Sambal language

Last updated
Sambal
Sambali
Native to Philippines
Region Zambales, Pangasinan, Metro Manila, Palawan
Ethnicity Sambal
Native speakers
70,000 (2000) [1]
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Philippines (as a regional language)
Regulated by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
Language codes
ISO 639-3 xsb
Glottolog tina1248
Sambal language map.png
Area where Sambal is spoken
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Sambal or Sambali is a Sambalic language spoken primarily in the Zambal municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Palauig, and Iba, in the Pangasinense municipality of Infanta, and areas of Pampanga in the boundary with Zambales in the Philippines; speakers can also be found in Panitian, Quezon, Palawan and Barangay Mandaragat or Buncag of Puerto Princesa.[ citation needed ] The speakers of the language are decreasing due to the fact that many of the speakers are shifting to Tagalog and Ilocano.

Contents

The first European-produced reference grammar of any indigenous language of the Philippines was that of Zambal, published circa 1601. [2]

Dialects

Ethnologue reports Santa Cruz, Masinloc and Iba as dialects of the language. [1]

Name

The language is occasionally referred to as zambal, which is the hispanized form of Sambal.

Sambal had also for a time been referred to as Tina, [3] a term still encountered in older sources. The term, however, which means 'bleached' in the Botolan variety of the language, [4] is considered offensive. The pejorative term was first used in the late 1970s by researchers from the Summer Institute of Linguistics (now SIL International). [4] Sambals would not normally recognize the reference. [5]

External relationships

Sambal language is most closely related to Kapampangan and to a classic form of Tagalog still spoken in Tanay in the province of Rizal. This has been interpreted to mean that Sambal speakers had once inhabited that area, later being displaced by migrating Tagalog settlers, pushing the original inhabitants northward to the modern province of Zambales, [6] in turn, displacing the Aetas. In Zambales, Sambal speakers were almost displaced by Tagalog settlers once again who migrated along with Ilocano settlers to repopulate the less-populated Zambales valley, leading to the assimilation of Sambals to the Tagalog and Ilocano settlers and to the modern decline of Sambal cultural identity and language. [7] [8] [9] There is also a possible relationship between the Sambal speakers and the population of the island provinces of Marinduque and Romblon based on commonalities in some traditions and practices.

Phonology

Sambali has 19 phonemes: 16 consonants and three vowels. Syllable structure is relatively simple.

Vowels

Sambali has three vowels. They are:

There are five main diphthongs: /aɪ/, /uɪ/, /aʊ/, /ij/, and /iʊ/.

Consonants

Below is a chart of Sambal consonants. All the stops are unaspirated. The velar nasal occurs in all positions including at the beginning of a word.

Sambal consonants
Bilabial Dental Palatal Velar Glottal
Stops Voiceless p t k (-) [ ʔ ]
Voiced b d g
Affricates Voiceless(ts) [ ]
Voiced
Fricatives s h
Nasals m n ng [ ŋ ]
Laterals l
Flaps ɾ
Semivowels w y [ j ]

Note: Consonants [d] and [ɾ] sometimes interchange, as they were once allophones. Dy is pronounced [dʒ], ny[ɲ], sy[ʃ], and ty[tʃ].

Stress

Stress is phonemic in Sambal. Word stress is very important; it differentiates homonyms, e.g. hikó ('I') and híko ('elbow').

Historical sound changes

Many words pronounced with /s/ and /ɡ/ in Cebuano and Tagalog are pronounced with /h/ and /j/, respectively, in their cognates in Sambal. Compare hiko and ba-yo with the Tagalog siko and bago.

Grammar

Nouns

Zambal pronouns

Common singular pronouns

  • ang, 'yung (iyong) – yay hikon-mong, ya-rin hikon-moy
  • ng, n'ung (niyong) – nin kon-moyo
  • Sa – ha
  • Nasa – Ison ha ('near'), Itaw ha ('far')

Common plural pronouns

  • ang mgá, 'yung mgá (iyong mgá) – yay + first letter of plural word + aw
  • (e.g. yay bawbabayi – ang mga babae; yay lawlalaki – ang mga lalaki)
  • ng mgá, n'ung mgá (niyong mgá) – nin yay + first letter of plural word + aw
  • (e.g. nin bawbabayi – ng mga babae, nin lawlalaki – ng mga lalaki)
  • sa mgá – ha first letter of plural word + aw (e.g. habawbabayi – sa mga babae, halawlalaki – sa mga ki)
  • Nasa mga – Iti, ison, itaw + pronoun

Personal singular pronouns

  • Si – hi
  • Ni – Ni
  • Kay – Kun ni
  • Na kay – hikun

Personal plural

  • Sina – Hila
  • Nina – ni
  • Kina – Kun li
  • Nakina – Hikunla

Note: In a general conversation, hi is usually omitted or contracted from the pronoun: e.g. Hikunla tana hiya rin (sa kanila na lang iyan) is simply ‘kunla tana ‘ya-rin or even shorter, as ‘kunlay na rin.

Example:

'The man arrived.' Dumating ang lalaki:

  1. Nakalato hiyay lalaki or nakalato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo.
  2. Linu-mato hiyay lalaki; or
  3. Lin’mato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo.
  • Yay (referring to object)
  • Hiyay (singular person)
  • Hikamon (plural second person)
  • Hilay (plural third person)

Nakita ni Juan si Maria – Na-kit ni Juan hi Maria. 'John saw Mary.'

Note that in Philippine languages, even the names of people require an article.

Plural nominal article

'Helen and Robert will go to Miguel's house.'

  • Pupunta sina Elena at Roberto sa bahay ni Miguel.
  • Maku hila Elena tan Roberto ha bali ni Miguel.
  • Pupunta ako – maku-ko
  • Papunta – ma-mako
  • Punta – mako
  • Pumupunta – ampako
  • Pupuntahan – ampaku-tawan\makuku-son

'Father has the keys.'

  • Nasaan ang mga aklat?
  • Ayti yay lawlibro?
  • Na kay Tatay ang mga susi.
  • Hikun niTatay yay sawsusi or ‘Kunni Tatay yay sawsusi

'That baby is healthy.'

  • Malusog ang sanggol.
  • Maganda yay lalaman nya-nin makating/makalog.

Pronouns

Personal pronouns are categorized by case. The indirect forms also function as the genitive.

SingularDualPlural
1st personExclusiveako – hiko
ko – ko
akin – hikunko (shortened to ‘kunko)
kita – ta, kuntakami – hikami or ‘kami
namin – mi
amin – hikunmi or ‘kunmi
Inclusivetayo – hitamo or ‘tamo
natin – hikuntamo or ‘kuntamo
atin – hikuntamo or ‘kuntamo
2nd personikáw – hika
mo – mo
iyó – hikunmo or ‘kunmo
kayo – hikamo or ‘kamo
ninyo – moyo
inyo – hikunmoyo or ‘kunmoyo
3rd personsiya – hiya
niya – naya
kaniya – hikunnaya or ‘kunnaya
silá – hila
nilá – la
kanilá – hikunla or ‘kunla

Examples:

'I wrote.'

Sulat is hulat (Masinloc) or sulat (Sta. Cruz)
Sumulat ako. Humulat ko or Sumulat ko.
Sinulatan ako ng liham. Hinulatan nya hiko or hinulatan nya’ ko.
'He/She wrote me a letter.' Hinomulat ya ‘kunko, nanulat ya kunko, or hinulatan mya ko.
Ibibigay ko sa kaniyá. Ebi ko ‘kunna (hikuna).
'I will give it to him/her.'

Genitive pronouns follow the word they modify. Oblique pronouns can take the place of the genitive pronoun but they precede the word they modify.

Ang bahay ko. Yay bali ko.
Ang aking bahay. Yay ‘kunkon bali.
'My house.'

Interrogative words

SambalTagalogEnglish
Ayri/AytiSaanWhere
AnyaAnoWhat
Anta/OngkotBakitWhy
HinoSinoWho
NakanoKailanWhen

Sample texts

Philippine national proverb

Below is a translation in Sambal of the Philippine national proverb [10] "He who does not acknowledge his beginnings will not reach his destination," followed by the original in Tagalog.

The Lord's Prayer

Version from Matthew

Ama mi an ison ha langit,
sambawon a ngalan mo.
Ma-kit mi na komon a pa-mag-ari mo.
Ma-honol komon a kalabayan mo iti ha lota
a bilang anamaot ison ha langit.
Biyan mo kami komon nin
pa-mangan mi para konan yadtin awlo;
tan patawaron mo kami komon ha kawkasalanan mi
a bilang anamaot ha pa-matawad mi
konlan ampagkasalanan komi.
Tan komon ando mo aboloyan a matokso kami,
nokay masbali ipa-lilih mo kamin kay makagawa doka,
ta ikon moy kaarian, kapangyarian tan karangalan a homin
panganggawan. Amen.
[11]

Version from Luke

Ama mi, maipatnag komon a banal mon kapangyarian.
Lomato ana komon an awlon sikay mag-ari.
Biyan mo kamin pa-mangan mi sa inawlo-awlo.
Inga-rowan mo kami sa kawkasalanan mi bilang
pa-nginganga-ro mi konlan nagkasalanan komi
tan ando mo kami aboloyan manabo sa tokso.
Wamoyo.
[11]

Examples

Numbers

Sambal numbers are listed below.

Sambal numbers
SambalEnglish
A`saOne
LuwaTwo
TuloThree
A`patFour
LimaFive
A`numSix
PitoSeven
WaloEight
SiyamNine
MapuloTen

Common expressions

SambalTagalogEnglish
Kay ko tanda/Tanda koHindi ko alam/Alam koI don't know / I know
PapoLola/loloGrandparent
KakaAte/kuya/pinsanSibling or cousin
Akay ko labay/Labay koHindi ko gusto/Gusto koI don't like / I like
Murong tamoy naUwi/balik na tayoLet's go home/back
HadilapBukasTomorrow
HawaninNgayonNow/today
NaaponKahaponYesterday
YaOoYes
Ka`iHindiNo

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tagalog language</span> Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines

Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by the ethnic Tagalog people, who make up a quarter of the population of the Philippines, and as a second language by the majority, mostly as or through Filipino. Its standardized, codified, national or nationalized, intellectualized, more linguistically inclusive, more linguistically dynamic, and expanded or broaden form, officially named Filipino, is the national language of the Philippines, and is one of the latter's two official languages, alongside English. Tagalog, like the other and as one of the regional languages of the Philippines, which majority are Austronesian, is one of the auxiliary official languages of the Philippines in the regions and also one of the auxiliary media of instruction therein.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zambales</span> Province in Central Luzon, Philippines

Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales, is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is Iba, which is located in the middle of the province. Olongapo is the largest city of the province wherein it is geographically located but politically independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kapampangan language</span> Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines

Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. It is the primary and predominant language of the entire province of Pampanga and southern Tarlac, on the southern part of Luzon's central plains geographic region, where the Kapampangan ethnic group resides. Kapampangan is also spoken in northeastern Bataan, as well as in the provinces of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Zambales that border Pampanga. It is further spoken as a second language by a few Aeta groups in the southern part of Central Luzon. The language is known honorifically as Amánung Sísuan.

Tagalog grammar are the rules that describe the structure of expressions in the Tagalog language, one of the languages in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masbateño language</span> Bisayan language spoken in the Philippines

Masbateño or Minasbate is a member of Central Philippine languages and of the Bisayan subgroup of the Austronesian language family spoken by more than 724,000 people in the province of Masbate and some parts of Sorsogon in the Philippines. Masbatenyo is the name used by the speakers of the language and for themselves, although the term Minásbate is sometimes also used to distinguish the language from the people. It has 350,000 speakers as of 2002, with 50,000 who speak it as their first language. About 250,000 speakers use it as their second language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iba, Zambales</span> Capital of Zambales, Philippines

Iba, officially the Municipality of Iba, is a 1st class municipality and capital of the province of Zambales, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,581 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambal people</span> Ethnic group

The Sambal people are a Filipino ethnolinguistic group living primarily in the province of Zambales and the Pangasinense municipalities of Bolinao, Anda, and Infanta. The term may also refer to the general inhabitants of Zambales. They were also referred to as the Zambales during the Spanish colonial era.

Marlene Daudén is considered one of the greatest Filipina drama actresses of all time. She achieved her legendary status as a film thespian during her film career that spanned from the 1950s up to the 1970s. During the height of her fame, she was one of the most bankable stars of Sampaguita Pictures, which used to be one of the leading Philippine movie studios of the era.

George Masangkay Canseco was a Filipino composer and former politician. He composed numerous popular Filipino songs.

The Sambalic languages are a part of the Central Luzon language family spoken by the Sambals, an ethnolinguistic group on the western coastal areas of Central Luzon and the Zambales mountain ranges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botolan language</span> Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines

Botolan is a Sambalic language spoken by 32,867 Sambal, primarily in the Zambal municipalities of Botolan and Cabangan in the Philippines. Language status is 5 (developing).

Cebuano grammar encompasses the rules that define the Cebuano language, the most widely spoken of all the languages in the Visayan Group of languages, spoken in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, part of Leyte island, part of Samar island, Negros Oriental, especially in Dumaguete, and the majority of cities and provinces of Mindanao.

"Sa Aking Mga Kabatà" is a poem about the love of one's native language written in Tagalog. It is widely attributed to the Filipino national hero José Rizal, who supposedly wrote it in 1868 at the age of eight. There is not enough evidence, however, to support authorship by Rizal and several historians now believe it to be a hoax.

Alfredo "Fred" Panopio was a Filipino singer and actor who rose to fame in the 1960s and 1970s.

Ricardo Vizcarra Michaca, known by his stage name Dick Israel, was a Filipino character actor who played mostly villain and sidekick roles in many Filipino movies. He later branched out in television playing father and supporting roles.

Efren Reyes Abueg is a well-known and recognized Filipino-language creative writer, editor, author, novelist, short story writer, essayist, fictionist, professor, textbook writer, and anthologist in the Philippines. His works appeared on magazines such as Liwayway, Bulaklak, Tagumpay, Mod, and Homelife.

Raoul Aragon was a former Filipino actor in drama and action movies in the Philippines. Aragon was nominated in Gawad Urian Award 1980 as Best Actor in the movie Ina ka ng Anak Mo and he won the Best Actor award in Metro Manila Film Festival 1979 in the same movie. He was also known as Raul Aragon, Raoul Aragonn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibanag language</span> Language spoken in the Philippines

The Ibanag language is an Austronesian language spoken by up to 500,000 speakers, most particularly by the Ibanag people, in the Philippines, in the northeastern provinces of Isabela and Cagayan, especially in Tuguegarao, Solana, Abulug, Camalaniugan, Lal-lo, Cabagan, Tumauini, San Pablo, Sto. Tomas, Sta. Maria, and Ilagan and other neighboring towns and villages around the Cagayan River and with overseas immigrants in countries located in the Middle East, United Kingdom, and the United States. Most of the speakers can also speak Ilocano, the lingua franca of northern Luzon island. The name Ibanag comes from the prefix I which means 'people of', and bannag, meaning 'river'. It is closely related to Gaddang, Itawis, Agta, Atta, Yogad, Isneg, and Malaweg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiligaynon language</span> Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines

Hiligaynon, also often referred to as Ilonggo or Binisayâ/Bisayâ nga Hiniligaynon/Inilonggo, is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, predominantly in Western Visayas, Negros Island Region, and Soccsksargen, most of whom belong to the Hiligaynon people. It is the second-most widely spoken language in the Visayas and belongs to the Bisayan languages, and it is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.

References

  1. 1 2 Sambal at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. Mojarro Romero, Jorge (2022-05-03). "The Spanish Friars and Philippine Languages". Manila Times .
  3. Agagas, Pascual (1978). "Tina Sambal". In Antworth, Evan L. (ed.). Folktale Texts (PDF) (Language text). Studies in Philippine Linguistics, Vol. 2, No. 2. Text analysis by Margarete Schuster and Hella Goschnick. Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines and Summer Institute of Linguistics. pp. 32–43. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-11-02.
  4. 1 2 "Call me Sambal". Call me Sambal. 16 December 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  5. Elgincolin, Priscilla R.; Goshnick, Hella E. (1979). "Interclausal Relationships in Tina Sambal". Studies in Philippine Linguistics. 3 (1): 84.
  6. "Sambal". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Archived from the original on 2008-01-21.
  7. Reed, William Allan (1904). Negritos of Zambales. Bureau of Public Printing, U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 24–29.
  8. "Tantingco: The Kapampangan in Us". Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  9. Zambales Province, Home Province of Subic Bay and Mt. Pinatubo
  10. Rubino, Carl (n.d.). "The Philippine National Proverb: Translated Into Various Philippine Languages". iloko.tripod.com. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
  11. 1 2 "Sambal, Tinà (Tina, Sambali)". Christus Rex. Archived from the original on 11 February 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2022.