take/kuha

potetjp potetjp at wanadoo.fr
Thu Sep 21 09:47:11 UTC 2000


I am puzzled by the Tagalog verb  _kúha_ "take".
It is not entered in the following comparative lists:

REID, Lawrence A.(1971). Philippine minor languages. Hawaii.
Nos. 301: swim; 302: tail; 303: tear [crying]

YAP, Fe Aldave (1977). A comparative study of Philippine lexicons. Manila.
pp. 196: kukó "fingernail"; 197: kuló' "to boil"

Some cognates are mentioned in
PANGANIBAN, José Villa (1972). Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-English. Quezon
City.
p. 310: Bikol kuá, Kapampangan kuwá' (kuwâ), Maranao koa, Cebuano &
Samar-Leyte kúha'.

ZORC, R. David Paul (1981). Core etymological dictionary of Filipino.
Fascicle 2. k. Manila.
has an entry for it, quotes the same cognates, reconstitutes from them
Proto-Southern-Philippine (PSP) *kúha', and  -cautiously -
Proto-Hesperonesian-Formosan (PHF) *kuSa'.

The term is entered in
SAN BUENAVENTURA, Pedro de (1613). Vocabulario de lengua tagala. Pila.
p. 578: tomar ) coha (pp) qualquier cosa de qualquiera parte etc.

Because of this absence of cognates in areas where Spaniards were few, and
the existence of cognates where Spanish influence was heavy, I wonder
whether Tag. _kúha_ etc. are not early borrowings from Spanish _coja_
['ko-xa] "Please take.", the 3rd pers. sing. of the subjunctive present
_coger_ "to seize", used as a polite imperative for the 2nd pers. sing.,
instead of the informal _coge_ ['ko-xe] "take".

Any opinion?

Jean-Paul G. POTET. B. P. 46. 92114 CLICHY CEDEX. FRANCE.



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