The Archaic Forms of the Kamang Hilir Isolect of the Minangkabau Language

This research describes archaic forms of the Kamang Hilir isolect of the Minangkabau language. These are forms no longer in current use but still recognized by some speakers. An inventory will preserve these forms for future studies of culture and history, preventing them from becoming lost to prosperity. The research uses observational and interview methods. The observations used discrete microphones to record oral exchanges in daily life in the Kamang Hilir district. Interviews were conducted with native speakers of the isolect. The data obtained were transcribed orthographically. A comparison was made between the forms that were recorded from spontaneous conversation and the forms elicited from the interviews to determine which forms could be considered archaic. The results found a number of archaic forms. Forms had become archaic because the object or concept was no longer used or because the form had been replaced by one from another dialect or language (with or without modification to isolect phonological rules). The development from the archaic forms into contemporary ones can be either a one or two-step process.