Chapter I: Introduction

The publication of a Bisayan grammar has been eagerly awaited by many. It has been desired by those who are interested simply in the study of a native dialect. It has been needed by all Americans who desire an acquaintance with the language of the people among whom they live in order that they may get into closer touch with the great mass of natives as yet unable to speak either Spanish or English. It has been requested by many natives who wish to improve their use of their mother tongue. To all such, the present volume will prove of great value.

The author is recognized throughout Samar and Leyte as one of the highest authorities on the Samareño dialect. His statements may therefore be accepted as authoritative. His treatment of prefixes and suffixes, of similar words with different meanings, and of the various forms of the verb are especially interesting and valuable.

It is hoped that Mr. Norberto Romuáldez may be able to carry out his intention of putting out a combined grammar and language book designed especially for those just beginning the study of Bisayan. Such a work in conjunction with the present grammar would immensly facilitate the acquisition of a speaking knowledge of the dialect.

W. W. MARQUARDT,
Division Superintendent of Schools.

PREFATORY REMARKS

This book is not intended to be a complete grammar, but is only an elementary work containing a collection of some principles governing the formation of the words and the construction of the sentences of the Bisayan [1] dialect spoken on the islands of Samar and nearly half of Leyte, by about four hundred thousand people.

At random and at odd intervals as the author’s time permitted, he arranged, more or less in a logical grammatical order, the material gathered. Bearing in mind that there has never been any previous treatise on this subject worthy the name, the whole field therefore remaining practically unexplored, it will not be surprising that the use of spare moments covering only a short period has left much of the field undeveloped. However, what has been collected in this book will be found to be of primary importance to any one desiring to gain a quick acquaintance with the dialect for immediate practical use. After a careful study of the many examples under the different rules, coupled with a continuous practice, the user will be surprised—if he is a stranger—at the ease with which he acquires an Asiatic dialect, and—if he is a Filipino—how clear and logical is one of the most spoken dialects in his Mother-land.

The author had no intention of launching this work at the present time; but it is done at the behest of his American friends who have urged him to issue what has been collected, a portion only of what is intended ultimately to be a complete treatise and grammar of Bisayan, in order that this material may be available for the use of persons taking an interest in the Islands, thereby bringing about a common means of communication, which promotes a better feeling between the people born here and the newcomer.

The exposition of the different subjects is not in the modern didactic form generally used in this class of works. This is simply due to the lack of sufficient time. Thus the grammar is divided into the usual parts: orthography, prosody, etimology, and syntax. Some of these parts have been treated to a very limited extent, because time has not admitted of the collection of sufficient material and of the opportunity to weigh the relative values and eliminate the exceptions from the rules.

An appendix has been added where two topics are treated: notes on Rhetoric and Poetics of Bisayan, and notes on Filipino Dialectology consisting in a short comparative study of this dialect in reference to Tagalog, one of its sister-dialects in the Archipelago. The first notes are designed to complete the knowledge of Bisayan after the grammar is mastered; the second are intended to show the possibility of the formation of a common Filipino language [2] out of the different dialects scattered thru out the Archipelago, in a similar way as the Modern High German has been formed out of the main primitive groups Frisian and Saxon. Frankish, Hessian, and Thuringian, and Alemannian and Bavarian.

We have to repeat that our work is far from being perfect, even complete, on account of lack of sufficient time. Owing to the same circumstance, many errors in printing have crept into this book, which we have tried to correct at the end under the heading Errata. But we sincerely admit that not all of the mistakes that may be found in this book are to be assigned to lack of time. Like any other product of human industry, this work bears marks of errors arising from the two sources pointed out by Horace

quas aut incuria fudit,
Vut humana parum cavit natura.

Acknowledgement is hereby made for the help rendered by Messrs. W. W. Marquardt, Div. Superintendent of Schools of Leyte, P.I., Fred Shoemaker, and H. W. Halbourg, in correcting part of the proof, and for the collaboration of Mr. Henry E. Neibert, Former American Teacher of Jaro, Leyte, P.I. whose knowledge of both tongues, English and Bisayan, added much material to the work.

Hoping that this little volume may be of interest and real help, it is offered to an indulgent public for what it is worth.

Norberto Romualdez

Takloban, Province of Leyte,
Philippine Islands.
November 8, 1908.

CONTENTS

PAGE
DEDICATION I
INTRODUCTION III
PREFATORY REMARKS IV
CONTENTS IX

ORTHOGRAPHY AND PROSODY

LETTERS 1
THE ACCENTS 2
PUNCTUATION 3
VOWELS 5
SYLLABLES 5
CAPITALIZATION 5
CONTRACTIONS 7

ETYMOLOGY

PARTS OF SPEECH 6
Articles 7
Declension 8
Nouns 9
Diminutive 10
Figurative 12
Verbal 13
Compound 22
Derivative 23
Proper and Common 29
Positive, Comparative, and Superlative 32
Cardinal, Ordinal, Partitive, and Distributive 35
Collective 38
Gender 40
Number 40
Case 41
Important Observation 41
Transposition of Accents 43
Pronouns 47
Personal 47
Demonstrative 48
Possessive 50
Relative 52
Contractions 56
Verbs 57
Conjugation—Voices 58
Moods and Tenses 58
Number and Person 61
Inflections 61
Table 1.—Primitive Active 61
Table 2.—Progressive Active 61
Table 3.—Primitive Direct Passive 68
Table 4.—Progressive Direct Passive 70
Table 5.—Primitive Indirect Passive 73
Table 6.—Progressive Indirect Passive 75
Table 7.—Primitive Instrumental Passive 76
Table 8.—Progressive Instrumental Passive 78
Negative Forms 80
Interrogative Forms 82
Suppletory Verbs 84
Pronominal Form 84
Adverbial Form 84
Observation 87
Impersonal Verbs 88
Defective Verbs 88
Other classes of Verbs 89
Active Voice 90
Direct Passive 93
Indirect Passive 96
Instrumental Passive 96
Depreciative Verbs 96
Adverbs 97
Prepositions 98
Conjunctions 98
Interjections 99

SYNTAX

Subjective relation 100
Predicative relation 100
Attributive relation 100
Complementary relation 101
Adverbial relation 102
Representative relation 102
Connective relation 103
Absolute and independent constructions 103
Syntax of verbs 103
Arrangement of words 105

VIOLATIONS OF GOOD USE 105
Barbarisms 105
Foreign words 105
Foreign words unnecessarily used in Bisayan 106
Spanish words 106
Chinese words 111
English words 111
Foreign constructions 112
Foreign words necessarily used in Bisayan 112