ORTHOGRAPHY AND PROSODY

ORTHOGRAPHY AND PROSODY[Contents]LETTERS.The Bisayan letters are twenty:1a,asainlargeh,ashinhatqu,as the Englishkb,}as in Englishi,soundingeer,}as in Englishc,l,}as in Englishs,d,m,t,e,aseinwelln,u,soundingooas ingoodg,asgingoodo,asoinlongy,asyinyoungng̃,asnginlongp,as in English[2]After knowing the respective sounds of these letters, according to the preceding table, no rule is necessary for the pronunciation of Bisayan words.1According to the nature of the Bisayan dialect and according to what some Filipino philologists have written, Rizal among them, referring to the dialects in the Philippines, the letters of the Bisayan language must be the following:a, b, d, e, g, g̃, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, y, w.As it can be noticed, the letters c, f, j, ñ, q, v, x and z are omitted from the preceding list, and g̃ and w are introduced. The reason for this is as follows:c, in its sound as incity,can be substituted by the letter s; and, in its sound like c incup, it can be substituted by k.f is never used in Bisayan.j, in its Spanish sound, can be substituted by h, which has an aspirate pronunciation in Bisayan in all cases. In Bisayan, there is no sound like that of the English j; however, in some places on the western and southern coasts of Leyte, theyis pronounced like the Englishj, as inmaayo(pronounced mah-ah-joh) good.The Spanish letter ñ, or a sound like it, can be written in Bisayan more properly with the combination of these two lettersny, as inminyo(pr. mean-yo) married.q is not necessary, since thekcan be used in all cases, whereqis needed. The phrasequiquilàon co(I shall see it) can be perfectly writtenkikiláon ko.v is never used in Bisayan.x, in its Spanish sound, can be substituted byks; and, in its English sounds, it can be substituted bygsorks, respectively.z, in either its English or its Spanish sound, is never used in Bisayan.Theg̃is for the nasal sound that is very often used in Bisayan, like the ng insong, longing. Thegis preferable to the combinationng̃, which would sometimes lead to confusion; because this combination ng in Bisayan, is not pronounced as one letter, in many instances, but each of these letters is pronounced; as, for example, the wordbug̃a(fruit), if written bunga, should soundbooong-ghah,which meansto dartorto be darted.w is needed in all cases of sounds like Spanish dipthongs; but it must be used in Bisayan always as a consonant, never as a vowel.Notwithstanding the preceding considerations, the orthography used in this book is the old one, but simplified to a certain extent, on account of the fact that this alphabet (if it can be properly called analphabet, it having nofor sound off) is not yet used, even known, but by very few persons among the Bisayan speaking people.It would be very desirable for the people to adopt the new orthography proposed in this note, because it is evidently more simple and proper for the particular nature of the Bisayan dialect.[2]A study ofthemethod of reducing the number of Bisayan vowels is also to be desired, as it seems that not more than three are needed, to wit:a, eori, ooru.The nature of the Bisayan tongue argues for such a simplicity. Dr. T.H. Pardo de Tavera, referring to the ancient Filipino alphabet, says: “The alphabet was composed of seventeen letters, three of which were vowels. A consonant standing alone was always pronounced with an a sound following; by the use of a dot or dash near and above the consonant stem, in much the same fashion as is used in certain systems of shorthand, instead of the sound of the a, the sound of the vowelseoriwas produced: when the dot or dash was placed below the consonant stem the vowel sound given was equivalent toooru.” (See Census of the Philippine Islands: 1903 Volume One, page 327).↑[Contents]THE ACCENTS.The orthographical accent is an important sign in Bisayan, in order to give to the words their proper pronunciation, and, consequently, their proper meaning.Of the emission of the voice in pronouncing the Bisayan vowels, there are two ways: one is the ordinary way, like that of the English vowels, as inbaga(red-hot coal or wood),dinhi(here),olo(head),and the other is by a guttural suspended emission of the voice, likethe lastainbagà(lungs),the lastiindirì(not or no), andthe lastointorò(drop).This guttural pronunciation is only used in the endings of words.From the various combinations of these ways of pronouncing the vowels and the force with which they are pronounced, it follows that a vowel, no matter which one it is, has four different sounds:1st.As ordinarily, and without any particular force.2nd.As ordinarily, but with force in its pronunciation.3rd.By a guttural suspended emission of the voice, and without force.4th.By a guttural suspended emission of the voice, and with force.[3]The first way does not need any orthographical sign. But the last three ones require a special orthographical accent in each ease.When a vowel is pronounced as ordinarily, but with more force than others in the same word, the proper accent is the acute (´).When a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound, but without any force, the corresponding accent is the grave (`).And when a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound with force, its accent is the circumflex (ˆ), which is simply the combination of the two foregoing accents, as this last represents a sound that is the combination of the two sounds, suspended guttural and with force.Therefore, in writing the wordquita, for example, in its three different meanings and according to its three different pronunciations, it must be as follows:quitá(we)quità(see)quitâ(look at).RULE. There are three different accents in Bisayan: the acute (´); the grave (`); and the angular, which we may call improperly circumflex (ˆ).The acute is located wherever it is needed, either at the beginning or in the middle or at the ending of the word. Examples:úpa(reward)upá(rice chaff).The grave and angular, by their nature, are only used upon words ending in a vowel, and then only upon the last vowel. Examples:dacò(large),dacô(larger)[Contents]PUNCTUATION.The signs of punctuation in Bisayan are the same as those in English, the rules for the use of the period (.), colon (:), semicolon (;), comma (,), parenthesis (), dash (—), quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophe (’) being identical.[4]But the rules are different for the use of the interrogation and exclamation points, and hyphen.In Bisayan, the Spanish way is followed in using two points of interrogation and two of exclamation, the one at the beginning of the question or exclamation (¿) (¡), and the other at the ending (?) (!).While the hyphen (-) is also used in Bisayan to connect parts of a word divided at the end of a line, and to connect two or more nouns, adjectives, or particles, so as to form them into a single compound, it has an additional use which is to separate distinctly the syllables of certain words that would have a different meaning or none at all without the said separation. Examples:sál-ong(to hook)sálong(resin)súl-ay(belching of an infant)súlay(prop)bac-ad(to unroll)os-og(to draw near from afar)im-im(lip)sid-ap(to look at)san-o(when, future)cacan-o(when, past)1NOTE.—The above separations are not of the same character as those caused by contractions or elisions, where the proper sign is not a hyphen, but an apostrophe. As,gáb’ifromgabii(night)cabitón’an,fromcabitoónan(stars)pabáy’i,frompabayái(leave him or her)it’ im’ bugtò ng̃an hit’ ac’ patód,fromiton imo bugtò ng̃an hitón acon patód(your brother or sister and my cousin).Therefore, it would not be correct to writegab-i, cabiton-an, pabay-i, where the apostrophe should be employed instead of the hyphen. However, the apostrophe is used only when needed to avoid wrong pronunciation or confusion.[5]So the last of the preceding examples is written without any sign of punctuation, thus:it im bugtò ng̃an hit ac patód.1In most of the towns of the island of Sámar, such separation as well as that by apostrophe is frequently disregarded, this being one of the most noticeable differences between the Sámar and Leyte dialects.↑[Contents]VOWELSThe Bisayan people, especially in Leyte, always have a tendency to separate the vowels in pronouncing the words, there being no Bisayan dipthong. So it isbi-ol(small basket) and notbiol; cá-on(eat),ti-il(foot),ma-opay(good), and notcáon, tiil, maopay. But this refers only to spoken language, not to written.Some words, likeuásay(axe),sabáo(broth) are pronouncedua-say, sa-bao, and notu-a-say, sa-ba-o. These syllablesuaandaoare not dipthongs. Theuin the syllableuaand theoin the syllableao, are not the vowelsu, o,but the consonantw. These words should be written more properlywásay, sabáw.11See the note on the first page of this book. This is one of the facts that urge the adoption of a more logical alphabet (?) for the Bisayan tongue.↑[Contents]SYLLABLESEvery vowel1with the consonant or consonants pronounced with it and every vowel pronounced alone form one syllable, and are written as such. This is the rule applied to the division of a word at the end of a line. Examples:ca-ru-ca-yá-can(conversation)bác-dao(stand)a-ha-cá(hemp), etc.1Exceptoanduwhen used as consonants, their function then being properly that of aw.↑[Contents]CAPITALIZATIONIn Bisayan, the following words should begin with capitals:1.The first word of every sentence.2.The proper nouns.3.The names of the days of the week and the months of the year.4.Titles of honor or office.[6]5.All words, except prepositions, conjunctions and unimportant adjectives, in the titles of books and essays.6.All names of God, and expressions referring to the Deity.7.Words representing important events in history and epochs of time.[Contents]CONTRACTIONSThere is no contraction used in Bisayan, except that in the signmg̃a(a particle employed to express the idea of plurality).Mg̃ais formang̃acomposed ofma(an important prefix of the Bisayan and Tagalog dialects, which bears the idea of abundance or plurality) andng̃a(a conjunctive particle which is necessarily employed to connect the variable parts of speech).NOTE. It would be desirable to have the following contractions adopted in Bisayan, inasmuch as they are universally recognized:i.e.forid est.P.S.for,,post scriptum.e.g.for,,exempli gratia.N.B.for,,nota bene.viz.for,,videlicet.a.m.for,,ante meridiem.etc.for,,et cetera.p.m.for,,post meridiem.1P.D.for,,post data.1The author believes that it is better to adopt these contractions than to invent others of Bisayan origin for the reason that they afford signs universally understood, and because every tongue has a tendency to assimilate such universal signs.↑

[Contents]LETTERS.The Bisayan letters are twenty:1a,asainlargeh,ashinhatqu,as the Englishkb,}as in Englishi,soundingeer,}as in Englishc,l,}as in Englishs,d,m,t,e,aseinwelln,u,soundingooas ingoodg,asgingoodo,asoinlongy,asyinyoungng̃,asnginlongp,as in English[2]After knowing the respective sounds of these letters, according to the preceding table, no rule is necessary for the pronunciation of Bisayan words.1According to the nature of the Bisayan dialect and according to what some Filipino philologists have written, Rizal among them, referring to the dialects in the Philippines, the letters of the Bisayan language must be the following:a, b, d, e, g, g̃, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, y, w.As it can be noticed, the letters c, f, j, ñ, q, v, x and z are omitted from the preceding list, and g̃ and w are introduced. The reason for this is as follows:c, in its sound as incity,can be substituted by the letter s; and, in its sound like c incup, it can be substituted by k.f is never used in Bisayan.j, in its Spanish sound, can be substituted by h, which has an aspirate pronunciation in Bisayan in all cases. In Bisayan, there is no sound like that of the English j; however, in some places on the western and southern coasts of Leyte, theyis pronounced like the Englishj, as inmaayo(pronounced mah-ah-joh) good.The Spanish letter ñ, or a sound like it, can be written in Bisayan more properly with the combination of these two lettersny, as inminyo(pr. mean-yo) married.q is not necessary, since thekcan be used in all cases, whereqis needed. The phrasequiquilàon co(I shall see it) can be perfectly writtenkikiláon ko.v is never used in Bisayan.x, in its Spanish sound, can be substituted byks; and, in its English sounds, it can be substituted bygsorks, respectively.z, in either its English or its Spanish sound, is never used in Bisayan.Theg̃is for the nasal sound that is very often used in Bisayan, like the ng insong, longing. Thegis preferable to the combinationng̃, which would sometimes lead to confusion; because this combination ng in Bisayan, is not pronounced as one letter, in many instances, but each of these letters is pronounced; as, for example, the wordbug̃a(fruit), if written bunga, should soundbooong-ghah,which meansto dartorto be darted.w is needed in all cases of sounds like Spanish dipthongs; but it must be used in Bisayan always as a consonant, never as a vowel.Notwithstanding the preceding considerations, the orthography used in this book is the old one, but simplified to a certain extent, on account of the fact that this alphabet (if it can be properly called analphabet, it having nofor sound off) is not yet used, even known, but by very few persons among the Bisayan speaking people.It would be very desirable for the people to adopt the new orthography proposed in this note, because it is evidently more simple and proper for the particular nature of the Bisayan dialect.[2]A study ofthemethod of reducing the number of Bisayan vowels is also to be desired, as it seems that not more than three are needed, to wit:a, eori, ooru.The nature of the Bisayan tongue argues for such a simplicity. Dr. T.H. Pardo de Tavera, referring to the ancient Filipino alphabet, says: “The alphabet was composed of seventeen letters, three of which were vowels. A consonant standing alone was always pronounced with an a sound following; by the use of a dot or dash near and above the consonant stem, in much the same fashion as is used in certain systems of shorthand, instead of the sound of the a, the sound of the vowelseoriwas produced: when the dot or dash was placed below the consonant stem the vowel sound given was equivalent toooru.” (See Census of the Philippine Islands: 1903 Volume One, page 327).↑

LETTERS.

The Bisayan letters are twenty:1a,asainlargeh,ashinhatqu,as the Englishkb,}as in Englishi,soundingeer,}as in Englishc,l,}as in Englishs,d,m,t,e,aseinwelln,u,soundingooas ingoodg,asgingoodo,asoinlongy,asyinyoungng̃,asnginlongp,as in English[2]After knowing the respective sounds of these letters, according to the preceding table, no rule is necessary for the pronunciation of Bisayan words.

The Bisayan letters are twenty:1

a,asainlargeh,ashinhatqu,as the Englishkb,}as in Englishi,soundingeer,}as in Englishc,l,}as in Englishs,d,m,t,e,aseinwelln,u,soundingooas ingoodg,asgingoodo,asoinlongy,asyinyoungng̃,asnginlongp,as in English

[2]

After knowing the respective sounds of these letters, according to the preceding table, no rule is necessary for the pronunciation of Bisayan words.

1According to the nature of the Bisayan dialect and according to what some Filipino philologists have written, Rizal among them, referring to the dialects in the Philippines, the letters of the Bisayan language must be the following:a, b, d, e, g, g̃, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, y, w.As it can be noticed, the letters c, f, j, ñ, q, v, x and z are omitted from the preceding list, and g̃ and w are introduced. The reason for this is as follows:c, in its sound as incity,can be substituted by the letter s; and, in its sound like c incup, it can be substituted by k.f is never used in Bisayan.j, in its Spanish sound, can be substituted by h, which has an aspirate pronunciation in Bisayan in all cases. In Bisayan, there is no sound like that of the English j; however, in some places on the western and southern coasts of Leyte, theyis pronounced like the Englishj, as inmaayo(pronounced mah-ah-joh) good.The Spanish letter ñ, or a sound like it, can be written in Bisayan more properly with the combination of these two lettersny, as inminyo(pr. mean-yo) married.q is not necessary, since thekcan be used in all cases, whereqis needed. The phrasequiquilàon co(I shall see it) can be perfectly writtenkikiláon ko.v is never used in Bisayan.x, in its Spanish sound, can be substituted byks; and, in its English sounds, it can be substituted bygsorks, respectively.z, in either its English or its Spanish sound, is never used in Bisayan.Theg̃is for the nasal sound that is very often used in Bisayan, like the ng insong, longing. Thegis preferable to the combinationng̃, which would sometimes lead to confusion; because this combination ng in Bisayan, is not pronounced as one letter, in many instances, but each of these letters is pronounced; as, for example, the wordbug̃a(fruit), if written bunga, should soundbooong-ghah,which meansto dartorto be darted.w is needed in all cases of sounds like Spanish dipthongs; but it must be used in Bisayan always as a consonant, never as a vowel.Notwithstanding the preceding considerations, the orthography used in this book is the old one, but simplified to a certain extent, on account of the fact that this alphabet (if it can be properly called analphabet, it having nofor sound off) is not yet used, even known, but by very few persons among the Bisayan speaking people.It would be very desirable for the people to adopt the new orthography proposed in this note, because it is evidently more simple and proper for the particular nature of the Bisayan dialect.[2]A study ofthemethod of reducing the number of Bisayan vowels is also to be desired, as it seems that not more than three are needed, to wit:a, eori, ooru.The nature of the Bisayan tongue argues for such a simplicity. Dr. T.H. Pardo de Tavera, referring to the ancient Filipino alphabet, says: “The alphabet was composed of seventeen letters, three of which were vowels. A consonant standing alone was always pronounced with an a sound following; by the use of a dot or dash near and above the consonant stem, in much the same fashion as is used in certain systems of shorthand, instead of the sound of the a, the sound of the vowelseoriwas produced: when the dot or dash was placed below the consonant stem the vowel sound given was equivalent toooru.” (See Census of the Philippine Islands: 1903 Volume One, page 327).↑

a, b, d, e, g, g̃, h, i, k, l, m, n, o, p, r, s, t, u, y, w.

As it can be noticed, the letters c, f, j, ñ, q, v, x and z are omitted from the preceding list, and g̃ and w are introduced. The reason for this is as follows:

Notwithstanding the preceding considerations, the orthography used in this book is the old one, but simplified to a certain extent, on account of the fact that this alphabet (if it can be properly called analphabet, it having nofor sound off) is not yet used, even known, but by very few persons among the Bisayan speaking people.

It would be very desirable for the people to adopt the new orthography proposed in this note, because it is evidently more simple and proper for the particular nature of the Bisayan dialect.[2]

A study ofthemethod of reducing the number of Bisayan vowels is also to be desired, as it seems that not more than three are needed, to wit:a, eori, ooru.

The nature of the Bisayan tongue argues for such a simplicity. Dr. T.H. Pardo de Tavera, referring to the ancient Filipino alphabet, says: “The alphabet was composed of seventeen letters, three of which were vowels. A consonant standing alone was always pronounced with an a sound following; by the use of a dot or dash near and above the consonant stem, in much the same fashion as is used in certain systems of shorthand, instead of the sound of the a, the sound of the vowelseoriwas produced: when the dot or dash was placed below the consonant stem the vowel sound given was equivalent toooru.” (See Census of the Philippine Islands: 1903 Volume One, page 327).↑

[Contents]THE ACCENTS.The orthographical accent is an important sign in Bisayan, in order to give to the words their proper pronunciation, and, consequently, their proper meaning.Of the emission of the voice in pronouncing the Bisayan vowels, there are two ways: one is the ordinary way, like that of the English vowels, as inbaga(red-hot coal or wood),dinhi(here),olo(head),and the other is by a guttural suspended emission of the voice, likethe lastainbagà(lungs),the lastiindirì(not or no), andthe lastointorò(drop).This guttural pronunciation is only used in the endings of words.From the various combinations of these ways of pronouncing the vowels and the force with which they are pronounced, it follows that a vowel, no matter which one it is, has four different sounds:1st.As ordinarily, and without any particular force.2nd.As ordinarily, but with force in its pronunciation.3rd.By a guttural suspended emission of the voice, and without force.4th.By a guttural suspended emission of the voice, and with force.[3]The first way does not need any orthographical sign. But the last three ones require a special orthographical accent in each ease.When a vowel is pronounced as ordinarily, but with more force than others in the same word, the proper accent is the acute (´).When a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound, but without any force, the corresponding accent is the grave (`).And when a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound with force, its accent is the circumflex (ˆ), which is simply the combination of the two foregoing accents, as this last represents a sound that is the combination of the two sounds, suspended guttural and with force.Therefore, in writing the wordquita, for example, in its three different meanings and according to its three different pronunciations, it must be as follows:quitá(we)quità(see)quitâ(look at).RULE. There are three different accents in Bisayan: the acute (´); the grave (`); and the angular, which we may call improperly circumflex (ˆ).The acute is located wherever it is needed, either at the beginning or in the middle or at the ending of the word. Examples:úpa(reward)upá(rice chaff).The grave and angular, by their nature, are only used upon words ending in a vowel, and then only upon the last vowel. Examples:dacò(large),dacô(larger)

THE ACCENTS.

The orthographical accent is an important sign in Bisayan, in order to give to the words their proper pronunciation, and, consequently, their proper meaning.Of the emission of the voice in pronouncing the Bisayan vowels, there are two ways: one is the ordinary way, like that of the English vowels, as inbaga(red-hot coal or wood),dinhi(here),olo(head),and the other is by a guttural suspended emission of the voice, likethe lastainbagà(lungs),the lastiindirì(not or no), andthe lastointorò(drop).This guttural pronunciation is only used in the endings of words.From the various combinations of these ways of pronouncing the vowels and the force with which they are pronounced, it follows that a vowel, no matter which one it is, has four different sounds:1st.As ordinarily, and without any particular force.2nd.As ordinarily, but with force in its pronunciation.3rd.By a guttural suspended emission of the voice, and without force.4th.By a guttural suspended emission of the voice, and with force.[3]The first way does not need any orthographical sign. But the last three ones require a special orthographical accent in each ease.When a vowel is pronounced as ordinarily, but with more force than others in the same word, the proper accent is the acute (´).When a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound, but without any force, the corresponding accent is the grave (`).And when a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound with force, its accent is the circumflex (ˆ), which is simply the combination of the two foregoing accents, as this last represents a sound that is the combination of the two sounds, suspended guttural and with force.Therefore, in writing the wordquita, for example, in its three different meanings and according to its three different pronunciations, it must be as follows:quitá(we)quità(see)quitâ(look at).RULE. There are three different accents in Bisayan: the acute (´); the grave (`); and the angular, which we may call improperly circumflex (ˆ).The acute is located wherever it is needed, either at the beginning or in the middle or at the ending of the word. Examples:úpa(reward)upá(rice chaff).The grave and angular, by their nature, are only used upon words ending in a vowel, and then only upon the last vowel. Examples:dacò(large),dacô(larger)

The orthographical accent is an important sign in Bisayan, in order to give to the words their proper pronunciation, and, consequently, their proper meaning.

Of the emission of the voice in pronouncing the Bisayan vowels, there are two ways: one is the ordinary way, like that of the English vowels, as in

baga(red-hot coal or wood),dinhi(here),olo(head),

and the other is by a guttural suspended emission of the voice, like

the lastainbagà(lungs),the lastiindirì(not or no), andthe lastointorò(drop).

This guttural pronunciation is only used in the endings of words.

From the various combinations of these ways of pronouncing the vowels and the force with which they are pronounced, it follows that a vowel, no matter which one it is, has four different sounds:

[3]

The first way does not need any orthographical sign. But the last three ones require a special orthographical accent in each ease.

When a vowel is pronounced as ordinarily, but with more force than others in the same word, the proper accent is the acute (´).

When a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound, but without any force, the corresponding accent is the grave (`).

And when a vowel is pronounced with a suspended guttural sound with force, its accent is the circumflex (ˆ), which is simply the combination of the two foregoing accents, as this last represents a sound that is the combination of the two sounds, suspended guttural and with force.

Therefore, in writing the wordquita, for example, in its three different meanings and according to its three different pronunciations, it must be as follows:

quitá(we)quità(see)quitâ(look at).

RULE. There are three different accents in Bisayan: the acute (´); the grave (`); and the angular, which we may call improperly circumflex (ˆ).

The acute is located wherever it is needed, either at the beginning or in the middle or at the ending of the word. Examples:

úpa(reward)upá(rice chaff).

The grave and angular, by their nature, are only used upon words ending in a vowel, and then only upon the last vowel. Examples:

dacò(large),dacô(larger)

[Contents]PUNCTUATION.The signs of punctuation in Bisayan are the same as those in English, the rules for the use of the period (.), colon (:), semicolon (;), comma (,), parenthesis (), dash (—), quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophe (’) being identical.[4]But the rules are different for the use of the interrogation and exclamation points, and hyphen.In Bisayan, the Spanish way is followed in using two points of interrogation and two of exclamation, the one at the beginning of the question or exclamation (¿) (¡), and the other at the ending (?) (!).While the hyphen (-) is also used in Bisayan to connect parts of a word divided at the end of a line, and to connect two or more nouns, adjectives, or particles, so as to form them into a single compound, it has an additional use which is to separate distinctly the syllables of certain words that would have a different meaning or none at all without the said separation. Examples:sál-ong(to hook)sálong(resin)súl-ay(belching of an infant)súlay(prop)bac-ad(to unroll)os-og(to draw near from afar)im-im(lip)sid-ap(to look at)san-o(when, future)cacan-o(when, past)1NOTE.—The above separations are not of the same character as those caused by contractions or elisions, where the proper sign is not a hyphen, but an apostrophe. As,gáb’ifromgabii(night)cabitón’an,fromcabitoónan(stars)pabáy’i,frompabayái(leave him or her)it’ im’ bugtò ng̃an hit’ ac’ patód,fromiton imo bugtò ng̃an hitón acon patód(your brother or sister and my cousin).Therefore, it would not be correct to writegab-i, cabiton-an, pabay-i, where the apostrophe should be employed instead of the hyphen. However, the apostrophe is used only when needed to avoid wrong pronunciation or confusion.[5]So the last of the preceding examples is written without any sign of punctuation, thus:it im bugtò ng̃an hit ac patód.1In most of the towns of the island of Sámar, such separation as well as that by apostrophe is frequently disregarded, this being one of the most noticeable differences between the Sámar and Leyte dialects.↑

PUNCTUATION.

The signs of punctuation in Bisayan are the same as those in English, the rules for the use of the period (.), colon (:), semicolon (;), comma (,), parenthesis (), dash (—), quotation marks (“ ”) and apostrophe (’) being identical.[4]But the rules are different for the use of the interrogation and exclamation points, and hyphen.In Bisayan, the Spanish way is followed in using two points of interrogation and two of exclamation, the one at the beginning of the question or exclamation (¿) (¡), and the other at the ending (?) (!).While the hyphen (-) is also used in Bisayan to connect parts of a word divided at the end of a line, and to connect two or more nouns, adjectives, or particles, so as to form them into a single compound, it has an additional use which is to separate distinctly the syllables of certain words that would have a different meaning or none at all without the said separation. Examples:sál-ong(to hook)sálong(resin)súl-ay(belching of an infant)súlay(prop)bac-ad(to unroll)os-og(to draw near from afar)im-im(lip)sid-ap(to look at)san-o(when, future)cacan-o(when, past)1NOTE.—The above separations are not of the same character as those caused by contractions or elisions, where the proper sign is not a hyphen, but an apostrophe. As,gáb’ifromgabii(night)cabitón’an,fromcabitoónan(stars)pabáy’i,frompabayái(leave him or her)it’ im’ bugtò ng̃an hit’ ac’ patód,fromiton imo bugtò ng̃an hitón acon patód(your brother or sister and my cousin).Therefore, it would not be correct to writegab-i, cabiton-an, pabay-i, where the apostrophe should be employed instead of the hyphen. However, the apostrophe is used only when needed to avoid wrong pronunciation or confusion.[5]So the last of the preceding examples is written without any sign of punctuation, thus:it im bugtò ng̃an hit ac patód.

But the rules are different for the use of the interrogation and exclamation points, and hyphen.

In Bisayan, the Spanish way is followed in using two points of interrogation and two of exclamation, the one at the beginning of the question or exclamation (¿) (¡), and the other at the ending (?) (!).

While the hyphen (-) is also used in Bisayan to connect parts of a word divided at the end of a line, and to connect two or more nouns, adjectives, or particles, so as to form them into a single compound, it has an additional use which is to separate distinctly the syllables of certain words that would have a different meaning or none at all without the said separation. Examples:

sál-ong(to hook)sálong(resin)súl-ay(belching of an infant)súlay(prop)bac-ad(to unroll)os-og(to draw near from afar)im-im(lip)sid-ap(to look at)san-o(when, future)cacan-o(when, past)1

NOTE.—The above separations are not of the same character as those caused by contractions or elisions, where the proper sign is not a hyphen, but an apostrophe. As,

gáb’ifromgabii(night)cabitón’an,fromcabitoónan(stars)pabáy’i,frompabayái(leave him or her)it’ im’ bugtò ng̃an hit’ ac’ patód,fromiton imo bugtò ng̃an hitón acon patód(your brother or sister and my cousin).

Therefore, it would not be correct to writegab-i, cabiton-an, pabay-i, where the apostrophe should be employed instead of the hyphen. However, the apostrophe is used only when needed to avoid wrong pronunciation or confusion.[5]So the last of the preceding examples is written without any sign of punctuation, thus:it im bugtò ng̃an hit ac patód.

1In most of the towns of the island of Sámar, such separation as well as that by apostrophe is frequently disregarded, this being one of the most noticeable differences between the Sámar and Leyte dialects.↑

[Contents]VOWELSThe Bisayan people, especially in Leyte, always have a tendency to separate the vowels in pronouncing the words, there being no Bisayan dipthong. So it isbi-ol(small basket) and notbiol; cá-on(eat),ti-il(foot),ma-opay(good), and notcáon, tiil, maopay. But this refers only to spoken language, not to written.Some words, likeuásay(axe),sabáo(broth) are pronouncedua-say, sa-bao, and notu-a-say, sa-ba-o. These syllablesuaandaoare not dipthongs. Theuin the syllableuaand theoin the syllableao, are not the vowelsu, o,but the consonantw. These words should be written more properlywásay, sabáw.11See the note on the first page of this book. This is one of the facts that urge the adoption of a more logical alphabet (?) for the Bisayan tongue.↑

VOWELS

The Bisayan people, especially in Leyte, always have a tendency to separate the vowels in pronouncing the words, there being no Bisayan dipthong. So it isbi-ol(small basket) and notbiol; cá-on(eat),ti-il(foot),ma-opay(good), and notcáon, tiil, maopay. But this refers only to spoken language, not to written.Some words, likeuásay(axe),sabáo(broth) are pronouncedua-say, sa-bao, and notu-a-say, sa-ba-o. These syllablesuaandaoare not dipthongs. Theuin the syllableuaand theoin the syllableao, are not the vowelsu, o,but the consonantw. These words should be written more properlywásay, sabáw.1

Some words, likeuásay(axe),sabáo(broth) are pronouncedua-say, sa-bao, and notu-a-say, sa-ba-o. These syllablesuaandaoare not dipthongs. Theuin the syllableuaand theoin the syllableao, are not the vowelsu, o,but the consonantw. These words should be written more properlywásay, sabáw.1

1See the note on the first page of this book. This is one of the facts that urge the adoption of a more logical alphabet (?) for the Bisayan tongue.↑

[Contents]SYLLABLESEvery vowel1with the consonant or consonants pronounced with it and every vowel pronounced alone form one syllable, and are written as such. This is the rule applied to the division of a word at the end of a line. Examples:ca-ru-ca-yá-can(conversation)bác-dao(stand)a-ha-cá(hemp), etc.1Exceptoanduwhen used as consonants, their function then being properly that of aw.↑

SYLLABLES

Every vowel1with the consonant or consonants pronounced with it and every vowel pronounced alone form one syllable, and are written as such. This is the rule applied to the division of a word at the end of a line. Examples:ca-ru-ca-yá-can(conversation)bác-dao(stand)a-ha-cá(hemp), etc.

ca-ru-ca-yá-can(conversation)bác-dao(stand)a-ha-cá(hemp), etc.

1Exceptoanduwhen used as consonants, their function then being properly that of aw.↑

[Contents]CAPITALIZATIONIn Bisayan, the following words should begin with capitals:1.The first word of every sentence.2.The proper nouns.3.The names of the days of the week and the months of the year.4.Titles of honor or office.[6]5.All words, except prepositions, conjunctions and unimportant adjectives, in the titles of books and essays.6.All names of God, and expressions referring to the Deity.7.Words representing important events in history and epochs of time.

CAPITALIZATION

In Bisayan, the following words should begin with capitals:1.The first word of every sentence.2.The proper nouns.3.The names of the days of the week and the months of the year.4.Titles of honor or office.[6]5.All words, except prepositions, conjunctions and unimportant adjectives, in the titles of books and essays.6.All names of God, and expressions referring to the Deity.7.Words representing important events in history and epochs of time.

In Bisayan, the following words should begin with capitals:

[Contents]CONTRACTIONSThere is no contraction used in Bisayan, except that in the signmg̃a(a particle employed to express the idea of plurality).Mg̃ais formang̃acomposed ofma(an important prefix of the Bisayan and Tagalog dialects, which bears the idea of abundance or plurality) andng̃a(a conjunctive particle which is necessarily employed to connect the variable parts of speech).NOTE. It would be desirable to have the following contractions adopted in Bisayan, inasmuch as they are universally recognized:i.e.forid est.P.S.for,,post scriptum.e.g.for,,exempli gratia.N.B.for,,nota bene.viz.for,,videlicet.a.m.for,,ante meridiem.etc.for,,et cetera.p.m.for,,post meridiem.1P.D.for,,post data.1The author believes that it is better to adopt these contractions than to invent others of Bisayan origin for the reason that they afford signs universally understood, and because every tongue has a tendency to assimilate such universal signs.↑

CONTRACTIONS

There is no contraction used in Bisayan, except that in the signmg̃a(a particle employed to express the idea of plurality).Mg̃ais formang̃acomposed ofma(an important prefix of the Bisayan and Tagalog dialects, which bears the idea of abundance or plurality) andng̃a(a conjunctive particle which is necessarily employed to connect the variable parts of speech).NOTE. It would be desirable to have the following contractions adopted in Bisayan, inasmuch as they are universally recognized:i.e.forid est.P.S.for,,post scriptum.e.g.for,,exempli gratia.N.B.for,,nota bene.viz.for,,videlicet.a.m.for,,ante meridiem.etc.for,,et cetera.p.m.for,,post meridiem.1P.D.for,,post data.

There is no contraction used in Bisayan, except that in the signmg̃a(a particle employed to express the idea of plurality).

Mg̃ais formang̃acomposed ofma(an important prefix of the Bisayan and Tagalog dialects, which bears the idea of abundance or plurality) andng̃a(a conjunctive particle which is necessarily employed to connect the variable parts of speech).

NOTE. It would be desirable to have the following contractions adopted in Bisayan, inasmuch as they are universally recognized:

i.e.forid est.P.S.for,,post scriptum.e.g.for,,exempli gratia.N.B.for,,nota bene.viz.for,,videlicet.a.m.for,,ante meridiem.etc.for,,et cetera.p.m.for,,post meridiem.1P.D.for,,post data.

1The author believes that it is better to adopt these contractions than to invent others of Bisayan origin for the reason that they afford signs universally understood, and because every tongue has a tendency to assimilate such universal signs.↑

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