Dupaningan Agta: Grammar, Vocabulary and Texts

378 Pages·2011·4.73 MB·English

by  Laura C. Robinson

DUPANINGAN AGTA:
GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY, AND TEXTS

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
IN
LINGUISTICS

MAY 2008

By
Laura C. Robinson

Dissertation Committee:

Robert A. Blust, Chairperson
Michael L. Forman
Yuko Otsuka
Kenneth L. Rehg
Nicholas A. Thieberger
Aurelio S. Agcaoili

© Copyright 2008
by
Laura C. Robinson
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Dedicated to Ronald “Ukong” Agcaoili,
for sharing his language with me
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank all the Dupaningan Agta people who
shared their language with me, without whom this work would not have been possible. I
am especially grateful to Mr. Ronald “Ukong” Agcaoili, who shared not only his
language, but also his friendship. Thank you. My gratitude also extends to Manet
Agcaoili, Gilliam “Ballek” Cabaldo, Idring “Garwet” Malingling, Lebi and Amboy
Agcaoili, Nardeng “Burog” Doniego, Michael and Anit Andres, Maribel and Luby
Agcaoili, Balsig Baclig, and all the Agta of Santa Ana.
My sincere gratitude also goes out to those who have helped me in my academic
career. I wish to thank Robert Blust, for his support and encouragement over the years;
Ken Rehg, for sharing his knowledge of phonology and language documentation; Yuko
Otsuka, for asking difficult questions; Mike Forman, for asking interesting questions;
Nick Thieberger, for his friendship; and Aurelio Agcaoili, for his willingness to jump on
board at the last minute. I also wish to express my gratitude to Bion Griffin, for sharing
his experiences with the Dupaningan Agta, and to Lawrence Reid, for leading me to
discover the world of Philippine Negrito languages.
And to everyone else who helped me along the way, thank you.
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ABSTRACT
Dupaningan Agta is an Austronesian language of the Philippine subgroup which is
spoken in northeastern Luzon, Philippines by approximately 1,400 semi-nomadic hunter-
gatherers belonging to the Negrito ethnic minority. The language is endangered, as it is
beginning to lose child speakers. This dissertation introduces the language situation and
discusses phonology (synchronic and historical) and morphosyntax (word order, word
classes, the verb complex, aspect, case marking, nominalization, question formation,
relative clauses and other essential aspects of Dupaningan grammar). Dupaningan Agta
has a relatively simple phonological system, with fifteen consonants and five vowels. Of
note, *a has been fronted to /i/ or /e/ after the voiced stops /b d g/. Morphosyntactically,
the language has a typical Philippine-type “symmetrical voice” or “focus” system. The
voice system of Dupaningan Agta is explored, with special reference to an interesting
“double-object” construction with two syntactic subjects. Finally, this dissertation
includes a substantial vocabulary and selection of texts. The audio versions of these texts
are available as .wav files associated with this dissertation.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................v
ABSTRACT .....................................................................................................................vi
LIST OF TABLES..........................................................................................................xii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.......................................................................................xiv
GLOSSING CONVENTIONS.......................................................................................xv
1 Background.................................................................................................................1
1.1 Language location and situation.........................................................................1
1.2 Physical environment..........................................................................................4
1.3 Dialects...............................................................................................................5
1.4 Language name...................................................................................................7
1.5 Place in family tree.............................................................................................8
1.6 Dupaningan culture...........................................................................................11
1.7 Language endangerment...................................................................................14
1.8 Borrowing.........................................................................................................15
1.9 Conceptions of language...................................................................................17
1.10 Austronesian/Negrito origins............................................................................19
1.11 Previous work on Dupaningan..........................................................................25
1.12 Methodology.....................................................................................................26
1.13 What’s in this dissertation.................................................................................28
1.14 Framework........................................................................................................29
2 Phonology.................................................................................................................41
2.1 Historical phonology.........................................................................................41
2.1.1 Sound changes..........................................................................................41
2.1.1.1 *z > d....................................................................................................41
2.1.1.2 *R > g....................................................................................................41
2.1.1.3 *j...........................................................................................................42
2.1.1.4 *q > ø....................................................................................................43
2.1.1.5 *h > ø....................................................................................................43
2.1.1.6 Low vowel fronting...............................................................................44
2.1.1.7 t/s metathesis.........................................................................................45
2.1.1.8 *s > h.....................................................................................................46
2.1.1.9 Gemination............................................................................................47
2.1.1.10 *´ > O................................................................................................47
2.1.1.11 *´ > a.................................................................................................48
2.1.1.12 Synchronic or diachronic?................................................................48
2.1.1.12.1 Nasal substitution..........................................................................48
2.1.1.12.2 Geminate morphophonemics........................................................50
2.1.2 Dupaningan and Northeastern Luzon.......................................................55
2.1.3 Northeastern Luzon and Northern Cordilleran.........................................57
2.2 Synchronic Phonology......................................................................................58
2.2.1 Consonants................................................................................................58
2.2.1.1 Minimal pairs........................................................................................59
2.2.1.2 Geminates.............................................................................................60
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2.2.1.3 Liquids..................................................................................................61
2.2.1.4 Glottal stop............................................................................................61
2.2.1.5 r.............................................................................................................62
2.2.1.6 Glottal fricative h..................................................................................63
2.2.1.7 Alveolar versus velar voiced stops.......................................................64
2.2.1.8 Velar Nasal............................................................................................64
2.2.1.9 Affrication.............................................................................................64
2.2.2 Vowels......................................................................................................66
2.2.2.1 Minimal pairs........................................................................................66
2.2.2.2 Alternations between [a] and [´]...........................................................67
2.2.2.3 Mid front vowels [e] and [ɛ].................................................................67
2.2.2.4 Mid/high vowel alternations.................................................................68
2.2.2.5 Stress & vowel length...........................................................................71
2.2.3 Syllable structure......................................................................................72
2.2.4 Word structure..........................................................................................74
2.2.5 Other phonological rules...........................................................................75
2.2.5.1 Complete assimilation of /n/.................................................................75
2.2.5.2 Nasal assimilation.................................................................................76
2.2.5.3 Pronoun vowel deletion........................................................................76
3 The noun phrase........................................................................................................77
3.1 Defining a noun.................................................................................................77
3.2 Case/Noun markers...........................................................................................79
3.2.1 Common nouns.........................................................................................80
3.2.1.1 Nominatives..........................................................................................82
3.2.1.2 Genitives...............................................................................................84
3.2.1.3 Obliques................................................................................................86
3.2.2 Proper nouns.............................................................................................89
3.2.2.1 Singular.................................................................................................90
3.2.2.2 Plurals...................................................................................................91
3.3 Definiteness & indefiniteness...........................................................................92
3.4 Specificity.........................................................................................................93
3.4.1 Specific deictics........................................................................................97
3.5 Plurality.............................................................................................................99
3.5.1 Plurality via reduplication.......................................................................101
3.5.2 Conjoined noun phrases..........................................................................101
3.6 Possession.......................................................................................................103
3.7 Noun Formation..............................................................................................106
3.7.1 Roots as nominals...................................................................................106
3.7.2 Nominalizing ka-....................................................................................107
3.7.3 Nominalizing -an....................................................................................107
3.7.4 Nominalizing ka- -an..............................................................................108
3.7.5 Nominalizing pag-..................................................................................109
3.7.6 Nominalizing pag- -an............................................................................109
3.7.7 Nominalizing parag-...............................................................................110
3.7.8 Nominalizing pang- & pang- -an...........................................................110
3.7.9 Familial relationships..............................................................................111
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3.7.10 Diminutive..............................................................................................111
3.7.11 Ownership...............................................................................................112
3.7.12 Origin......................................................................................................113
3.8 Pronouns.........................................................................................................113
3.8.1 Short-form nominatives..........................................................................115
3.8.2 Long-form nominatives..........................................................................117
3.8.3 Genitives.................................................................................................118
3.8.4 Obliques..................................................................................................120
3.8.5 Pronouns in combination........................................................................122
3.8.6 Anaphoric pronoun.................................................................................124
3.8.7 Anaphoric locative..................................................................................127
3.8.8 Deictics, demonstratives, and locatives..................................................128
3.8.8.1 Demonstrative pronouns.....................................................................129
3.8.8.2 Oblique demonstratives/locatives.......................................................131
3.9 Vocatives/Address forms................................................................................132
3.10 Adjectives/Nominal modifiers........................................................................135
3.10.1 Placement of adjectives within the noun phrase.....................................137
3.10.2 Monomorphemic adjectives....................................................................139
3.10.3 Adjectival prefix ma-..............................................................................140
3.10.4 Adjectival prefix na-...............................................................................140
3.10.5 Reduplicated roots..................................................................................141
3.10.6 Superlatives.............................................................................................141
3.10.7 Comparatives..........................................................................................142
3.10.8 Similarity.................................................................................................143
3.10.9 Numbers..................................................................................................143
3.10.9.1 Position...........................................................................................145
3.10.9.2 Ordinal numbers..............................................................................145
3.10.9.3 Distributives....................................................................................146
3.10.9.4 Restrictive numbers........................................................................146
3.10.9.5 Multiplicatives................................................................................146
4 The verb phrase.......................................................................................................148
4.1 Defining a verb...............................................................................................148
4.2 Voice...............................................................................................................148
4.2.1 Actor voice..............................................................................................151
4.2.1.1 mag-....................................................................................................152
4.2.1.2 <um>..................................................................................................153
4.2.1.3 mang-..................................................................................................155
4.2.2 Patient voice -an.....................................................................................156
4.2.3 Locative voice -an...................................................................................157
4.2.4 Theme voice i-........................................................................................157
4.2.5 Derived actor voice constructions...........................................................159
4.2.6 Benefactive constructions.......................................................................161
4.2.7 Causative pa-..........................................................................................161
4.3 Aspect.............................................................................................................162
4.3.1 Incompletive...........................................................................................163
4.3.2 Completive..............................................................................................164
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4.3.2.1 Actor voice nag-.................................................................................164
4.3.2.2 Actor voice <inum>...........................................................................164
4.3.2.3 Actor voice nang-...............................................................................165
4.3.2.4 Patient voice........................................................................................165
4.3.2.5 Locative voice.....................................................................................166
4.3.2.6 Theme voice ni-..................................................................................166
4.3.3 Continuative............................................................................................167
4.3.4 Recent completive ka-.............................................................................170
4.3.5 Sequential narrative forms......................................................................170
4.3.6 Habitual marag-......................................................................................171
4.4 Mood...............................................................................................................173
4.4.1 Infinitive..................................................................................................173
4.4.2 Imperative and hortative.........................................................................173
4.4.3 Abilitative maka-....................................................................................174
4.4.4 Social maki-............................................................................................176
4.4.5 Accidental ma-........................................................................................176
4.5 Multiplicative Ca- reduplication.....................................................................178
4.6 Auxiliary verbs................................................................................................179
4.6.1 Fully inflecting........................................................................................179
4.6.1.1 ‘go’ umangay......................................................................................179
4.6.1.2 other verbs...........................................................................................181
4.6.2 Pseudo Verbs..........................................................................................181
4.6.2.1 kasur ‘want, like’................................................................................182
4.6.2.2 madi ‘don’t want’................................................................................184
4.6.2.3 Quoted speech kon-.............................................................................185
4.6.2.4 katandi ‘understand’...........................................................................186
4.6.2.5 kad- ‘go’..............................................................................................188
4.6.2.6 kom- ‘come’........................................................................................189
4.7 Adverbs...........................................................................................................189
4.7.1 Adjectives and verbs as adverbs.............................................................189
4.7.2 Adverbs of time.......................................................................................190
4.7.3 Adverbial particles..................................................................................195
4.7.3.1 Softeners/Emphatics...........................................................................197
4.7.3.1.1 la ‘just, only’.................................................................................197
4.7.3.1.2 Realization noman........................................................................197
4.7.3.1.3 Softener dalla................................................................................198
4.7.3.1.4 Softener agat.................................................................................199
4.7.3.1.5 Softener bas...................................................................................199
4.7.3.2 Adverbial particles of time..................................................................200
4.7.3.2.1 dan ‘already’ and variants.............................................................200
4.7.3.2.2 Future particle nin.........................................................................204
4.7.3.2.3 manon ‘again’...............................................................................205
4.7.3.2.4 pala ‘still, yet’...............................................................................205
4.7.3.2.5 Contrastive pat ‘still, yet’..............................................................206
4.7.3.3 Adverbial particles of mood................................................................206
4.7.3.3.1 Contrastive bi................................................................................206
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