THE SOUND CHANGE OF THE WAKATOBI LANGUAGE

This study aims at investigating the sound change of Wakatobi Language. Wakatobi is a language used in Wakatobi Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The data collecting was done through interviewing method. Interview was carried out by visiting all of the research locations and did the interview through the question lists provided. The Interview was done by using noting and recording techniques. It was analyzed synchronically using apportioned and interlingua equal methods. There two kinds of phonological processes of Wakatobi language investigated in this paper, namely assimilation and the structure of syllable. The assimilation process of Wakatobi occurs mostly on vowels, particularly for vowel harmony. Besides, it includes progressive and regressive assimilation. Based on structure of syllable, this paper only focuses on addition and lossing of segment. Based on the data, the addition of segment covers 1) addition of vowel, particularly for vowel [a], 2) addition of glottal [?], and 3) addition of semi-vowel [?,y]. Subdialects of Wakatobi language have three kinds of lossing og segment, namely (1) lossing of vowel, (2) lossing of consonant, and (3) lossing of syllable. Lossing of vowel covers lossing of vowels /i, ?, a/. Lossing of consonant can be divided into four parts, namely (1) lossing of plossive, (2) losing of trill, (3) lossing of fricative, and (4) lossing of semivowel. Last, lossing of syllable can be occurs in all possition either in the preantepenultimate, antepnultimate, penultimate, or ultimate.