Proto-Philippine language

The Proto-Philippine language is the reconstructed ancestral proto-language of the Philippine languages, a proposed subgroup of the Austronesian languages which includes all languages of the Philippines (except for the Sama–Bajaw languages) as well as the languages of the northern part of Sulawesi, Indonesia.[1][2][3][4]

Proto-Philippine is not directly attested to in any written work, but linguistic reconstruction by the comparative method has found regular similarities among languages that cannot be explained by coincidence or word-borrowing. Ancient forms of roots and words have been extrapolated from the similarities.

Proto-Philippine originated from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and ultimately from Proto-Austronesian.

Phonology

Consonant Phonemes of Proto-Philippine
Labial Dental/
Alveolar		 Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal *m *n *ɲ (?) *ŋ
Stop *p *b *t *d *j *k *ɡ *q
Fricative *s *R *h
Trill *r
Approximant *l *y [j] *w

The proto-phonemes *j and *R are not preserved as such in any Philippine language: *j became either *g or *d (e.g. *púsəj became Ilocano púsəg, Tagalog púsod), whereas *R shifted to *r (e.g. in Ilocano), *l (e.g. in Pangasinan), *g (e.g. in Tagalog) or *y (e.g. in Kapampangan).[1][4]

Vowel Phonemes of Proto-Philippine/Austronesian
Height Front Central Back
Close *i *u
Mid *ə
Open *a

The diphthongs are *ay, *aw, *uy, and *iw.

The proto-phoneme *ə was retained in many Philippine languages, especially in the northern and southern descendants of Proto-Philippine (e.g. in Ilokano, Pangasinan, Ibanag, Maranao, Maguindanao), and also in some peripheral lects in the central area (e.g. Rinconada Bikol, Kinaray-a Visayan, Palawano). In most Visayan and Bikol varieties, *ə merged with *u, whereas in Tagalog, *ə merged with *i (*u in certain environments).

Sample words

Here are some words from Proto-Philippine:

Proto-PhilippineTagalogIlokano
*ásuásoasodog
*baláybáhaybalayhouse
*bábuybáboybaboypig
*baqRubágobaronew
*báibabáebabaiwoman/female
*dəkətdikítdekketadhesive/stick
*dáRaq
*duRúq
dugô		dara
 		blood
*hajəkhalíkagekkiss
*ŋájanpangálannaganname
*danúm
*túbiR
túbig		danom
 		water
*laŋúylangóylangoyswim
*táutáotaohuman

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Llamzon, Teodoro A. "Proto-Philippine Phonology." In: Archipel, volume 9, 1975. pp. 29-42.
  2. ↑ Charles, Mathew (1974). "Problems in the Reconstruction of Proto-Philippine Phonology and the Subgrouping of the Philippine Languages". Oceanic Linguistics. 13 (1/2): 457–509. doi:10.2307/3622751. JSTOR 3622751.
  3. ↑ Zorc, R.D. (1986). "The genetic relationships of Philippine languages." In Geraghty, P., Carrington, L. and Wurm, S.A. editors, FOCAL II: Papers from the Fourth International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics. C-94:147-173. Pacific Linguistics, The Australian National University, 1986.
  4. 1 2 Blust, Robert (1991). "The Greater Central Philippines hypothesis". Oceanic Linguistics. 30 (2): 73–129. doi:10.2307/3623084. JSTOR 3623084.

Further reading

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