Kreativitas Morfologis dalam Pembentukan Akronim Bahasa Indonesia Ragam Tidak Formal di YouTube Morphological Creativity in Acronym Formation in Informal Indonesian on YouTube

Abstract

The development of language in digital media has encouraged the emergence of increasingly diverse acronym usage. However, studies specifically explaining morphological creativity in the formation of Indonesian acronyms in informal language on YouTube remain limited. This study aimed to describe and analyze the forms and processes of morphological creativity in acronym formation in informal speech on YouTube. The study employed a qualitative approach with a descriptive-linguistic design. The research data comprised 60 instances of acronym usage purposively selected from the Refly Harun, Total Politik, and Rocky Gerung Official channels. The data were collected through listening and note-taking techniques and subsequently analyzed through the stages of inventory, identification, classification, interpretation, validation, and conclusion drawing. The results identified eight formal variations and 14 acronym-formation processes. Acronyms consisting of six letters, with one uppercase letter and five lowercase letters, were the most dominant form, accounting for 19 instances (31.67%), while retaining the initial element of each component was the most frequently identified formation process, accounting for 26 instances (43.33%). These findings indicate that creative acronym formation in informal Indonesian occurs through the flexible retention, deletion, and combination of elements. This study contributes to expanding research on the morphological productivity of Indonesian in digital spaces and strengthening the understanding of word-formation dynamics in informal communication. Future research should broaden data sources across platforms to examine the productivity and continuity of these acronym-formation patterns.