The Writing Debate: 'Mempesona' vs 'Memesona'

The misspelling 'mempesona' is phonologically very easy to understand. Indonesian speakers intuitively sense that the prefix meN- when meeting the consonant /p/ produces a nasal /m/ sound, so they logically write 'mem-' before the intact base word 'pesona'. Analogical patterns such as 'mem-baca' (to read), 'mem-buat' (to make), or 'mem-bantu' (to help) reinforce this tendency. However, the nasalization rule of Indonesian requires the elision of the initial consonant /p/ upon attachment of the meN- prefix, producing 'memesona' and not 'mempesona'. Unfamiliarity with this elision rule, compounded by the dominance of the incorrect form in social media and everyday writing, makes the variant 'mempesona' feel more 'correct' to many speakers.

The word 'memesona' derives from the base word 'pesona', borrowed from Sanskrit 'prasanna' (meaning clear, pleasing, or enchanting). It entered the Malay-Indonesian lexicon to describe a captivating charm or power that attracts the heart. Its formation follows the morphological rules of Indonesian, specifically the addition of the prefix meN- to the base word 'pesona'. Because 'pesona' begins with the consonant phoneme /p/, the rule of nasalization requires that the /p/ is absorbed (elided) and replaced by the nasal /m/, yielding 'me-m(p)esona' → 'memesona', not 'mempesona'.

The word 'memesona' frequently appears in literary, entertainment journalism, and everyday conversational contexts to praise someone's appearance, performance, or personality. Due to its high frequency of use across social media, blogs, and digital platforms, the non-standard form 'mempesona' has become statistically far more dominant than the standard one. This phenomenon reflects a classic sociolinguistic tension between codification norms (what is prescribed as standard) and usage norms (what is actually used by the community). For some, using 'memesona' even sounds awkward or hypercorrective, when in fact it is the only form consistent with the governing rules of Indonesian grammar.