Sambal language

Sambal 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.

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'', 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). Sambals would not normally recognize the reference.

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, 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. 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:
*/a/ an open front unrounded vowel similar to English 'father'
*/i/ a close front unrounded vowel similar to English 'machine'
*/u/ (written as ‘o’) a close back unrounded vowel similar to English 'flute'

There are five main diphthongs: , , , /ij/, and .

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.

Note: Consonants and sometimes interchange, as they were once allophones. ''Dy'' is pronounced , ''ny'' , ''sy'' , and ''ty'' .

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 and in Cebuano and Tagalog are pronounced with and , respectively, in their cognates in Sambal. Compare and with the Tagalog and .

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:

# Nakalato hiyay lalaki or nakalato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo.
# Linu-mato hiyay lalaki; or
# 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.

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

Sample texts

Philippine national proverb

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

The Lord's Prayer

Version from Matthew

Version from Luke

Examples

Numbers

Sambal numbers are listed below.

Common expressions

See also

* Sambal people
*Zambales
*Languages of the Philippines

Notes

References

* Elgincolin, Sotera B & Priscilla R; Goshnick , Hella. (1988). ''English-Tina Sambal-Pilipino dictionary''. Summer Institute of Linguistics.
* Goschnick, Hella E. (1989). ''The poetic conventions of Tina Sambal''. Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines, Special Monograph Issue, 27.

External links

Zambal-language resources at the SIL

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sambal
Languages of Zambales
Sambalic languages