Arta language

Last updated
Arta
Native to Philippines
Regionnorthern Luzon
Ethnicity150 (no date) [1]
Native speakers
11 (2013) [2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 atz
Glottolog arta1239
ELP Arta

Arta is a highly endangered Negrito language of the northern Philippines.

Contents

Distribution

Lawrence Reid's 1990 fieldwork revealed only 12 speakers in Villa Santiago, Aglipay, Quirino Province, [3] and in 1992 it was spoken by only three families. It is not closely related to other languages.

There are still small groups of Arta speakers in Maddela and Nagtipunan towns of Quirino Province (Lobel 2013:88). [4] Kimoto (2017) [5] reports that Arta has 10 native speakers and 35–45 second-language speakers living primarily in Pulang Lupa, Kalbo, and in Disimungal, Nagtipunan.

The Arta are found in the following places within Nagtipunan Municipality. [6]

Arta is in contact with Casiguran Agta, Nagtipunan Agta, Yogad, Ilokano, and Tagalog. [5]

Phonology

Arta is notable for having vowel length distinction, an unusual typological feature in the Philippines. [5]

Sound changes

Kimoto (2017: 56–67) [5] lists the following sound changes from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) to Arta. Long vowels in Arta are derived from PMP diphthongs.

PMP Arta
*pp
*tt
*kØ ~ k
*qØ
*bb
*d/*j/*zd
*gg
*ss
*hØ
*Rr
*ll
*mm
*nn
ŋ
*ww
*yy
*aa
*ii
*uu
ə
*ai
*au

Lexical innovations

Kimoto (2017: 4) [5] lists the following Arta lexical innovations (highlighted in bold). Lexical innovations in Casiguran Agta are also highlighted in bold.

GlossArta Casiguran Agta IlokanoTagalog
excrementsiritattaytakkitaʔi
laughəlaŋihitkatawatawa
bananabagatbigetsabasagiŋ
back (body)sapaŋadəg, səpaŋlikodlikod
hairpulugbukbuokbuhok
bodyabiːbəgibagikatawan
waterwagətdinomdanumtubig
housebunbunbilɛbalaybahay
malegiləŋanləlakelalakilalaki
femalebukaganbəbebabaebabae

Reid (1994) [7] lists the following reconstructed forms as possible non-Austronesian lexical elements found exclusively in Arta. Forms from Kimoto (2018) [8] have also been included. Note the use of orthographic è [ə] and ng [ŋ].

GlossPre-Arta (Reid 1994)Arta (Reid 1994)Arta (Kimoto 2018)
afternoon(ma-)*lutəpmalutəpmalu:tèp
arrive*digdigdumigdigdigdig
bone*sagnitsagnitsikrit 'small thin bones'
butterfly*pippunpeppun-
drink*timmattimti:m
ear*ibəŋibəŋibeng
lime*ŋusuŋusúnusu
man, male*gilaŋ(-an)gilaŋángilèngan
mosquito*buŋurbuŋúrbungor
old (man)*dupudupúdupu:
one*sipaŋsípaŋsi:pang
rain*punədpúnədpu:nèd
run*gurugudmaggurugúdgurugud
say, tell*budibudbud
sleep*idəmmédəmidèm
two*təliptalliptallip

Reid (1994) [7] lists the following reconstructed forms as possible non-Austronesian lexical elements found in both Arta and "North Agta" (i.e., various Northeastern Luzon languages spoken mostly in Cagayan Province). Forms from Kimoto (2018) [8] have also been included.

GlossReconstructed form
(Reid 1994)
Arta (Reid 1994)Arta (Kimoto 2018)
pity, kindness*Rəbipagarbiánarbi
thirst*pələkmeɁiplaiplèk
hunt*purabmamurab
‘hunt with bow and arrow’
purab
deer, buck*b[ia]dutbidutbidut
fingernail*[l]usiplusiplusip
penis*g[ia]ləŋgiləŋgilèng
wall*gəsədgisə́dgisèd
dog, puppy*lapullappullappul
fire*dukutdutdut
hair, feather*pulugpológpulug

The forms *səlub 'fragrant' and *Rəbi 'pity, kindness' are found in both Arta and Alta. [7]

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References

  1. Arta at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. Arta at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. Reid, L. (1989). "Arta, Another Philippine Negrito Language." Oceanic Linguistics, 28(1), 47-74.
  4. Lobel, Jason William. 2013. Philippine and North Bornean languages: issues in description, subgrouping, and reconstruction. Ph.D. dissertation. Manoa: University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Kimoto, Yukinori / 木本幸憲. 2017. A Grammar of Arta: A Philippine Negrito Langage / フィリピンネグリート言語、アルタ語の文法. Ph.D dissertation, Kyoto University. doi : 10.14989/doctor.k20639
  6. Kimoto, Yukinori. A preliminary report on the grammar of Agta.
  7. 1 2 3 Reid, Lawrence A. 1994. "Possible Non-Austronesian Lexical Elements in Philippine Negrito Languages." In Oceanic Linguistics, Vol. 33, No. 1 (Jun. 1994), pp. 37-72.
  8. 1 2 Kimoto, Yukinori. 2018. Arta vocabulary.