Thus, as with glottal stops at the beginning of words, glottal stops at the
end of words appear and disappear. Therefore we never write glottal stops
at the end of words. (However, for purposes of illustration we have written
such stops in the previous and following paragraphs.)
Note, too, that Y and W never precede a final glottal stop but are replaced
by I and O respectively. If, however, there is no final glottal stop, W and Y
are used. Thus, sipilio’, bao’, baw, bariawbariaw; babai’, boi’, engey,
Nanay. (Remember that these glottal stops would not normally be written.)
However, there is another important use of the glottal stop which must be
discussed separately, as follows.
Glottal stop (') in the i’ ang construction.
It is hard to explain this without getting into the grammar of Cuyonon a bit,
but to simplify what we mean here, we are referring to the combination – i'
ang. This is roughly the equivalent of ng in Tagalog, but unlike ng it
appears in different forms.
As a speaker of Cuyonon you will observe that there are three variations of
this construction:
To indicate the agent of an action when the agent is not in focus.
Ingbabakal i’ ang bata ang sapatos. (Ang sapatos is in focus
and i’ ang bata is not.)
To indicate the object of an action when the object is not in focus. Here,
i' appears without ang. Nagbakal ang malam i’ sapatos. (i’ sapatos
is not in focus.)
To indicate possession. Ang balay i’ ang manggaden mabael.
Sometimes i’ ang is contracted. The i is dropped and the glottal stop is
saved and attached to the following ang, which is written as ‘ang; for
example, when indicating possession, ang pangamoyo 'ang Gino. (Note
that we might have said, ang pangamoyo i' ang Gino: the i was left out,
but the glottal stop is retained.)
The ang is also absent in certain circumstances. We have already noted
this above, for example, in reference to an object not in focus. The ang is
also absent before an infinitive or gerund (that is, a verb used as a noun);
for example, Ang manga tao agimpisa ren i' karaen, or Akatapos sanda
ren i’ saraot.
In summary, this combination of particles is spelled i' ang. While in some
circumstances i or ang is absent, the glottal stop is never dropped and
must be written as an apostrophe.
Manga - This word should be spelled out (not spelled mga as in Tagalog).
Writing verb tenses:
Root beginning with consonant Root beginning with vowel
Infinitive - magbakal magadal
Imperative - pagbakal pagadal
Completed - nagbakal or agbakal nagadal or agadal
Continuous - nagabakal or agabakal nagaadal or agaadal
Anticipated - magabakal or mabakal magaadal or maadal
Words with final vowels
Many Cuyonon words end in a vowel followed by a glottal stop, such as:
bata', ara', tio'. We don’t write the glottal stop.
Some words, however, end in vowels without the glottal stop in both spoken
and written form. Here are some examples:
Question words - kano, inoro, ano, samaoro, marasano, sino
Demonstratives - digi, didi, daya, doto, dotia, dia, dato, etc.
Conjunctions - aimoro, piro
Links - ka, (apat ka. . . ), ra
Pronouns - ako, tana, kita, sanda, kami, ko, mo, na, kanimo
kanana,
Markers - sa, ni, si
Prepositions - sa
Possessives - ana, imo, indo, anda
Words borrowed from other languages – Paragua, radio, goapo,
noibi, poira
Other words - o, doro, kono, dadi
Proper names
These tend to retain their Spanish or English spelling, including the
Spanish and English pronunciation of the letter e which in Cuyonon, of
course, has a different sound. Examples:
Angel, Felipe, Carmen, Padilla, Peter, Maria, De la Torre, Gomez, Smith
end of words appear and disappear. Therefore we never write glottal stops
at the end of words. (However, for purposes of illustration we have written
such stops in the previous and following paragraphs.)
Note, too, that Y and W never precede a final glottal stop but are replaced
by I and O respectively. If, however, there is no final glottal stop, W and Y
are used. Thus, sipilio’, bao’, baw, bariawbariaw; babai’, boi’, engey,
Nanay. (Remember that these glottal stops would not normally be written.)
However, there is another important use of the glottal stop which must be
discussed separately, as follows.
Glottal stop (') in the i’ ang construction.
It is hard to explain this without getting into the grammar of Cuyonon a bit,
but to simplify what we mean here, we are referring to the combination – i'
ang. This is roughly the equivalent of ng in Tagalog, but unlike ng it
appears in different forms.
As a speaker of Cuyonon you will observe that there are three variations of
this construction:
To indicate the agent of an action when the agent is not in focus.
Ingbabakal i’ ang bata ang sapatos. (Ang sapatos is in focus
and i’ ang bata is not.)
To indicate the object of an action when the object is not in focus. Here,
i' appears without ang. Nagbakal ang malam i’ sapatos. (i’ sapatos
is not in focus.)
To indicate possession. Ang balay i’ ang manggaden mabael.
Sometimes i’ ang is contracted. The i is dropped and the glottal stop is
saved and attached to the following ang, which is written as ‘ang; for
example, when indicating possession, ang pangamoyo 'ang Gino. (Note
that we might have said, ang pangamoyo i' ang Gino: the i was left out,
but the glottal stop is retained.)
The ang is also absent in certain circumstances. We have already noted
this above, for example, in reference to an object not in focus. The ang is
also absent before an infinitive or gerund (that is, a verb used as a noun);
for example, Ang manga tao agimpisa ren i' karaen, or Akatapos sanda
ren i’ saraot.
In summary, this combination of particles is spelled i' ang. While in some
circumstances i or ang is absent, the glottal stop is never dropped and
must be written as an apostrophe.
Manga - This word should be spelled out (not spelled mga as in Tagalog).
Writing verb tenses:
Root beginning with consonant Root beginning with vowel
Infinitive - magbakal magadal
Imperative - pagbakal pagadal
Completed - nagbakal or agbakal nagadal or agadal
Continuous - nagabakal or agabakal nagaadal or agaadal
Anticipated - magabakal or mabakal magaadal or maadal
Words with final vowels
Many Cuyonon words end in a vowel followed by a glottal stop, such as:
bata', ara', tio'. We don’t write the glottal stop.
Some words, however, end in vowels without the glottal stop in both spoken
and written form. Here are some examples:
Question words - kano, inoro, ano, samaoro, marasano, sino
Demonstratives - digi, didi, daya, doto, dotia, dia, dato, etc.
Conjunctions - aimoro, piro
Links - ka, (apat ka. . . ), ra
Pronouns - ako, tana, kita, sanda, kami, ko, mo, na, kanimo
kanana,
Markers - sa, ni, si
Prepositions - sa
Possessives - ana, imo, indo, anda
Words borrowed from other languages – Paragua, radio, goapo,
noibi, poira
Other words - o, doro, kono, dadi
Proper names
These tend to retain their Spanish or English spelling, including the
Spanish and English pronunciation of the letter e which in Cuyonon, of
course, has a different sound. Examples:
Angel, Felipe, Carmen, Padilla, Peter, Maria, De la Torre, Gomez, Smith
| The sounds in the Cuyonon language can, for the most part, be written quite simply, and (in contrast to the English language!) in ways that are easy to read. Here is a start at describing this system. We recognize that there will be areas we have not addressed, and so we solicit your questions and comments. Remember that we are writing our own language, Cuyonon, not Tagalog, or English, or Hiligaynon, or Spanish. So we must think in terms of the Cuyonon language itself, and not utilize patterns we have seen in other languages unless they fit the structure and sound system of Cuyonon. |
| Dear Cuyonon speaker and writer: |
| WRITING CUYONON Pagsorolaten i' Cuyonon |
| copyright 2008 ESTER PONCE DE LEON TIMBANCAYA ELPHICK & VIRGINIA HOWARD SOHN |
MISCELLANEOUS FORMS
Various constructions - Sometimes it is hard to
know whether a construction is one word, two
words, or three words. The following are examples:
1. Ka as a link following a two-syllable word, such
as apat, the ka will stand alone. The word saka is
a contraction of isara ka, and should be spelled as
one word:
apat ka tao
saka tao
saka bilog
sitinta ka manga mimbro
sampolo mi darwa ka manga bata
2. Ka as an intensifier. This is written as a separate
word:
dorong ka tinlo
ang ka postora
3. Ka- as a prefix in combination with the –an suffix
must be written as one word:
katinloan
kabaelan
4. Mara-: We attach this to the following root:
marasano
maratingway
5. Ni or i should be written as they are spoken.
The ni or i is written separately:
ang istoria ni lola
ang istoria i lola
6. Taga: separate the word taga from the
following word, except when it is part of the name of
something:
taga digi
taga bokid
taga o'bong
taga Canipo
tagalongon - poisonous crab (one word)
7. Masig-: this is a prefix, as follows:
masigkatao
masigkakristiano
masigkaen
8. Manig-: this should be attached:
manigobra
manigpangisda
9. Tag-: attach tag- to the following word, unless
followed by a modifier:
tagmamaintek
tagororan
tagpapantek
tagbalay
tag saka sintabos
tag saka bilog
10. Pari-, para- reflexive prefixes (something one
does to or for oneself) must be attached to the verb:
parimokos
parigos
paribanaw
paramos
Various constructions - Sometimes it is hard to
know whether a construction is one word, two
words, or three words. The following are examples:
1. Ka as a link following a two-syllable word, such
as apat, the ka will stand alone. The word saka is
a contraction of isara ka, and should be spelled as
one word:
apat ka tao
saka tao
saka bilog
sitinta ka manga mimbro
sampolo mi darwa ka manga bata
2. Ka as an intensifier. This is written as a separate
word:
dorong ka tinlo
ang ka postora
3. Ka- as a prefix in combination with the –an suffix
must be written as one word:
katinloan
kabaelan
4. Mara-: We attach this to the following root:
marasano
maratingway
5. Ni or i should be written as they are spoken.
The ni or i is written separately:
ang istoria ni lola
ang istoria i lola
6. Taga: separate the word taga from the
following word, except when it is part of the name of
something:
taga digi
taga bokid
taga o'bong
taga Canipo
tagalongon - poisonous crab (one word)
7. Masig-: this is a prefix, as follows:
masigkatao
masigkakristiano
masigkaen
8. Manig-: this should be attached:
manigobra
manigpangisda
9. Tag-: attach tag- to the following word, unless
followed by a modifier:
tagmamaintek
tagororan
tagpapantek
tagbalay
tag saka sintabos
tag saka bilog
10. Pari-, para- reflexive prefixes (something one
does to or for oneself) must be attached to the verb:
parimokos
parigos
paribanaw
paramos
11. Months, days of the week: there are no native words but
these Spanish loan words must be written according to Cuyonon
pronunciation:
Iniro Lonis
Pibriro Martis
Marso Mirkolis
Abril Hoibis
Mayo Birnis
Honio Sabado
Holio Dominggo
Agosto
Siptimbri
Oktobri
Nobimbri
Disimbri
12. Numbers (Spanish loan words in Cuyonon spelling):
ono onsi
dos dosi
tris trisi
koatro katorsi
singko kinsi
sais disisais
syiti ` disisyiti
otso disiotso
noibi disinoibi
dyis bainti
trainta traintay ono
koarinta koarintay ono
singkointa singkointay ono
sisinta sisintay ono
sitinta sitintay ono
otsinta otsintay ono
nobinta nobintay ono
sinto dos syintos
mil milion
13. Numbers (Cuyonon):
isara
darwa
tatlo
apat
lima
anem
pito
walo
siam
sampolo
sampolo ig isara
sampolo ig darwa
sampolo ig tatlo
sampolo ig apat
sampolo ig lima
sampolo ig anem
sampolo ig pito
sampolo ig walo
sampolo ig siam
darwampolo
darwampolo ig isara
tatlompolo
tatlompolo ig isara
apat nga/ka polo
apat nga/ka polo ig isara
limampolo
limampolo ig isara
anem ka polo
anem ka polo ig isara
pitompolo
pitompolo ig isara
walompolo
walompolo ig isara
siam ka polo
siam ka polo ig isara
sanggatos
sanggatos ig/mi isara
darwa ka gatos
tatlo ka gatos
apat ka gatos
lima ka gatos
anem ka gatos
pito ka gatos
walo ka gatos
siam ka gatos
saka ribo
saka ribo ig/mi isara
milion
saka milion
(Note: ig, mi, and asta all mean “and” and can all be used in
numbers.)
these Spanish loan words must be written according to Cuyonon
pronunciation:
Iniro Lonis
Pibriro Martis
Marso Mirkolis
Abril Hoibis
Mayo Birnis
Honio Sabado
Holio Dominggo
Agosto
Siptimbri
Oktobri
Nobimbri
Disimbri
12. Numbers (Spanish loan words in Cuyonon spelling):
ono onsi
dos dosi
tris trisi
koatro katorsi
singko kinsi
sais disisais
syiti ` disisyiti
otso disiotso
noibi disinoibi
dyis bainti
trainta traintay ono
koarinta koarintay ono
singkointa singkointay ono
sisinta sisintay ono
sitinta sitintay ono
otsinta otsintay ono
nobinta nobintay ono
sinto dos syintos
mil milion
13. Numbers (Cuyonon):
isara
darwa
tatlo
apat
lima
anem
pito
walo
siam
sampolo
sampolo ig isara
sampolo ig darwa
sampolo ig tatlo
sampolo ig apat
sampolo ig lima
sampolo ig anem
sampolo ig pito
sampolo ig walo
sampolo ig siam
darwampolo
darwampolo ig isara
tatlompolo
tatlompolo ig isara
apat nga/ka polo
apat nga/ka polo ig isara
limampolo
limampolo ig isara
anem ka polo
anem ka polo ig isara
pitompolo
pitompolo ig isara
walompolo
walompolo ig isara
siam ka polo
siam ka polo ig isara
sanggatos
sanggatos ig/mi isara
darwa ka gatos
tatlo ka gatos
apat ka gatos
lima ka gatos
anem ka gatos
pito ka gatos
walo ka gatos
siam ka gatos
saka ribo
saka ribo ig/mi isara
milion
saka milion
(Note: ig, mi, and asta all mean “and” and can all be used in
numbers.)
Duplication: when to use a hyphen
or no hyphen:
When an unduplicated syllable or syllables can
stand alone as a word, then a hyphen is used in the
duplicated form
For example: panaw, "to walk," compared to
panaw-panaw, "to pace back and forth";
gorang, "to sit, older, mature," compared to
gorang-gorang, "elders, parents."
When the unduplicated syllable or syllables cannot
stand alone as a word, the duplicated form should
not have a hyphen.
For example, bitbit, "to carry something in one’s
hand," because there is no word bit; and
bariawbariaw, "a kind of seaweed," because there
is no word bariaw.
or no hyphen:
When an unduplicated syllable or syllables can
stand alone as a word, then a hyphen is used in the
duplicated form
For example: panaw, "to walk," compared to
panaw-panaw, "to pace back and forth";
gorang, "to sit, older, mature," compared to
gorang-gorang, "elders, parents."
When the unduplicated syllable or syllables cannot
stand alone as a word, the duplicated form should
not have a hyphen.
For example, bitbit, "to carry something in one’s
hand," because there is no word bit; and
bariawbariaw, "a kind of seaweed," because there
is no word bariaw.
Dr. and Mrs. Colin Tweddell (at right) and Cuyonon informants. Dr. Tweddell was
the first linguist to study Cuyonon. He collected texts by interviewing native
speakers and compiled an extensive Cuyonon vocabulary. He quickly
established rapport with the Cuyonons by learning to speak the language in a
matter of months. He was thorough and dedicated, paving the way for
subsequent, more extensive studies of the language.
the first linguist to study Cuyonon. He collected texts by interviewing native
speakers and compiled an extensive Cuyonon vocabulary. He quickly
established rapport with the Cuyonons by learning to speak the language in a
matter of months. He was thorough and dedicated, paving the way for
subsequent, more extensive studies of the language.
THE ALPHABET -
The Cuyonon alphabet has 20 letters:
a, b, d, e, g, h, i, k, l, m, n, ng, o, p, r, s, t, w, y
and ' (glottal stop written as an apostrophe).
Please note that ng is a single sound.
Consonants - Here are the 16 consonants, with examples:
b - baboy, babai, boawi, lobiok, koyab, boi
d - doto, kadkad, doadoa, Dios, dadi
g - gosto, dagat, goapo, bagiaw, libag
h - irihis, kahil, bihon, sotanghon
k - kawayan, bakawan, koago, bakia, apok
l - lalaki, balay, loaw-loaw, lieg, kodal
m - maslit, aromasit, malam, amianan, ilam
n - nana, ana, nanay, noibi, ponios, dan
ng - ngirit, boringisen, bong (remember,
ng is one sound and equals one consonant)
p - paray, apat, teptep, poas, mapiet, akep
r - rabotrabot, rokrok, tanggar, riabriab, barot, piar
s - sarok, boslit, ta’bas, soay, siansi, baras
t - todlo, litson, litsi, toak, tian, paret, toad
w - way-way, bo’wa, kawil, karabaw
y - yaya, ayamo, patay
' - (glottal stop – see notes below)
– be’ras, be’na, te’me
Vowels - Here are the 4 vowels, with examples:
a - mal, abaga
e - beken, em, petpet, beleg, e'en
i - sit, bitbit, siki
o - kotkot, onod, bok, oto
Vowel clusters - There are also clusters of vowels
- that is, two vowels found together.
aa - (this is only found in affixed forms
-affix is defined later) - nagaadal
ae - kaen, baeg, bael, laem
ai - babai, bait
ao - laod, bao, daon, kaoy, baog
ea - (only in affixed forms) - karakean, te'mea
ia - siak, biak, bagiaw, liaibi
ie - piet, lieg
io - tio, limpio, liolio
oa - boat, loa, boawi
oi - dispois, noibi, koilio, doindi
When a root word starting with a vowel, for example, ayad, is
given a prefix ending in the same vowel, such as ma-, ka-, pa-,
the first and second vowels are written as in maayad,
kaayadan, paayaden, and in many other words as in kaapon,
(yesterday, as opposed to kapon, which is "capon" in English,
referring to a castrated rooster). In speech, the two identical
vowels (aa) are pronounced as one long vowel.
The Cuyonon alphabet has 20 letters:
a, b, d, e, g, h, i, k, l, m, n, ng, o, p, r, s, t, w, y
and ' (glottal stop written as an apostrophe).
Please note that ng is a single sound.
Consonants - Here are the 16 consonants, with examples:
b - baboy, babai, boawi, lobiok, koyab, boi
d - doto, kadkad, doadoa, Dios, dadi
g - gosto, dagat, goapo, bagiaw, libag
h - irihis, kahil, bihon, sotanghon
k - kawayan, bakawan, koago, bakia, apok
l - lalaki, balay, loaw-loaw, lieg, kodal
m - maslit, aromasit, malam, amianan, ilam
n - nana, ana, nanay, noibi, ponios, dan
ng - ngirit, boringisen, bong (remember,
ng is one sound and equals one consonant)
p - paray, apat, teptep, poas, mapiet, akep
r - rabotrabot, rokrok, tanggar, riabriab, barot, piar
s - sarok, boslit, ta’bas, soay, siansi, baras
t - todlo, litson, litsi, toak, tian, paret, toad
w - way-way, bo’wa, kawil, karabaw
y - yaya, ayamo, patay
' - (glottal stop – see notes below)
– be’ras, be’na, te’me
Vowels - Here are the 4 vowels, with examples:
a - mal, abaga
e - beken, em, petpet, beleg, e'en
i - sit, bitbit, siki
o - kotkot, onod, bok, oto
Vowel clusters - There are also clusters of vowels
- that is, two vowels found together.
aa - (this is only found in affixed forms
-affix is defined later) - nagaadal
ae - kaen, baeg, bael, laem
ai - babai, bait
ao - laod, bao, daon, kaoy, baog
ea - (only in affixed forms) - karakean, te'mea
ia - siak, biak, bagiaw, liaibi
ie - piet, lieg
io - tio, limpio, liolio
oa - boat, loa, boawi
oi - dispois, noibi, koilio, doindi
When a root word starting with a vowel, for example, ayad, is
given a prefix ending in the same vowel, such as ma-, ka-, pa-,
the first and second vowels are written as in maayad,
kaayadan, paayaden, and in many other words as in kaapon,
(yesterday, as opposed to kapon, which is "capon" in English,
referring to a castrated rooster). In speech, the two identical
vowels (aa) are pronounced as one long vowel.
Types of Cuyonon Words
As in all languages, we find in Cuyonon action words (verbs), object
and instrument words (nouns), actor words (nouns, pronouns,),
descriptives (adjectives, adverbs), etc. Verbs tend to be made up of
root words (for example, balik) and affixes that precede the verb
(prefixes), follow the verb (suffixes), or are inserted within it (infixes).
For example, nagabalik has the prefix naga-; balikan has the suffix
–an; and baralik has the infix –ar-. Many nouns are made up the
same way. For example, pagbaraliken has the prefix pag-, the infix –
ar-, and the suffix –en. The affixes are always attached to the root
word, not written separately.
Sometimes, too, the root is reduplicated, as in nagabalik-balik or
agabalik-balik.
How do I know which to use – an O or a W? an I
or a Y?
The choice between O and W, and between I and Y, depends on
where they occur in a word. W and Y are called semi-vowels,
because sometimes they serve as consonants: (e.g., wala, to the
left, left-handed; yaya, nanny).
Moreover, at the “edges” of syllables these sounds also act like
consonants and are therefore also spelled with W and Y – e.g.,
karabaw, bakaw, tatay, engey.
In the middle of syllables the sounds are vowels and are therefore
spelled with O and I – e.g., rokrok, bitbit.
There are also many Cuyonon words in which the O or I sound
follows a consonant, and is then followed by another vowel. In these
cases they are neither on the “edges” of syllables nor are they in
the middle. These are called “off-glides” because they “slide” off the
first consonant, and they are spelled with O (as in boi, boin) and
with I (as in sipilio, siansi).
To understand why O and I should be used in these situations, form
the future of the verbs boat and siak: you will see that Cuyonons
duplicate the first consonant and the first vowel and boat becomes
boboaten, and siak becomes sisiaken. If we were to use the W or
Y, the future forms would be bwabwaten and syasyaken, which
are not Cuyonon words.
Glottal stop (')
This is a catch in the throat common in Cuyonon, causing a short
break in the flow of speech. Cuyonon speakers are often unaware
of the glottal stop but they must become aware if they want to write
their language accurately. It can appear in the beginning of words
that start with a vowel, in the middle of words, and at the end of
words after a vowel or a combination of vowels. When the glottal
stop is indicated by a written symbol, that symbol is the
apostrophe (‘).
In isolation (that is, not in a phrase or sentence), the glottal stop
before the initial vowel is pronounced, but in the middle of a phrase
it often is not. For example, the initial glottal stop is pronounced
when the word ambeng is used alone, but in the phrase ang
ambeng digi sa balay the glottal stop is frequently dropped.
Therefore, the initial glottal stop is never written.
In the middle of words, the glottal stop usually occurs after a vowel
and before a consonant or another vowel. For example, be'ras, e’
en. Sometimes the glottal stop substitutes for t or d in the middle of
a word or phrase. For instance, itlog becomes i'log, betken
becomes be’ken, tolad i' dia becomes tola' dia, or even toa' dia.
In this in-between position the glottal stop must be written; e.g.,
te’me, kira’bot.
At the end of words, glottal stops frequently occur; e.g., bai', great-
grandmother. Note, however, that when the ligature ng is added to
such words, as in the phrase baing Maria, the glottal stop
disappears. It also disappears in the first half of a reduplication, as
when bata’, child becomes bata-bata’, doll.
As in all languages, we find in Cuyonon action words (verbs), object
and instrument words (nouns), actor words (nouns, pronouns,),
descriptives (adjectives, adverbs), etc. Verbs tend to be made up of
root words (for example, balik) and affixes that precede the verb
(prefixes), follow the verb (suffixes), or are inserted within it (infixes).
For example, nagabalik has the prefix naga-; balikan has the suffix
–an; and baralik has the infix –ar-. Many nouns are made up the
same way. For example, pagbaraliken has the prefix pag-, the infix –
ar-, and the suffix –en. The affixes are always attached to the root
word, not written separately.
Sometimes, too, the root is reduplicated, as in nagabalik-balik or
agabalik-balik.
How do I know which to use – an O or a W? an I
or a Y?
The choice between O and W, and between I and Y, depends on
where they occur in a word. W and Y are called semi-vowels,
because sometimes they serve as consonants: (e.g., wala, to the
left, left-handed; yaya, nanny).
Moreover, at the “edges” of syllables these sounds also act like
consonants and are therefore also spelled with W and Y – e.g.,
karabaw, bakaw, tatay, engey.
In the middle of syllables the sounds are vowels and are therefore
spelled with O and I – e.g., rokrok, bitbit.
There are also many Cuyonon words in which the O or I sound
follows a consonant, and is then followed by another vowel. In these
cases they are neither on the “edges” of syllables nor are they in
the middle. These are called “off-glides” because they “slide” off the
first consonant, and they are spelled with O (as in boi, boin) and
with I (as in sipilio, siansi).
To understand why O and I should be used in these situations, form
the future of the verbs boat and siak: you will see that Cuyonons
duplicate the first consonant and the first vowel and boat becomes
boboaten, and siak becomes sisiaken. If we were to use the W or
Y, the future forms would be bwabwaten and syasyaken, which
are not Cuyonon words.
Glottal stop (')
This is a catch in the throat common in Cuyonon, causing a short
break in the flow of speech. Cuyonon speakers are often unaware
of the glottal stop but they must become aware if they want to write
their language accurately. It can appear in the beginning of words
that start with a vowel, in the middle of words, and at the end of
words after a vowel or a combination of vowels. When the glottal
stop is indicated by a written symbol, that symbol is the
apostrophe (‘).
In isolation (that is, not in a phrase or sentence), the glottal stop
before the initial vowel is pronounced, but in the middle of a phrase
it often is not. For example, the initial glottal stop is pronounced
when the word ambeng is used alone, but in the phrase ang
ambeng digi sa balay the glottal stop is frequently dropped.
Therefore, the initial glottal stop is never written.
In the middle of words, the glottal stop usually occurs after a vowel
and before a consonant or another vowel. For example, be'ras, e’
en. Sometimes the glottal stop substitutes for t or d in the middle of
a word or phrase. For instance, itlog becomes i'log, betken
becomes be’ken, tolad i' dia becomes tola' dia, or even toa' dia.
In this in-between position the glottal stop must be written; e.g.,
te’me, kira’bot.
At the end of words, glottal stops frequently occur; e.g., bai', great-
grandmother. Note, however, that when the ligature ng is added to
such words, as in the phrase baing Maria, the glottal stop
disappears. It also disappears in the first half of a reduplication, as
when bata’, child becomes bata-bata’, doll.
The Cuyo town plaza as seen from the kampanario of the Cuyo Catholic Church.
Photo was taken around 1980
Photo was taken around 1980
CONTACT US ESTER T. ELPHICK Cuyonon Language and Culture Project, Inc. 12 Yellow Yellow Circle Middletown, CT 06457 USA eelphick@cuyonon.org |
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