Morphology

Numerals
• Synchronically
– based on a decimal system of the parent language
– a separate word for each of the first ten numbers
– a new word is introduced when one hundred and one
thousand are reached
•Diachronically
– reconstructed forms of Proto-Austronesian numerals:
isa?/esa? ‘1’ lima? ‘5’ siwa? ‘9’
dewsa ‘2’ eneme ‘6’ puluque ‘10’
telu ‘3’ pitu? ‘7’ ratus ‘100’
xepate ‘4’ walu? ‘8’ ribu ‘1000’
Personal pronouns
• the paradigm is organized according to person, number, and case
• distinction between the singular and plural numbers, and distinct forms
for the nominative, possessive, and oblique cases.
• reconstructed paradigm of the original personal pronominal system of
the Proto-Austronesian parent language:
–Plu. Nom kita? ‘we’(inc) kamú ‘you’ sida ‘they’
kami? ‘we’(exc)
Poss mi ‘our’(inc) ?ixu ‘yours’ da ‘their’
ta ‘our’(exc)

Demonstrative pronouns
• many of the Phil. Languages have distinct forms for the following sets:
– Near speaker and away from hearer: e.g., itó ‘this’ (Tag), kiri (Seb)
– Near hearer but far from speaker: e.g., iyán ‘that’ (Tag), kanáq (Seb)
– Far from both speaker and hearer: e.g., iyón ‘over there’ (Tag), kádtu
(Seb)
• in some of the Bisayan and central Phil. Languages, a fourth set of
pronouns is used:
– Near both speaker and hearer: e.g., kiní ‘this’ (Seb)
Verbs
• the verb systems of the Phil. languages reflect
characteristically Austronesian way of marking verb forms for
aspect (kind of action) rather than tenses (time when the action
takes place).
• Philippine languages have a four-way distinction of focus which
call the hearer’s attention to the central point being made by a
statement.
– actor, goal, location, and instrument
• the central Phil. Languages make a four-way distinction of verb
forms as follows:
MOOD Nonfinite Finite
ASPECT Imp. Perfect Future
• there is a two-way distinction of moods:
– Nonfinite: for commands, requests, and as complements of
verbs of desiring, wishing, intending, promising.
– Finite: for statements