bearing the prefix {meN-} may express the meaning of '’ giving, that is, they convey giving rather than doing. Examples include:

(14) “Proposal, marriage ceremony, to the reception, we'll handle everything.” Zane menjawab (gave an answer) calmly:
(28) “Mal, is not your graduation this month? The 28th, right?” Jun mengonfirmasi (gave a confirmation).
(32) “Because they're no fun.” Timothy menyahut (gave a response) casually.
(36) She menyuruh (gave a command to) Sabrina to wake her up.
(37) Sabrina tried to mensugesti [correctly: menyugesti] (give a suggestion to herself).
(63) Zane immediately mencekal (gripped) her wrist and laughed.
(64) Karen mencengkeram (seized) both of Sabrina's arms so she could not scratch Jun.
(67) Sabrina mencubit (pinched) Karen's waist to stop her from laughing.
(73) Karen menendang (kicked) Jun's backside so that he would go back to his cubicle.
(79) Sabrina fell laughing as the cat began to menjilat-jilat (lick) her face.
(91) She should have menganggap (assumed) that not all potential clients were technologically literate.
(109) Sabrina reflexively menyentuh (touched) Zane's thigh as a cue for cooperation.
(114) She was sure nothing would work without menyiram (splashing) water on her boss's face.
(115) “The venue is one hundred percent ready.” Jun melapor (gave a report) sulkily.
(116) She had not even had time to melatih (give training to) Milo.

The prefix {meN-} attached to a number of basic words does not mean to do, but rather to give. First, the prefix {meN} in menjawab means to answer. Second, the prefix {meN} in the word mengonfirmasi means to provide confirmation. Third, the prefix {meN} in the word menyahut means to respond. Fourth, the prefix {meN} in the word menyuruh means to give an order or a command. Fifth, the prefix {meN} in the word mensugesti (which is correctly menyugesti) means to give a suggestion. This also applies to data points (67), (73), (79), (91), (109), (114), (115), and (116).
Based on Findings 1–3, this study shares several results with those of Saputra et al. (2022). Both studies demonstrate that base words categorized as nouns, adjectives, and verbs frequently appear in narrative texts. A notable difference, however, is that this study identifies adverb-class base words combined with the prefix {meN-}, whereas Saputra et al. (2022) find nominal-class base words but not adverb-class ones. In terms of function, both studies confirm that the prefix {meN-} performs derivational and inflectional functions. Regarding grammatical meaning, this study identifies fewer meanings than Saputra et al. (2022): six in total, (1) active transitive action, (2) becoming or indicating a process, (3) making, (4) uttering, (5) producing a sound, and (6) giving, compared to eleven meanings reported by Saputra et al. (2022) for the short story collection Kupu-kupu Banda Mua.
In contrast to Saputra et al. (2022), Naschah et al. (2020) focused on language error analysis in Covid-19 news texts in the online mass media CNN Indonesia, and thus differs significantly in analytical focus. Similarly, Saputri (2020) focused on language errors in the oral speech of President Joko Widodo, covering not only morphological errors but also errors at the level of sentence structure and standard versus non-standard vocabulary.
Nugraha (2024) shows that the Indonesian prefix {meN-} is highly productive in predicative constructions and predominantly forms verbal constructions, which supports this study’s finding that many {meN-} prefixed forms in Wattpad fiction function as verbs. Tjia (2015) also emphasizes that {meN-} is closely related to grammatical relations and verbal categories, confirming that the function and meaning of {meN-} must be interpreted through sentence context. In digital and bilingual language use, Fadillah et al. (2021) demonstrate that {meN-} may attach to English bases, indicating the flexibility of Indonesian affixation beyond conventional native bases. Denistia (2018) further discusses Indonesian prefix allomorphy and affix substitution. This studies support the conclusion that {meN-} functions productively as both a derivational and an inflectional marker whose grammatical meaning depends on the base category and syntactic environment.

Three principal conclusions were drawn. First, the prefix {meN-} can be combined with base words belonging to the noun, adjective, verb, and adverb categories in the language. Second, the prefix {meN-} does not always serve the same function, even when the morphological process is identical in both languages. In essence, {meN-} can both change and preserve the word class of the base. Third, the prefix {meN-} does not always carry the same grammatical meaning in different contexts. That is, grammatical meaning is closely tied to the functional role of each constituent in the sentence structure.
This study is limited to the first ten chapters. The researcher acknowledges that shortcomings remain and does not intend for these findings to be generalised to the entire use of the prefix {meN-} in “Warning: Physical Distancing!” by Kaggren. Nevertheless, based on a reading of the complete story, the data collected are considered representative of the use of {meN-} and its allomorphs: me-, mem-, meN-, meng-, meny-, and menge-. Future research should encompass a greater number of chapters, as 10 out of 84 chapters represent less than half of the full story.