Linguistic Contact in East Timor

[Paz B. Naylor]

Davi,

 

In the Philippine languages I know (Tagalog, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon), to
specify the “natural gender” of ‘gender-neutral’ words that refer to humans,
the following pattern is used:  gender-neutral word + attr. na/nga  + lalaki
‘man/male ’/ babae ‘woman/female’.

                            

For example:

          

1. anak ‘offspring’ + na/nga  + babae ‘woman/female’  > anak na/nga babae
‘daughter’;

    anak ‘offspring’ + na/nga  + lalaki ‘man/male’  > anak na/nga lalaki
‘son’.

                      

2. Tagalog: kapatid  ‘sibling’ +  na  +  babae  ‘woman/female’ > kapatid  na
babae ‘sister’;      

                  kapatid  ‘sibling’ +  na  +  lalaki   ‘man/male’ > kapatid
na lalaki  ‘brother’.

 

    Cebuano/Hiligaynon: igsuon ‘sibling’ + -ng (< nga) + babae
‘woman/female’ > igsuong babae ‘sister’

                                   igsuon ‘sibling’ + -ng (< nga) + lalaki
‘man/male’  > igsuong lalaki  ‘brother’

 

The very few English loanwords that are gender-neutral follow the same
pattern.

For example: titser ‘teacher’ + na/nga  + babae ‘woman/female’  > titser
na/nga babae ‘female teacher’;

                    titser ‘teacher’ + na/nga  + lalaki ‘man/male’  > titser
na/nga lalaki  ‘male teacher’.

 

 However, Spanish loanwords that involve ‘natural gender’ have gender
distinction ‘built in’ in the donor language. 

 For example:

        m(a)estro ‘male teacher’ vs. m(a)estra ‘female teacher;

        doktor ‘male doctor’ vs. doktora ‘female doctor’

        tindero ‘male vendor/shopkeeper vs. tindera ‘female
vendor/shopkeeper;  

        (Tagalog) kumpare ‘co-godfather’ vs. kumare ‘co-godmother’;

        (Cebuano/Hiligaynon) kumpadre ‘co-godfatheN.B. 

 

N.B. 

It is interesting to note that the Spanish -o/-a marker of gender
distinction has been ‘over-extended’ and come to be applied by many
Tagalog/other Philippine language speakers (who do not know Spanish) to
Spanish loanwords that refer to 2 articles of clothing in particular. 

For example:

        Spanish vestido ‘dress’ > Tagalog  bestida; Spanish terno ‘matched
outfit/ Filipino woman’s traditional dress’ > terna ‘Filipino woman’s
traditional dress’.

 

It appears that the ‘popular’ rationale for this is that these garments are
for women; ergo, the words should have a female gender marker.

 

 

With kind regards,

 

Paz B. Naylor 

 

 

PAZ BUENAVENTURA NAYLOR Ph.D.

Emeritus: Associate Professor, Asian Languages and Cultures

          Program Associate, Linguistics

          Faculty Associate, Center for SSEAsian Studies

Formerly: Assistant Professor, Linguistics

          Lecturer, Teaching Fellow, Romance Languages 

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI 48109 

Home Address: 2032 Winsted Blvd., Ann Arbor MI 48103

     Tel/Fax: 734-995-2371

 

 

 

 

 

    

  _____  

 

 

 

From: an-lang-bounces at anu.edu.au [mailto:an-lang-bounces at anu.edu.au] On
Behalf Of Davi Albuquerque
Sent: Sunday, January 10, 2010 10:50 AM
To: An Lang
Subject: [An-lang] Linguistic Contact in East Timor

 

Dear  colleagues,
 
I am researching languages in contact in East Timor, and I faced two
problems. So, I have two questions that maybe someone could help me!
 
1- The languages of East Timor have a pattern to mark natural gender usually
putting a word that means means 'man' for human/male, 'woman' for
human/female, 'father' for animal/male, and 'mother' for animal/female. Ex.
in Tetun-Dili: oan 'offspring'; oan-mane 'offspring-man' 'son'; oan-feto
'offspring-woman' 'daughter'. This is a typological trace of Austronesian
languages? or, This can be reconstructed to any proto-language? or, This is
a tentative to reproduce the grammatical gender of Indo-European languages?
 
2- Waima'a dialect of East Timor has a set of ejectives, implosives, and
aspirated oclusives (Hajek and Bowden, 2002), but also others Austronesian
languages of East Timor appears to have at least one of these sets. Maybe
this could be due to the contact with Papuasic languages Waima'a < Makasae,
and Kemak < Bunak. Is this complex phonological system a typological feature
of Papuasic languages? Someone could mention others examples of Papuasic
influence on Austronesian due to intense contact?
 
Thank you all.
 
Prof. Davi B. Albuquerque. 
 
http://easttimorlinguistics.blogspot.com/ 
     
 
 

  _____  

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