pengecapan

Pengecapan is a term used in Malay to refer to the act of pronouncing or enunciating words, i.e., pronunciation or articulation. It encompasses how speech sounds are produced, including the articulation of vowels and consonants, as well as prosodic features such as intonation, stress, and rhythm.

Etymology and usage details indicate that pengecapan is formed from the verb ucap, meaning to say or utter, with the agentive prefix pen-. The related form pengucapan is more common in contemporary usage, and pengecapan may appear as a variant or in older texts and some regional varieties. In Indonesian, the more standard terms for pronunciation are pelafalan or pengucapan, with pengecapan appearing less frequently.

In practice, pengecapan is encountered primarily in linguistic, educational, or formal contexts where articulation and correct pronunciation are discussed or taught. It is often contrasted with other related concepts such as ejaan (spelling) and fonetik (phonetics), since pronunciation concerns how words are spoken rather than how they are written.

Overall, pengecapan is closely aligned with the broader concept of pronunciation or articulation in language study, though in modern Malay it is generally superseded by pengucapan. Depending on regional usage and historical text, pengecapan may still be found as a variant form.

See also: pengucapan, ucapan, ejaan, fonetik, pelafalan.