Mongondow language explained

Mongondow
Also Known As:Bolaang Mongondow
States:Indonesia
Region:North Sulawesi
Ethnicity:Mongondow people
Speakers:230,000
Date:2000 census
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Austronesian
Fam2:Malayo-Polynesian
Fam3:Philippine
Fam4:Greater Central Philippine
Fam5:Gorontalo–Mongondow
Fam6:Mongondowic
Iso3:mog
Glotto:mong1342
Glottorefname:Mongondow

Mongondow, or, is one of the Philippine languages spoken in Bolaang Mongondow Regency and neighbouring regencies of North Sulawesi (Celebes) and Gorontalo Provinces, Indonesia.[1] With more than 200,000 speakers, it is the major language of the regency. Historically, it served as the official language of the Bolaang Mongondow Kingdom.

There is some lexical influence from Malay and Ternate, as well as the Indonesian national language. It is a threatened language, with a shift to Manado Malay in the younger generation. The moribund Lolak language has borrowed much of its lexicon from Mongondow, but appears to be more closely related to Gorontalo.

Phonology

Mongondow has the following phoneme inventory:

Vowels!!Front!Central!Back
Closepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Midpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Openpronounced as /ink/
Consonants! colspan="2"
LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Nasalpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Plosivevoicelesspronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
voicedpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/(pronounced as /ink/)pronounced as /ink/
Fricativepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Lateralpronounced as /ink/
Rhoticpronounced as /ink/
Approximantpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
The lateral pronounced as //l// is pronounced as alveolar pronounced as /[l]/ when adjacent to the front vowels pronounced as //e//, pronounced as //i//. In all other environments, it is a retroflex pronounced as /[ɭ]/.

Grammar

Pronouns

The personal pronouns are:

nominativegenitiveoblique
1.sg.
2.sg.
3.sg.
1.pl.inclusive
1.pl.exclusive
2.pl.


3.pl.


  • , etc. are used with suffixed numerals, e.g. 'the three of them'

Numerals

1 /
2 /
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
(...)

 
20
21
(...)

 
30
40
(...)

 
100
200
(...)

 
1000
2000
(...)

 

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Christopher Moseley. Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages. 2008. Routledge. 978-1-1357-9640-2.