Sambal language explained

Sambal
Also Known As:Sambali
Map:Sambal language map.png
Mapcaption:Area where Sambal is spoken
States:Philippines
Region:Zambales, Pangasinan, Metro Manila, Palawan
Ethnicity:Sambal
Speakers:70,000
Date:2000
Ref:e25
Familycolor:Austronesian
Fam2:Malayo-Polynesian
Fam3:Philippine
Fam4:Central Luzon
Fam5:Sambalic
Minority:Philippines (as a regional language)
Agency:Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
Iso3:xsb
Glotto:tina1248
Glottorefname:Tina Sambal
Notice: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. The speakers of the language are decreasing due to the fact that many of the speakers are shifting to Tagalog and Ilocano.

The first European-produced reference grammar of any indigenous language of the Philippines was that of Zambal, published circa 1601.[1]

Dialects

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

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

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,[5] 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.[6] [7] [8] 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: pronounced as //aɪ//, pronounced as //uɪ//, pronounced as //aʊ//, /ij/, and pronounced as //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
BilabialDentalPalatalVelarGlottal
StopsVoicelesspronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/(-) [{{IPA link|ʔ}}]
Voicedpronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
AffricatesVoiceless(ts) [{{IPA link|tʃ}}]
Voiced
Fricativespronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/
Nasalspronounced as /link/pronounced as /link/ng [{{IPA link|ŋ}}]
Lateralspronounced as /link/
Flapspronounced as /link/
Semivowelspronounced as /link/y [{{IPA link|j}}]

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

Stress

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

Historical sound changes

Many words pronounced with pronounced as //s// and pronounced as //ɡ// in Cebuano and Tagalog are pronounced with pronounced as //h// and pronounced as //j//, respectively, in their cognates in Sambal. Compare and with the Tagalog and .

Grammar

Zambal pronouns

Common singular pronouns

Common plural pronouns

Personal singular pronouns

Personal plural

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.

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.'

'Father has the keys.'

'That baby is healthy.'

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

!Sambal !Tagalog!English
Where
What
Why
Who
When

Sample texts

Philippine national proverb

Below is a translation in Sambal of the Philippine national proverb[9] "He who does not acknowledge his beginnings will not reach his destination," followed by the original in Tagalog.

The Lord's Prayer

Version from Luke

Examples

Numbers

Sambal numbers are listed below.

Sambal numbers!Sambal!English
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten

Common expressions

!Sambal!Tagalog!English
/ / I don't know / I know
Grandparent
Sibling or cousin
/ / I don't like / I like
Let's go home/back
Tomorrow
Now/today
Yesterday
Yes
No

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Spanish Friars and Philippine Languages. Mojarro Romero. Jorge. 2022-05-03. Manila Times.
  2. Book: Agagas, Pascual . Folktale Texts . 1978 . Linguistic Society of the Philippines and Summer Institute of Linguistics . Text analysis by Margarete Schuster and Hella Goschnick . Antworth . Evan L. . Studies in Philippine Linguistics, Vol. 2, No. 2 . Manila . 32–43 . Tina Sambal . Language text . https://web.archive.org/web/20051102213712/http://www.sil.org/asia/philippines/sipl/SIPL_2-2_032-034.pdf . 2005-11-02.
  3. Web site: 16 December 2010 . Call me Sambal . 14 April 2018 . Call me Sambal.
  4. Elgincolin . Priscilla R. . Goshnick . Hella E. . 1979 . Interclausal Relationships in Tina Sambal . Studies in Philippine Linguistics . 3 . 1 . 84.
  5. Web site: Sambal . National Commission for Culture and the Arts . https://web.archive.org/web/20080121084810/http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about_cultarts/ebook_subcont.php?subcont_Id=33 . 2008-01-21 . dead.
  6. Book: Reed . William Allan . Negritos of Zambales . 1904 . Bureau of Public Printing, U.S. Government Printing Office . 24–29.
  7. https://www.sinupan.org/2019/02/27/the-historical-indung-kapampangan-evidence-from-history-and-place-names/ The Historical Indúng Kapampángan: Evidence from History and Place Names
  8. https://subliblog.com/2019/08/04/zambales-province-home-province-of-subic-bay-and-mt-pinatubo/ Zambales Province, Home Province of Subic Bay and Mt. Pinatubo
  9. Web site: Rubino . Carl . n.d. . The Philippine National Proverb: Translated Into Various Philippine Languages . 14 April 2018 . iloko.tripod.com.