Comparative Phonology Paper

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
ON THE PHONOLOGY OF
TAGALOG, CEBUANO AND ITAWIS
ABIGAIL A. BOLLAS
LINGUISTICS 165
AUGUST 2013
PROF. VIVECA HERNANDEZ
List of abbreviations and symbols used

adj
adjective
ex
exclusive
interj.
interjection
in
inclusive
noun
vs.
versus
BOLLAS
1.0 Introduction
Delahunty and Garvey (2010) define phonology as [one that] concerns itself with
the ways in which languages make use of sounds to distinguish words from each other.
Phonology, according to Forel and Pusks (1986), gives gives us insight into how the
human mind works. Briefly, phonology is the study of the relations of sounds in a system
(language), how their relationship with each other produce contrasts or similarities in words.
1.1 Statement of the topic
This paper aims to provide a comparative analysis of the phonology of three languages
in the Philippines (in this paper Tagalog, Cebuano and Itawis). It aims to present the brief
phonology of each language and provide a conclusion which presents the similarities and
differences of the three languages.
1.2 Methodology
Data gathering is essential in this work and to do this, the 500 word list (Swadesh list)
is accomplished by the informants of Cebuano and Itawis (Tagalog is not included since the
writer is a native speaker of the language herself). Also, one-on-one correspondence is done
with the informants for further questions unanswerable by the 500 word list. Since the list does
not encompass all the data needed for this work, referencing was also done with the previous
works in each respective language.
1.3 Scope and Limitations
This paper provides a short introduction on each featured language, their phonemic
inventories, contrastive pairs, and a short presentation of their phonotactics. After presenting all
the three featured languages, their similarities and differences will be presented in the
conclusion part.
However, although this paper aims to provide a sufficient collection and analysis of data
for the phonology of each language, it was not able to do so since it lacked in examples and
minimal pairs which depended solely on the data. Unfortunately, although the informants have
been generous enough to provide all these (since they too are busy with their respective
businesses), the data still lacks a lot which if provided for, will help improve the quality of this
paper.
BOLLAS
1.4 Review of Related Literature

There are many reference materials available for Tagalog, but it is wise to choose the
updated ones since Tagalog is a well-documented language and using not updated works will
simply provide room for more mistakes. Reid and Schachters Tagalog chapter in the second
edition of the book The Worlds Major Languages (2009) provides an updated and summarized
presentation of the phonology and orthography of Tagalog. It also includes a brief discussion of
Tagalogs syntax and morphology and a brief but comprehensive history of how the language
acquired some of its sounds. Reid and Schachters work maybe not that lengthy but it sure did
explain the important notes one needs to know about Tagalog.
Cebuano is also a well-documented language but most of its published references are
quite out-of-date. Again, to promote updated linguistic work, I have chosen Rubricos Cebuano
Grammar Notes. Although it has no available date, since it is published online, I chose to refer
to it. Rubricos work is very short yet it can give the reader a comprehensive glimpse of the
Cebuano language. It also provides good sets of examples for the morphophonemic processes
of Cebuano. What the work lacks is proper transcription of examples and also, abundance of
examples themselves. It must also be noted that Bunye and Yap (1971) also have their own
Cebuano Grammar Notes. It contains detailed and well-presented examples on Cebuano

phonology especially on minimal pairs. It also includes Cebuano phonotactics and
morphophonemic process found in Cebuano. Nelsons An Introduction to Cebuano (1964)

provides a good introduction on what is the Cebuano language and where it can be found. He
described Cebuanos phonology and orthography in an extensive way.
While the first two languages seem to have a lot of materials, Itawis is left with very
few. The only credible reference I saw was Jalotjots masters thesis Diskripsyon ng Klos na
Verbal ng Wikang Itawit (1937). This is obviously out-of-date but was still able to provide
examples for minimal pairs that the data lacked. This work is mainly focused on the verbs of
Itawis and it is quite lucky that the author provided a short description of Itawis phonology and
morphology.
BOLLAS
2.0 Phonology of the Philippine languages Tagalog, Cebuano and Itawis

2.1 Tagalog
(Tagalog-Bulacan [Obando])
2.1.1 Introduction
The Tagalog language is a very wide-encompassing language in Central Luzon. Tagalog
is also where Filipino is first based on. In the year 2000, the Tagalog speakers in the
Philippines reached a number of 21, 500, 000 (Lewis, Simon, & Fennigs, 2013). In the year
2007, Tagalog ranked 58th in the 100 Most Spoken Languages in the World (Matos, 2009).
According to the Ethnologue, it is commonly spoken in Manila, most of Luzon and
Mindoro. It also has 9 dialects: Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Lubang, Manila, Marinduque, Puray,
Tanay-Paete, Tayabas (Lewis, Simon, & Fennigs, 2013). In the Ethnologue, they also classified
Tagalog as an Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Philippine, Greater Central Philippine, Central
Philippine language. In this paper, the dialect of Tagalog used is that of Bulacan (Obando).
2.1.2 Phoneme Inventory

The Tagalog language has 25 phonemes: 23 segmental phonemes and 2 suprasegmentals
(i.e. stress // at vowel length //). The 23 segmental phonemes are made up of 18 consonants
and 5 vowels.
2.1.2.1 Segmentals
2.1.2.1.1 Consonants
This inventory is updated based on the data. It can be noticed that // and // are the
additions to this inventory. These two phonemes probably came from the palatalized versions
of the phonemes /t/ and /d/ (ts, ty, and dy).
Table 1 - Consonants
Stops
Nasal
Bilabial
Alveolar
alveolar
Glottal
g
Lateral
Trill
Velar
k
Affricate
Glide
Alveopalatal
Fricative
Post-
l
w
BOLLAS
p /paa/
foot
/lkd/
back
s /saa/
branch
b /bagaj/
thing
/rrk/
peak
h /han/
wind
d /dahas/
k /kahj/
violence
wood
n /namn/
g /gamt/
medicine
w /wakas/
/ta/
human
m /maga/
Phonemic contrasts:
A. /t/ vs. /d/
1. tla
dla
2. tla
/ajn/
mango
/ataj/
liver
our (ex)
/an/
rattan
tummy
end
/an/
there
now
/jantk/
stop (rain)
tongue
poem
dla stage play
B. /p/ vs. /b/

1. pasa
basa
2. pala
bala
bruise
wet (adj)
expression for thought so
bullet
C. /g/ vs. /k/
1. kamt
scratch (something itchy) (n)
gamt
medicine
gahl
hassle (n)
2. kahl
bark (of a dog) (n)
D. /m/ vs. /n/

1. mana
inheritance
2. sama
to go with
nana
pus
sana
wishing
E. /l/ vs. /r/
1. bal
widow
bar
clothes
2. pala
para
shovel
F. Glottal stop //
1. basa
basa
stop (spoken when getting off a jeepney)
read
wet
BOLLAS
G. Glides (/w/ vs. /j/)

1. hnaw
rinse
hnaj
slowly
2. araw
sun/ day
araj
interj. for something painful (ouch)
2.1.2.1.2 Vowels (Figure 1)
dog
cry (n)
/bas/
a /as/
grape
/jak/
/pal/
one who always intrudes
/s/
bear
a
Phonemic contrasts
A. // vs. //
1. msa
B. // vs. //
table
msa
1. tj
mass
soy sauce
tj
dried fish
2. tr
bull
tr
teaching (n)
2.1.2.1.3 Diphthongs (Figure 2)
w
j
2.1.2.2 Suprasegmentals
A. Stress
1. pt
pt
seven
whistle (n)
/bahaj/
house
/gj/
cradle (n)
aw /laaw/
aj aw
aj
/badj/
not trendy
w /paksiw/
j
/rjna/
fly (insect)
viand cooked with vinegar
queen
B. Vowel length
1. as
as
dog
smoke
BOLLAS
2.1.3 Phonotactics of Tagalog

Onset
Coda
Medial
1. /p/
/pas/
scald
/spsp/
suck
/sapt/
nearing
thing
/dbdb/
chest
/ban/
white hair
/bakit/
why
/tak/
brain
leaf
/hadhad/
jock itch
/apd/
wood
/mank/
chicken
/lkd/
back
dry
2. /b/
/bagaj/
3. /t/
/talon/
waterfall/ jump
4. /d/
/dahn/
gall bladder
5. /k/
/kahj/
6. /g/
/galit/
anger
/basag/
broken
/tiga/
/param/
param
/amn/
7. /m/
/mank/
chicken
our
8. /n/
/natn/
our (in)
/ajn/
now
/snat/
small fever
now
/a/
(determiner)
/paa/
jaw
back
/datal/
queen
/pntr/
ray
9. //
/ajn/
10. /l/
/lkd/
arrival
/blag/
blind
painter
/hram/
borrowed
/ps/
cockroach
/sp/
mind
/araw/
sun/ day
11. /r/
/rjna/
12./s/
/snag/
13. /w/
/wakas/
end
/bawa/
garlic
14. /j/
/jamot/
irritation
/tlaj/
bridge
/ajn/
now
15. //
/aso/
dog
/baba/
chin
/pagbg/
love
16. /h/
/han/ wind
/baha/
flood
/paj/
Chinese cabbage
20. //
/an/
belly
21. //
BOLLAS
/an/
there
/a/
judge
/bat/
budget
Consonant Clusters
These consonant clusters found in Tagalog usually originated from borrowed words
from Spanish and English. Some clusters are results of deletion and palatalization in some
words and this phenomenon is usually seen in native words (Reid & Schachter, 2009).
Examples:
Assumed native consonant clusters

C1
C2
b1
w, j
/bwan/ moon/month; /bjrns/ Friday
d2
/djan/ there
/sja/ he/she
1
2
3
Examples
from /bwan/ (deletion of //); deletion of // in /bjrns/
may also be the phoneme ; also from /djan/ (deletion of //)

may also be the phoneme ; also from /sja/ (deletion of //)
Borrowed consonant clusters:

C1
1
2
3
C2
Examples
l, r
/blk/ block; /bras/ arm
l, r, w
/plat/ plate; /praksa/ franchise; /pwst/1 position
/trak/ truck
/drajbr/ driver
l, r, w
/klas/ class; /kwag/2 owl
l, r, j
/glamrs/ glamorous; /grab/ excessive; /gjra/3 war
from /pwst/ (deletion of //)

from /kwag/ (deletion of //)
from /gjra/ (deletion of //)
Syllable structures
1. CV (aso, paso)
4. CCVC (kwento)
2. CVC (pagkain)
5. CCCVC (straktura)
3. CCV (kweba)
BOLLAS
2.2 Cebuano
(Binisaya/ Bisayan/ Sebuano/ Sugbuanon/ Sugbuhanon/ Visayan)
2.2.1 Introduction
The Cebuano language is spoken across the Philippines because of the number of its
speakers and because of trade especially in todays world where technology makes things easier
and travel much convenient. In 2007, Cebuano speakers in the Philippines reached a number of
15, 800, 000 (Lewis, Simon, & Fennigs, 2013). In the year 2007, Tagalog ranked 68th in the
100 Most Spoken Languages in the World (Matos, 2009).
In the Ethnologue, they also classified Tagalog as an Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian,
Philippine, Greater Central Philippine, Central Philippine, Bisayan language (Lewis, Simon, &
Fennigs, 2013). Although Cebuano is quite rampant all over the country, it still has its major
places where it is spoken and these are in Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte, Biliran, south Masbate
provinces, and also in some parts of Mindanao. In each of these places, dialects have emerged
so now, there are many dialects of Cebuano all over the country. Some are Boholano, Cebu
(Standard Cebuano), Leyte (Kana), and Mindanao Visayan (Bisaya) like the one used in this
paper which from Iligan City and Ozamis City.
The Cebuano language has 21 phonemes: 19 segmental phonemes and 2
suprasegmentals (i.e. stress // at vowel length //). The 19 segmental phonemes are made up of
16 consonants and 3 vowels.
2.2.2.1 Segmentals
of the phonemes /t/ and /d/ (ts, ty, and dy).
Table 2 Consonants
Stops
Nasal
Bilabial
Alveolar
alveolar
Glottal
g
Lateral
Trill
Velar
k
Affricate
Glide
Alveopalatal
Fricative
Post-
l
w
BOLLAS
10
p /psk/
to shower
/lag/
loose
s /sk/
anger
b /balas/
sand
/bra/
pull
h /hat/
/tm/
sharpness
black
d /dat/
rotten
n /nps/
/pn/
thin
tooth
/a/
weak
sneeze
w /wal/
eight
/s/
ten
/tambal/ medicine
k /kahj/
wood
g /gamt/ medicine
m /mabaw/
shallow
/hnaj/
Phonemic contrasts
A. /t/ vs. /d/
1. tra
shoot/fire
dra there (near)
2. tktk
insect that sticks to the skin
dkdk pound
B. /p/ vs. /b/

1. pana
bana
2. pla
bla
C. /g/ vs. /k/
arrow
husband
red
foam
1. galan separate
kalan dont like
2. gasabt having a plan
kasabt do you understand?
D. /m/ vs. /n/
1. malms may drown

nalms drowned
2. maba to go crazy
naba gone crazy
E. /l/ vs. /r/

1. klt
curly hair
2. blak
flower
krt
brak
pinch
break
F. Glides (/w/ vs. /j/)

1. lawas
body
BOLLAS
11
lajas
to go out
2. lwa
to spit
lja
ginger
G. Glottal stop
1. lawaj
lawa
spittle (saliva)
spider
2.2.2.1.2 Vowels
Rubrico (n.d.) gave a rule regarding the vowels of Cebuano. The phoneme // has 2
allophones i.e. [] and [] which are in free variation. The phoneme // has two allophones in
complementary distribution:
//
[]/ ___C#
[]/ (V)C___#
Ex.: ug, uy!
Ex.: ko, mo, ako, imo
But apparently, this does not apply generally to the Cebuano dialect of Iligan.
According to the informant, when I gave him words containing the phonemes // and // and //
and // which I assumed can be interchangeable, he said it cannot be at all times
interchangeable and most of the time cannot be interchangeable. This cannot be further proven
in this paper since the data lacks the needed evidences to prove such although, now I consider
the given phonemes to be not allophones of each other because they are not yet predictable
based on the gathered data.
One explanation which I think might have happened here is that a phonological shift
occurred which split the traditional allophonic distribution of [] and [] under the phoneme //
and [] and [] under the phoneme //. Now that it has undergone split, the former allophones
now became phonemes by themselves.
[]
//
//
[]
//
//
[]
//
[]
//
Figure 3 - Vowels
a /adlaw/
sun
/nlan/
pillow
dog
/r/
/pst/
pest
/ban/
buhok na puti
BOLLAS
12
Phonemic contrasts
A. // vs. //
1. pst
damn it
pst
pest
B. // vs. //
1. ban
buhok na puti
ban
to go with
obey
right (direction)
aj
/gamaj/
few
aw /lakaw/
j
to walk
/majab/ yawn
/ssw/
chick
/ttj/
breast
aj aw
A. Stress
1. lah
B. Vowel length*
different
*Examples from Rubrico (n.d.).
lah
kind / specie
go home
1. baj
return
house
baj
vocative for a friend
dapt invite
dapt
place
2.2.3 Phonotactics of Cebuano

Onset
Coda
Medial
1. /p/
/pga/
to squeeze
/spsp/
suck
/hjp/
to blow
thick
/tgab/
to belch
/hbag/
swollen
thorn
/pajat/
thin
/kadt/
that (far)
there (near)
/kaladkad/
2. /b/
/baga/
3. /t/
/tnk/
4. /d/
/dra/
to drag
/tndg/
stand up/ stature

BOLLAS
13
5. /k/
/kan/
this
/tnk/
thorn
/kaw/
you
/baga/
thick
6. /g/
/gt/
tight
/dalgdg/
thunder
7. /m/
/mabaw/
shallow
/aslm/
sour
/gamaj/
small
face
/nlan/
pillow
/tanm/
plant
tooth
/nah/
face
/dan/
ear
to throw
/katl/
to scratch (itch)
/habla/
to weave
/ldr/
chief
/bra/
to pull
8. /n/
/nah/
9. //
/pn/
10. /l/
/labaj/
11. /r/
12./s/
/sk/
anger
/lamgas/
ant
/bras/
arm
/paw/
bald
/lawas/
body
breast
/hajag/
bright
13. /w/
/wal/
eight
14. /j/
/jta/
earth/soil
/ttj/
15. //
/amg/
fog
/pn /
full
/tl/
foot
16. /h/
/hmt/ fragrant
/gah/
hard
/a/
sneeze
20. //
/an/
belly
21. //
/s/
ten
BOLLAS
14
Consonant Clusters
These consonant clusters found in Cebuano usually originated from borrowed words
from Spanish and English. Some clusters are results of deletion and palatalization in some
words.
Examples (Rubrico, n.d.) [revised]:

C1
1
2
3
C2
Examples
l, r, w, j
plan , praka , pwrt , pjan
r, w, s, j
trap , twrka , tspr , tjabaw
l, r, w, j
klma , krs , kwba , kjgps
l, r, w, j
blaka , brljant , bwgt , bjrns
r, w, j
drajbr , dwnd , djamant
r, w
grab , gwan
w, j
nwb , njb
w, j
mwbls , myrkls
w, j
swapa , sjagt
hws
from /pwst/ (deletion of //)
from /kwag/ (deletion of //)

from /gjra/ (deletion of //)
Syllable structures
1. CV (imo, tana)
2. CVC (umoy)
3. CCV (klaro)
4. CCVC (kwarta, krus)
BOLLAS
15
2.3 Itawis
(Itawes/ Itawit/ Tawit)
2.3.1 Introduction
The Itawis language is spoken in Northern Luzon, in the southern parts of Cagayan.
According to the Ethnologue, it has two dialects: Itawis and Malaueg (Lewis, Simons, &
Fennig, 2013). The Itawis language is an Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Philippine,
Northern Luzon, Northern Cordilleran, Cagayan Valley, Ibanagic language (Lewis, Simons, &
Fennig, 2013). In the census of the year 1990, the Itawis speakers in the Philippines reached a
number of 139, 000 (Lewis, Simons, & Fennig, 2013). The dialect from which the data is
gathered is the one in Tuguegarao City.
The Itawis language has 27 phonemes: 26 segmental phonemes at 1 suprasegmental (i.e.
stress). The 26 segmental phonemes consist of 21 consonants and 5 vowels.

2.3.2.1 Segmentals
of the phonemes /t/ and /d/ (ts, ty, and dy). It must also be noted that the Itawis language is a
geminate language. In the data, the phonemes (consonants) which can be geminated are /p, b, t,
d, k, g, m, n, , f, s, z, l, j/.
Table 3 - Consonants
Bilabial
Stops
Nasal
Labiodental
Dental
t
Alveolar
l
w
Trill
b /bagg/
Glottal
g
Lateral
p /paa/
Velar
k
Affricate
Glide
alveolar
Alveopalatal
Fricative
Post-
branch
body
/taga/
d /daha/
chest
blood
k /kaj/
g /gaft/
brother-in-law
catch
BOLLAS
16
/lkg/
back
/ragga/
m /mla/
n /nabsn/
w /wah/
sibling
j /jakan/
red
s /saaw/
now
f /ft/
heart
hungry
h /hanna/ what
plant
z /zraja/
/ammn/ all
/atg/
left
knee
v /vkal/
seed
/kak/ earwax
/an na/ where
Phonemic contrasts
A. /t/ vs. /d/
1. tta
we (dual, pl.)
dda to lie (on side)
2. gada rise (from the water)

gata buy
B. /p/ vs. /b/
1. mappatt
mabbagg
to jump
to wash
2. paga
good thing that happened to you (sarcasm)
3. lappag
slap
baga
labbag
C. /g/ vs. /k/
ember
rotten
1. taggam
ant
akkan
not
tttg
sit
2. tttk
3. bannak
bannag
bump
throw
tired
4. lappak
drop
lappag
slap
D. /m/ vs. /n/

1. na
mother
nataj
corpse
ma
mataj
E. /l/ vs. /r/
1. l
palm
to die
head
BOLLAS
17
medicine
F. /f/ vs. /v/

1. af
god
av
ash
G. /s/ vs. /z/

1. gasst
tobacco seed
gazzt
anger
H. Glides (/w/ vs. /j/)

1. snnaw
snaj
washing the dishes

belly
2.3.2.1.2 Vowels (Figure 5)
a /ajam/
animal
/bat/
buttocks
e /ntr/
and
/ma/
o /dn/
arm
leaf
a
Phonemic contrasts
I. // vs. //
1. kkt
kk
2. kkkg
J. // vs. //
to steal
1. bbaj
nail
bibaj
to dig
aj
kkkg
/snaj/
aw /algaw/
aj aw
shell
2. mkkkg
kkkg scraping coconuts

sea
to bury (the dead)
to bury
belly
day/ afternoon
BOLLAS
18
Stress
1. kaj
tree
()kaj
you
2.3.3 Phonotactics of Itawis

Onset
Coda
Medial
1. /p/
/paa/
branch
/snsp/
suck
/napt/
bitter
2. /b/
/bagg/
body
/bat/
buttocks
3. /t/
/taggam/
ant
/gazzt/
anger
/tak/
brain
4. /d/
/daha/
blood
/apd/
gall bladder
5. /k/
/kaj/
tree
/mammank/
bird
/lkg/
back
/taga/
chest
/tma/
ankle
6. /g/
/galt/
bundle/ belt
/nalkag/
awake
7. /m/
/manaat/
fish
/ajam/
animal
8. /n/
/naral/
dull (knife)
/ammn/
all
/snaj/
belly
9. //
/ammn/
all
/ka/
back
/dakal/
at
/paa/
branch
big
/vlag/
10. /l/
/lkg/
blind
11. /r/
/ragga/
red
/trabahadr/
servant
/taram/
sharpness
12. /s/
/snaj/
belly
/ps/
cockroach
/nast/
black
13. /w/
/wah/
sibling
/algaw/
day/afternoon
/nanawag/
bright
14. /j/
BOLLAS
19
/jakan/
/natlaj/
alive
/ajam/
animal
knee
/baba/
chin
/mang/
15. //
/atg/
to flow
16. /h/
/hanna/ what
/daha/
blood
17. /z/
/zraja/
left
/attazzt/
tight
18. /f/
/ft/
heart
/vkal/
seed
/gaft/
catch
/av/
ash
19. /v/
/avk/
hair
20. //
/kak/ earwax
21. //
/an na/ where
/palaaw/
to run
Consonant clusters
These consonant clusters found in Itawis usually originated from borrowed words from
Spanish. Some clusters are results of deletion and palatalization in some words.
Examples:
C1
C2
Examples
/pwrta/ door
r, j
/kstmbr/ custom, /bjrnt/ Biyernes
/trabahadr/ servant
/kwan/ to do
/dwa/ two
w, j
/gwapa/ beautiful, /gjra/ war

/frnt/ forehead
BOLLAS
20
Gemination
According to Bolozky (2004), gemination is a long consonant, represented either by
a special mark, or by doubling the consonant. In syllable division, a geminate consonant is
assumed to close one syllable and serve as the onset to the next one This is very particular
in Itawis in the consonant phonemes /p, b, t, d, k, g, m, n, , f, s, z, l, j/. Some word examples
are given below:
pp
lappaw flower
nn
hanna what
bb
kabba scratch/ carving
baag deaf
tt
bttt short
ff
ff thigh
dd
gadda skin
ss
bssa few
kk
kkkg to bury
zz
mzzan last
gg
maggna to hear
ll
all same
mm
amm to know
jj
arajj far
Syllable structures (Jalotjot, 1937)

1. CV (na)
2. CVC (garsig)
3. CCV (kwan)
4. CCVC (frente, byernit)
BOLLAS
21
3.0 Conclusion
Having presented the phonology of Tagalog, Cebuano, and Itawis, it now calls for a
definitive conclusion on their phonological similarities and differences.
Tagalog and Cebuano are Central Philippine languages (although geographically, they
belong to different islands and regions) while Itawis is a Northern Luzon (Northern
Cordilleran) language. Given these subgrouping and geographical differences, how can these
three languages be similar or different from each other?
This phonemic inventory (table and figure below) shows the core segmental phonemes
of the three languages. It means that these are the phonemes which occurred consistently in all
three languages. We can see that the voiced and voiceless stops /p, b, t, d, k, g, / are present in
all three Philippine languages, same with the nasals /m, n, /, fricatives /s, h/, affricates /, /
glides /w, j/ and the lateral /l/ and the trill /r/. It should not be forgotten that stress // is also a
core suprasegmental phoneme in these three languages. Also, adding the vowels: the low back
unrounded lax /a/, the mid front unrounded lax //, the high front unrounded lax //, the mid
back rounded lax //, and the high back rounded lax //. This makes the vowel inventory of the
three languages the same and with no differences. Summed up, there are 24 phonemes which
are inherent in Tagalog, Cebuano and Itawis.
Table 4 Core phonemes of Tagalog, Cebuano and Itawis (Segmentals)
Stops
Bilabial
Alveolar
Nasal
Post-
alveolar
Alveopalatal
Fricative
Velar
Glottal
g
Affricate
Lateral
Glide
Trill
Figure 7 Core Vowels of Tagalog,

Cebuano and Itawis
Since these three languages belong to
different subgroups and lies in different geographies,

it must have also reflected in their respective
language; there must be differences. The first
difference is in the phonemic inventory, the

suprasegmental phoneme vowel length //. Although
BOLLAS
22
present in both Tagalog and Cebuano, it was not proven by the data gathered that it is
phonemic (or if it exists) in Itawis. The Itawis languages voiceless and voiced labiodental
fricatives /f, v/ and the voiced alveolar fricative /z/ are also the deviations from the core
phoneme inventory of the three languages. Nonetheless, these are not borrowed phonemes in
Itawis, rather they are native.
With the diphthongs, the core ones are only /aj/ and /aw/. Although Tagalog had 6
diphthongs /aj, aw, j, w, j, j/ and Cebuano had 5 (all those of Tagalog too excluding /j/),
Itawis only had 2 which are /aj/ and /aw/.
The core consonant cluster patterns of the three languages are CV, CVC, CCV, and
CCVC.
Only Tagalog deviated from this having an additional CCCVC pattern which
obviously originated from borrowed words from English.
The additional phonemes in the three languages (i.e. &) are due to recent
innovations in the language. This may be limited only to speakers who are exposed to English
or other foreign languages and may be acquired only by the younger speakers of each language.
All based from the data, the findings of this paper reflects the current usage of Tagalog,
Cebuano (in Iligan) and Itawis (in Tuguegarao) by the respective native speakers. It can be seen
that there innovations that have reflected in this paper especially the vowels of Cebuano-Iligan.
Tagalog, on the other hand, may include a lot of English borrowed terms and phonemes but it
is not included here so as to distinguish Tagalog from Filipino.
It is quite ecstatic to see how three geographically separated languages can have so
many shared features and even in their lexicon (see Appendix 1). They may have differences
but these deviations existed in order to distinguish these three languages from each other.
BOLLAS
23
References:
Bolozky, S. (2004). Surface geminates (dage forte) in Israeli Hebrew. In L. Ehrlich, S.
Bolozky, R. Rothstein, M. Schwartz, J. Berkovitz, J. Young (Eds.), Textures and
Meaning: Thirty Years of Judaic Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst ,

Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Bunye, M. V. R. & Yap, E. P. (1971). Cebuano grammar notes. Honolulu: University of

Hawaii.
Delahunty, G. P., & Garvey, J. J. (2010). The English language from sound to sense. West
Lafayette,
Indiana:
Parlor
Press.
Retrieved
from
http://wac.colostate.edu/books/sound/sound.pdf
Forel, C-A., & Pusks, G. (1986). Phonetics and phonology: reader for first year English
linguistics. Informally published manuscript, University of Oldenburg, Retrieved from

http://www.staff.uni-oldenburg.de/cornelia.hamann/download/Phonology.pdf
Jalotjot, E. M. (1937). Diskripsyon ng klos na verbal ng wikang Itawit (Masters thesis).

University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.
Lewis, M. P., Simons, G. F., & Fennig, C. D. (Eds.). (2013). Ethnologue: Languages of the
World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SiL international. Online version:

http://www.ethnologue.com
Matos, F. H. (2009, June 28). The 100 most spoken languages on the world [Blog post].
Retrieved
from
http://frankherles.wordpress.com/2009/06/28/the-100-most-spoken-
languages-on-the-world/
Nelson, A. M. (1964). An introduction to Cebuano. Cebu City: Rotary Press.
Reid, L. & Schachter, P. (2009). Tagalog. In B. Comrie (Ed.), The worlds major languages (2nd
ed.,
pp.
833-855).
London:
Routledge.
Retrieved
from
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~reid/Combined%20Files/A71.%202008.%20Tagalog%20chapt
er%2049.pdf
Rubrico,
J.
G.
U.
(n.d.).
Cebuano
Grammar
http://www.languagelinks.org/onlinepapers/fil_cbstd.html
Notes.
Retrieved
from
BOLLAS
24
Appendix 1
500 Wordlist
English
Tagalog
Itawis
Cebuano
001
adze
tgbkal
002
alive
bhaj
natlaj
bh
003
all
lahat
ammn
tanan
004
and
at
ntr
005
anger
galt
gazzt
sk
006
animal
hajp
ajam
anmal
007
ankle
bkbk
tma
sak
008
ant
lagam
taggam
lamgas
009
arm
bsg
ma
bras
010
armpit
klkl
klkl
lk
011
arrow
palas
pana
012
ashes
ab
av
ab
013
at
sa
ka
sa
014
awake
gs
nalkag
mata
015
back
lkd
lkg
lkd
016
bad
masama
narakat
mal
017
bald
kalb
kalb
paw
018
bamboo
kawajan
kawajan
kawajan
019
bark (tree)
balat na kahj
020
bear, suffer
ts
pasnan
ants
021
beard
balbas
bt
022
beautiful
maganda
gwapa
gwapa
023
belly
an
snaj
tjan
024
big
malak
dakal
dak
025
bile
apd
apd
apd
026
bird
bn
mammank
lagam
027
bitter
mapat
napt
pat
028
black
tm, matm
nast
tm
029
blade/ sharpness
talm
taram
hat
030
blind
blag
vlag
bta
031
blood
dg
daha
dg
032
body
katawan
bagg
lawas
033
bone
bt (also, seed)
vkal
bkg
sak
bh
pana
bark
tla
BOLLAS
25
034
boy (young m., not
bata lalak
bagtlaj
lak
035
brain
tak
tak
036
branch
saa
paa
saa
037
breast
ss
ss
ttj
038
bright
malwanag
nanawag
hajag
039
brother-in-law
bajaw
kaj
bajaw
040
bundle, belt
bgks
galt
baks
041
butterfly
parpar
ttb
042
buttocks
pwt, pwtan
bat
lbt
043
catch, apprehend
dakp
gaft
dakpan
044
charcoal
045
cheek
ps
apl
ap
046
chest
dbdb
taga
dghan
047
chick
ssw
pjak
ssw
048
chicken
mank
mank
mank
049
chief
pn (als, tr)
kaj
ldr
050
child (young)
anak
anak
anak
051
chin
baba
baba
swa
052
clean
malns
narn
lmpj
053
cloud
lap
054
cockroach
ps
ps
ps
055
coconut
njg
jg
lb
056
coconut grater
kdkran
jag
kdkran
057
coconut milk
gata
gata
gata
058
cold (objects)
malamg
nalammn
bgnaw
059
cold (weather)
magnaw
nalammn
bgnaw
060
corpse
bakaj
nataj
pataj na lawas
061
cousin
pnsan
kaptta
gagaw
062
crocodile
bwaja
bwaja
bwaja
063
crow
wak
mammank
wak
064
curly hair
klt
klt
klt
065
dark, dim
madlm
nakpan
dlm
066
day (12 or 24 hrs)
araw (also, sun)
algaw
adlaw
067
daytime (not night
maga
mma
bntag
068
deaf
baag
bl
069
debt
ta
gattt
ta
070
deep
malalm
adalam
lalm
071
deer
sa
tta
sa
son)
time)
malamg
dagm
BOLLAS
26
072
demolish
gba
darallan
gba
073
dew
hamg
074
dirty
marm
nadap
hgaw
075
dog
as
at
076
door
pnt
pwrta
pwrtahan
077
downward
pababa
pagkag
baba
078
dream
panagnp
tatnat
damg
079
dry (substance)
tj
namaha
ga
080
dull (knife)
maprl
naral
habl
081
dumb (mute)
pp
pp
ama
082
dust
alkabk
alabk
gahk
abg
083
ear
ta
daraga
dan
084
earth (soil)
lpa
lsak
jta
085
earwax
ttl
kak
ttl
086
edible, climbing
plant from fleshy
087
eel
gat (freshwater)
shn
088
egg
tlg
lg
tlg
089
eggplant
tal
baraknt
tal
090
eight
wal
wal
wal
091
elbow
sk
sk
sk
092
ember, hot coal
baga
sdg
baga
093
erection
094
evening
gab
gab
gab
095
excrement
dm
kawt
ta
096
eye
mata
mata
mata
097
eyebrow
klaj
kraj
klaj
098
face
mkha
mkat
nah
099
far
malaj
arajj
laj
100
fast
mabls
paspas
paspas
101
fat (substance)
taba
taba
tambk
102
father
ama
ama
papa
103
father/mother-in-law
bjnan
katwaan
bjnan
104
feather (large)
balahb (fur,fine
ddt
balahb
105
fence
bakd
bakg
kral
106
few
knt
bssa
gamaj
hamg
root stock
pals (saltwater)
tg
ta
hair)
BOLLAS
27
107
fin
palkpk
paj
palkpk
108
finger
dalr
ma
tdl
109
fingernail
kk
kk
kk
110
fire
apj
af
sng
111
first
na
nna
na
112
firstborn
paanaj
kaka
pnakamagla
113
fish
sda
manaat
sda
114
five
lma
lma
lma
115
flatulence
tt
attt
tt
116
flood
baha
basaw
baha
117
flower
blaklak
lappaw
blak
118
fly (the insect)
laaw (small)
laaw
laaw
119
foam
bla
gwat
bla
120
fog
hamg
lappat
amg
121
foot
paa
taka
tl
baaw (big)
122
forehead
frnt
agta
123
foul-smelling
mabah
navyk
bah
124
four
apat
appat
pat
125
fragrant
maba
nabag
hmt
126
frog
palaka
tkak
bak
127
full (after eating)
bsg
nabattg
bsg
128
full (not empty)
pn
napan
pn
129
fur
balahb
ddt
balahb
130
garden
halamanan
131
gills
hasa
barasaa
hasa
132
ginger
lja
laja
lja
133
girl
bata baba
abb a babaj
ba
134
god
af
gn
135
gold
gnt
gld
gnt
136
good
mabt
mapja
btan
137
goodbye
paalam
pakamm
adt sak
138
grass
dam
kaddat
dam
139
gray hair
ban
ba
ban
140
guts
lamanlb
141
hair
bhk
avk
talamnan
tna
bhk
cowlick
pj
almrak
tnkj
142
hand
kamaj
ma
kamt
143
hard
matgas
nataggat
gah
144
he
a (he, she)
ggna
145
head
BOLLAS
28
146
healthy
malsg
napja j gawgawajan
baskg
147
heart
ps
ft
kaskas
148
heavy
mabgat
nadammat
bgat
149
here
dt
kaaw
dr
150
high tide
151
hole (esp. in ground)
152
tab
btas
battak
bslt
hot
mant
napat
nt
153
house
bahaj
balaj
balaj
154
how
paan
knas
nsa
155
how many?
lan
pja
pla
156
how much?
magkan
tag pja
tagpla
157
hungry
gtm
nabsn
gtm
158
husband
asawa (spouse)
atawa
bana
159
ak
jakan
ak
160
image
larawan
tra
ltrat
161
intestines
btka
btgal
tna
162
island
pl
sla
sla
163
itch
kat
katal
katl
164
jaw
paa
apl
paa
165
kiss
halk
amma
halk
166
knee
thd
atg
thd
167
lake
lawa
168
last
hl
mzzan
tmj
169
lastborn
bns
zzan
pnakamahd
170
later
mamaja
s abt
nja
171
leaf
dahn
dn
dahn
172
leak, drip, rain
tl
trt
tl
173
left (hand)
kalwa
zraja
wala
174
leg
bnt
175
lie (falsehood)
kasnalan
laddg
bakak
176
light
magaa
nalampaw
gaan
177
lightning
kdlat
klklat
kdlat
178
lip
lab
smk
179
liver
ataj
agal
ataj
180
long
mahaba
apadd
taas
181
loose
malwa
alawa
lag
182
louse
kt
kt
kt
183
love charm
gajma
tamaj
gajma
hkaj
bbg (mth)
malwag
lawa
bnt
BOLLAS
29
184
lungs
baga
taga
baga
185
man (male)
lalak
lalak
lalak
186
many
maram
ar
daghan
187
mat (for floor)
bang
abak
bang
188
meat (flesh)
karn
karn
karn
laman
(also,contents)
189
medicine
gamt
tambal
190
melt
tnaw
lnag
tnaw
191
middle
gtna
taa
ta
192
milk
gatas
gattak
gatas
193
moon
bwan (als,
vlan
blan
194
mosquito
lamk
lamk
lamk
195
moss
lmt
lmt
lmt
196
mother
na, nanaj
na
mama
197
mountain
bndk
baklg
bkd
198
mouth
bbg
bbg
baba
199
mud
ptk
vjn
lapk
200
nail (finger or toe)
kk
kk
kk
201
name
paalan
ahan
paalan
202
nape
batk
taag
batk
203
narrow
maktd
attazzt
gt
204
navel
psd
ftag
psd
205
near
malapt
arann
dl
206
neck
lg
karal
lg
207
necklace
kwntas
208
needle
karajm
dahm
dagm
209
nest (as birds)
pgad
tht
pgad
210
net (fishing)
lambat
abt abt
pkt
211
new
bag
bah
bag
212
night
gab
gab
gab
213
nine
am
sam
am
214
none
wala
awan
wala
215
northeast wind
amhan
an
amhan
216
nose
jj
217
not
hnd
akkan
dl
218
now
ajn
saaw
karn
219
octopus
pgta
pgta
pgta
220
often
madalas
kanajn
prm
month)
makpt
kwntas
BOLLAS
30
malmt
221
old
lma
dana
daan
222
once
mnsan
n dddma
talagsa
223
one
sa
sa
sa
224
one hundred
sa daan
sa gats
225
one thousand
sa lb
ml
sa lb
226
orphan
lla
lla
227
other, different
ba
dma
lan
228
outrigger canoe
baka
baraaj
baka
229
outrigger float
katg
balsa
katg
230
over there (far)
dn
kannaj
ddt
231
paddle (canoe)
sagwan
232
pain
sakt (also,
takt
sakt
233
palm (hand)
palad
ma
palad
234
penis
ar na lalak
tt
sn
tn
235
person
ta (also human)
tlaj
ta
236
pig
babj
bav
babj
237
pillow
nan
fan
nlan
238
plant
halaman
mla
tanm
239
pound, well ground
dkdk
dkdk
dkdk
240
press with hand or

weight
dn
tlmag
psat
241
prick, pierce
tsk
tbak
tsk
242
pus
nana
dann
nana
243
rat
daga
balakag
laga
244
red
pla
ragga
pla
245
rib
taa
barat
246
right (correct)
tama
sakt
tama
247
right (hand)
kanan
zwanan
248
rinse
banlaw
barnaw
banlaw
249
river
lg
kajan
sba
250
road
daan
dalan
dalan
251
rock (or boulder)
bat
bat
bat
252
roof
bb
sm
bb
253
root
gat
gamt
gat
254
rope
lbd
galt
ps
255
rotten (as fruit)
sra
nalabbag
dat
256
rotten (log)
blk
257
rough
magaspa
sickness)
sagwan
blk
grd
BOLLAS
31
258
salt
asn
asn
asn
259
salty
maalat
nasn
parat
260
same
tlad
all
parhas
261
sand
bhan
gnat
balas
262
scratch, carving
kamt
kabba
katl
263
sea (ocean)
dagat
bbaj
dagat
264
second
kalawa
mkadwa
padha
katlad
kt
paalawa
265
seed
bt (als, bn)
vkal
ls
266
servant
katl
trabahadr
tgtaba
267
seven
pt
pt
pt
268
shadow
ann
ann
ann
269
shallow
mababaw
ababbaw
mabaw
270
shark
pat
pat
pat
271
sharp (knife)
matalm
nataram
hat
272
shore
tabdagat
dalampasgan
273
short
alla
matalas
malt
makl
bajbajn
bttt
gamaj
mags
pandak
274
shoulder
balkat
abaha
abaga
275
shrimp
hpn
lask
hpn
276
sibling (m/f)
kapatd
wah
gsn
277
siblings child (m/f)
pamakn
kanakan
pagmakn
278
singe
pas
lan
pas
279
sister-in-law
hpag
pag
hpag
280
six
anm
annam
nm
281
skin (person)
balat
gadda
pant
282
skull
283
sky
hmpapawd
lat
lat
lat
(also, heaven)
284
slave
alpn
tagatrabah
lpn
285
sleepy
naantk
skkatrg
katlgn
286
slow
mabagal
nabajag
hnaj
287
small
malt
bttt
gamaj
BOLLAS
32
288
smoke
sk
atk
as
289
smooth
makns
nakkns
kns
290
snake
ahas
zarjan
halas
291
sneeze
bah
gabba
292
soft
malambt
naalg
hmk
293
sole
talampakan
dapa
lapalapa
294
some
lan
pja
mahap
295
soul
kallwa
karalwa
kallwa
296
sour
maasm
nasn
aslm
297
southwest wind
habagat
an
habagat
298
spear
sbat
shg
sbat
299
species of bats
pank
pank
pank
300
spider
gagamba
bambalakaj
lawa
301
spittle(saliva)
lawaj
ll
lawaj
302
squid
pst
pst
pst
303
stairs
hagdan
addan
hagdanan
304
stand up, stature
tndg
tadag
tndg
305
star
btwn
btwan
btn
306
stick (of wood)
patpat
kaj
tkg
307
stomach
an
snaj
tjan
308
stone
bat
bat
bat
309
storehouse (food)
kamalg
balaj
310
straight
twd, matwd
dr
dr
311
stretch
nat
nat
nat
312
strong
malakas
maskan
ksg
313
suck
spsp
spspan
spsp
314
sugarcane
tb
tb
tb
315
sun
araw (als, daj)
algaw
adlaw
316
sweet
matams
namt
tams
317
swollen
maga
nalattag
hbag
318
tail
bntt
ft
kg
319
tall
matakad
attanna
taas
320
tear (from crying)
lha
lwa
lha
321
ten
samp
mafl
s/ pl
322
termites
anaj
anaj
anaj
323
testicle
bajag
bajag
tlg / bajag
324
thank you
salamat
mabbalat
salamat
325
that (far)
jn
naj
kadt
326
that (near)
jan
jan
kana
dra
tala
BOLLAS
33
327
there (near)
an
kanjan
dra
328
they
sla
ra
sla
329
thick
makapal
nakannag
baga
330
thigh
hta
ff
hta
331
thin
manps
nmpt
nps
332
thin (human)
pajat
nakabbal
pajat
333
third
katl
mka tall
katl
334
thirsty
haw
skkapnm
haw
335
this
jaw
kan
336
thorn
tnk (also,
ast
tnk
337
thou/you
kaw
kaw
kaw
paatl
fishbone)
338
three
tatl
tall
tl
339
throat
lalamnan
karal
ttnlan
340
thunder
klg
addg
dalgdg
341
tight
maskp
attazzt
gt
342
to ask
magtan
mavt
matana
343
to awake
mags
lkaran
mmata
344
to be angry
magalt
maggazzt
mask
345
to bear (child)
magbnts
manak
maanak
346
to beat (strike)
paln
mamalk
palk
mbnal
347
to belch
dmghaj
mattalgag
tgab
348
to bite
kagatn
kassban
paak
349
to blow (wind)
hp
lazzban
hjp
350
to boil (intrans.)
kml
tallag
pabkal
351
to break (as stick)
mabal
kaltan
bal
352
to breathe
hma
maaat
gnhawa
353
to bring
dala
vln
mdala
354
to burn (by itself)
sngn
sdg
sng
355
to bury
ban
kkkg
lb
356
to bury (the dead)
lb
mkkkg
lb
357
to buy
bl
magatang
palt
358
to call
tawagn
akklan
tawag
359
to carry
dala
abbanan
dala
360
to choose
pln
maml
mpl / pl
361
to clean
lnsn
mappakarn
lmpjh
362
to come
dmat
ma
mabt
363
to copulate (human)
magtalk
kakajg
mjt
bhat
BOLLAS
34
364
to cough
mb
mkag
mb
365
to count
magbla
mabbla
mhap
366
to cut
ptln
garzban
mptl
367
to dance
magsajaw
mabbajl
msajaw
368
to defecate
dmm
makkawt
mta
nasn
majat
nasa
magbawas
tma
369
to desire
370
to die
pataj
mataj
mamataj
371
to dig
hkajn
kkkg
magkalt
372
to do
gawn
kwan
hmn
373
to drag
kaladkarn
kdsds
kaladkad
374
to drink
nmn
mnm
mnm
375
to drown
lnrn
malaggabban
malnd
376
to eat
kann
maan
mkan
377
to fall (drop)
hlg
matadag
mahlg
378
to fear
matakt
mattalaw
mahadlk
379
to fight
lumaban
lmaban
maawaj
380
to find
humanap
taflan
mata
381
to float
lumta
382
to flow
mags
mang
mags
383
to fly
lmpad
makkajag
mlpad
384
to forget
lmtn
malppanan
makalmt
385
to give
bgaj
maddan
mhatag
386
to go
pnta
ma
madt
387
to go down
baba
maggkag
mnag
388
to go in
pask
mattall
msld
389
to go out
labas
mallawan
mgawas
390
to go up
akjat
makkalantaj
msaka
391
to hang on, hook
sabt
mabbsn
mkapt
392
to hear
kng
maggna
mpamnaw
393
to hit
tamaan
palk
mdapat
394
to hold (in hand)
hawakan
manammt
mgnt
395
to hunt (game)
maas
maggaft
maas
396
to jump (esp. up)
tmaln
mappatt
mambak
397
to kill
patajn
mamataj
mpataj
398
to know (facts)
alamn
amm
mahbal
399
to laugh
tmawa
galak
mkatawa
something
nasahn
laglag
mlata
BOLLAS
35
400
to lie (on side)
hmga
dda
mhgda
401
to live
mabhaj
matlaj
mabh
402
to look
tmn
san
mtanaw
403
to love
mbg
maajat
mhggma
404
to moan
ml
makasag
agl
405
to open
bmkas
vkat
mabr
406
to play
maglar
gajam
mdla
407
to pound
baj
pkpk
pppk
pkpk
408
to pull
hla
ggn
bra
409
to push
tlak
tba
tkld
410
to put
lagaj
makwa
bta
411
to quarrel
awaj
gt
awaj
412
to rain
mlan
ran
lan
413
to return
bumalk
matl
balk
414
to rub
ksks
ksks
ksks
415
to run
takb
palaaw
dagan
416
to say
sab
makah
417
to scratch (itch)
kamt
kabba
katl
418
to see
kta
masta
kta
419
to sell
bl
malak
palt
420
to sew
tah
daht
tah
421
to shout
sgaw
kaaw
agt
422
to show
pakta
pasan
pakta
423
to shower
ambn
afafk
psk
424
to sing
awt
kanta
kann
kanta
425
to sink (intrans.)
lbg
malmag
lnd
426
to sit
mattttg
lkd
427
to sleep
tlg
makkatrg
tlg
428
to smell
amj
dag
smht
429
to speak
salta
rg
slt
430
to spit
dra
tpra
lwa
431
to split
hat
gadwa
ta
432
to squeeze
pga
pga
pga
433
to stab (or stick)
saksak
dddg
saksak
434
to stand
taj
tadag
tndg
435
to steal
nakaw
kkt
kawat
436
to string (as leis)
thg
daht
thg
tanawn
mahaln
BOLLAS
36
437
to suck
spsp
snsp
spsp
438
to swallow
lnk
sll
tln
439
to sweat
paws
lat
st
440
to swell
maga
lattag
hbag
441
to swim
laj
taffg
laj
442
to think
sp
pannt
hnahna
443
to throw
tapn
malappak
labaj
444
to tie
tal
galt
bgks
445
to vomit
maska
mta
ska
446
to walk
lakad
manalan
lakaw
447
to wash
hgas
mabbagg
hgas
448
to weave
hab
maddaht
habla
449
to wipe
pahd
maffnat
pahd
450
to wrap up
baltn
vkktan
pts
451
today
aj araw
saaw a algaw
kar adlaw
452
toe
dalr sa paa
taka
maa tdl
453
tomorrow
the following day
bkas
knabkasan
sn mma
gma
454
tooth (front)
pn (all tth)
pan
pn
455
torch, light
sl
af
sga
456
tree
pnkahj
kaj
kahj
457
trunk (of tree)
pn
kaj
pnan
458
turtle
pag
pag
pag
459
twins
kambal
kambal
kambal
460
two
dalawa
dwa
dha
461
ugly
pat
pat
pat
462
upper garment
bar
pa tm
pataas
463
upside down,
twad
balttag
twad
pataas
patn
pataas
stooping with the
hags
pnas
katawan
head forward
464
upward
465
urine
pasag
466
vagina
pkpk
ppt
pkpk
467
vegetables
glaj
glaj
glaj
468
voice
tng
bss
tg
469
war
dgmaan
gjra
gjra
paakjat
pk
BOLLAS
37
470
warm (weather)
warm and humid
mant
mapat
nt
maalnsaan
471
water
tbg
danm
tbg
472
water buffalo
kalabaw
nwa
karabaw
473
wave (as surf)
aln
arapa
bald
474
we (1 person, pl.)
kam
kam
kam
475
we (dual, pl.)
taj
tta
kta
476
weak
mahna
nakaf
hnaj
477
wet
basa
nabasa
basa
478
what
an
hanna
nsa
479
wheel
gl
plg
lgd
480
when
klan
sn hanna
kansa
481
where
saan
an na
aha
482
white
pt
fraw
pt
483
who
sn
nja
knsa
484
why
bakt
kaam
an
485
wide
malawak
alawa
dak / lag
486
wife
asawa
atawa
asawa
487
wind (breeze)
han
an
han
488
wine
alak
manm
bn
489
wing
pakpak
pajak
pakpak
490
wink
kndat
kndat
kndat
491
woman (female)
baba
babaj
baba
492
woods (forest)
gbat
kagbatan
kakajwan
kalasaan
st
nasan
majbahaj
kakahjan
493
woody tendril-
gg
494
worm
d
blat
lag
ld
495
wrong
mal
mal
mal
496
yawn
hkab
maawawag
majab
497
ye
kaj
kaj
kam
498
year
tan
dahn
tg
499
yesterday
kahapn
katt kab
gahapn
500
welcome
wala anman
awan naj
waj kas
bearing vine
bagn
BOLLAS
38
Appendix 2 - Informants profile

For Cebuano:
Name: Neil Mark Enriquez
Provincial Address: Iligan City, Lanao del Norte

Age: 23 years old
Contact number: 09273149930
Name: Erl Anthony Mendiola
Provincial Address: O2-D Baadero, Ozamis City, Purok 1, Misamis Occidental

Age: 23 years old

For Itawis:
Name: Jane Frances Taguinod
Provincial Address: Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

Age: 18 years old
BOLLAS
39

Comparative Phonology Paper

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UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES-DILIMAN

PROF. VIVECA HERNANDEZ

List of abbreviations and symbols used

1.4 Review of Related Literature

Cebuano Grammar Notes. It contains detailed and well-presented examples on Cebuano

morphophonemic process found in Cebuano. Nelsons An Introduction to Cebuano (1964)

2.0 Phonology of the Philippine languages Tagalog, Cebuano and Itawis

2.1.2 Phoneme Inventory

dla stage play

B. /p/ vs. /b/

C. /g/ vs. /k/

scratch (something itchy) (n)

bark (of a dog) (n)

D. /m/ vs. /n/

E. /l/ vs. /r/

stop (spoken when getting off a jeepney)

G. Glides (/w/ vs. /j/)

interj. for something painful (ouch)

2.1.2.1.2 Vowels (Figure 1)

one who always intrudes

2.1.2.1.3 Diphthongs (Figure 2)

viand cooked with vinegar

2.1.3 Phonotactics of Tagalog

Assumed native consonant clusters

/bwan/ moon/month; /bjrns/ Friday

from /bwan/ (deletion of //); deletion of // in /bjrns/

may also be the phoneme ; also from /djan/ (deletion of //)

Borrowed consonant clusters:

/blk/ block; /bras/ arm

/plat/ plate; /praksa/ franchise; /pwst/1 position

/klas/ class; /kwag/2 owl

/glamrs/ glamorous; /grab/ excessive; /gjra/3 war

from /pwst/ (deletion of //)

In the Ethnologue, they also classified Tagalog as an Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian,

The Cebuano language has 21 phonemes: 19 segmental phonemes and 2

dra there (near)

insect that sticks to the skin

B. /p/ vs. /b/

C. /g/ vs. /k/

kalan dont like

2. gasabt having a plan

kasabt do you understand?

D. /m/ vs. /n/

1. malms may drown

E. /l/ vs. /r/

F. Glides (/w/ vs. /j/)

Ex.: ug, uy!

Ex.: ko, mo, ako, imo

2.2.2.1.3 Diphthongs (Figure 4)

*Examples from Rubrico (n.d.).

vocative for a friend

2.2.3 Phonotactics of Cebuano

stand up/ stature

Examples (Rubrico, n.d.) [revised]:

plan , praka , pwrt , pjan

trap , twrka , tspr , tjabaw

klma , krs , kwba , kjgps

blaka , brljant , bwgt , bjrns

drajbr , dwnd , djamant

from /pwst/ (deletion of //)

from /kwag/ (deletion of //)

stress). The 26 segmental phonemes consist of 21 consonants and 5 vowels.

dda to lie (on side)