Morphosyntactic Analysis on the Toponyms in Banda Hilir, Melaka

Toponymy is the study of place names. It studies the origins, linguistic forms, and historical background of a place. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Banda Hilir in Melaka has a long history that shapes its place names. Toponyms in Banda Hilir do more than simply identify geographical locations. Therefore, a study is conducted to (i) identify the morphological typology of toponyms in Banda Hilir, Melaka and (ii) to analyse the syntactic patterns within these toponyms. The study analyses 629 unique toponyms collected and documented through photographic fieldwork in Banda Hilir, Melaka. A descriptive qualitative-quantitative content analysis is used to examined the dataset. The analysis focuses on grammatical levels: morphology and syntax structure. Findings from morphological analysis show that compound words dominate the naming of places in Banda Hilir, Melaka with 485 entries (77.11%). It is followed by single-word toponyms that represent 98 entries (15.58%) while derived forms account for 46 entries (7.31%) of the data collected. The findings also reveal that there is a clear polarisation of noun phrases between the retention of Malay grammatical ordering and foreign influences in naming places in Banda Hilir, Melaka. The Head-Modifier pattern, known as Hukum D-M in Malay, form an absolute majority with 412 entries (65.50%) and is strictly retained in official top-down toponyms to assert the sovereignty of the national language and geopolitical legitimacy. On the contrary, the inversion pattern is found in 217 entries (34.50%) of the toponyms particularly in colonial heritage sites and commercial premises. The findings show that toponyms in Banda Hilir reflect layers of colonial interaction, commercial activity and local linguistic practices. Findings also show that several names display hybrid structures.

toponym, morphological typologies, syntactic structure, Hukum D-M, Banda Hilir.

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