Constituent Analysis(Rated lingg121: Professor’s guidance is advised)

Introduction

In the following constituent analysis of the major sentence patterns of the twenty-six Philippine languages, we have excluded the negative, causative and imperative sentences. We have not used in the illustrative sentences pronouns, proper nouns and the proper article, and the plural forms of nuns, verbs, adjectives and articles, except in some cases where there use is obligatory or clarificatory.

Definition of Terms

A word is any segment of a sentence bounded by successive points at which pausing is possible.

A noun is a word which consists of a root or of a stem or a noun affix.

A verb is a word which consists of a root or of a stem or a verbal affix. Note that the verbal affix has three components: voice, mode and tense or aspect.

An adjective is a word which consists of a root or of a stem or an adjective suffix.

An adverb is a word which consists of a root or of a stem and an adverbial affix.

Sentence Classification

Simple sentences

- it is either a predicative construction consisting of a simple clause, or a non-predicative construction

Definite sentences

-IC1 is the subject and IC2 the predicate. The subject is a noun phrase, or a noun preceded by a noun marker which is either an article or a demonstrative. The article is either common or proper.

In some languages a ligative particle (LP) occurs between the demonstrative and the noun

/qito.ŋ ba’ta qaŋ tumakbo./

(this-LP child the ran-away)

It was this child who an away.

In Sml the demonstrative occurs after the noun and no particle occurs between them.

Sml: /qanakqa.nak qi.ti qiyi bay para.gan./

(child this the past run-away)

‘It was this child who ran away.’

* In Isn. and Sml the common article is zero.

** In Isn and Tng if the noun marker is the common article, a definite suffix (DS) nust occur after the following noun.

Isn: /quŋa-d si nanagtag./

(child-DS the ran-away)

‘It was the child who ran away’

Tng: /di qana.k-ĕ ta nagtalay./

(the child-DS the ran-away)

*** In Smb, if the noun marker is the common article, the definite suffix /-in/ may r may not occur after the following noun.

Smb:(a) /ya dakana.k-in qiya bay para.gan./

(the child-DS the past run-away)

(b) /ya daka.nak qiya bay para.gan./

(the child the past run-away)

The predicate of a definitive sentence consists of a verb or verb phrase, an adjective, a common noun, or a particulate phrase, preceded by a predicate marker. Thus, according to the head of the predicate, definite sentences are classified as (a) verbal, (b) adjectival, (c) nominal, and (d) particulate.

Verbal Sentences

A verbal sentence is a definite sentence in which the head of the predicate is a verb or verb phrase. A verb phrase consists of a verb and one or more complements. The verb is either active or passive. Thus, according to their predicate verb, verbal sentences are either active or passive.

Active Sentences

in an active sentence the predicate verb is an active verb. Each of the twenty-six Philippine languages except Ter has several active affixes.

Bol: /si qanak qa nalayu./

(the child the ran-away)

Kap: /qiŋ qanak qiŋ milayi./

InIsn there are two predicate markers: {si-}; /-t/ after a vowel and /si/ after a consonant {di}: /ri/ after a vowel and /di/ after a consonant. If {di} is, the DS {-ad} must occur after the predicate verb.

Isn: /quŋa-d di nanagta.k.ad./

(child-DS the ran-away-DS)

Complements

One or more complements may occur with the active verb. A complement consists of a complement marker and a complement head. Seven different kinds of complement markers: the indefinite goal marker (IGM), the definite goal marker (DGM), the locative marker (LM), the benefactive marker (BM), the instrumental marker (IM), the reciprocal actor marker (RAM), and the agentive marker (AM).

Active verb subclasses

-are divided into six subclasses according to the complements which occur with them either obligatorily or optionally.

-the active definite sentences are kernel sentences. From them are derived the passive sentences by means of transformational rules.

Passive sentences

-a verbal (definite) sentence in which the predicate verb is a passive verb (co-occurs with a non-actor subject and has a passive actor complement)

-the passive actor complement occurs immediately after the passive verb and is preceded by the passive actor marker (PAM). Each of the twenty-six Philippine languages has several passive affixes.

(a)Goal passive

/qaŋ maŋga qaŋ kina.qin naŋ ba.taq/

(the mango the eaten PAM-the child)

“It was the mango which was eaten by the child.”

(b) Locative passive

/qaŋba.ta qaŋ binil;han naŋ bina.ta naŋ bulaklak./

(the child the bought PAM-bachelor IGM flower)

“The child was the one from whom the bachelor bought some flowers.”

(c) The benefactive passive

/qaŋ dala.ga qaŋ qibinili naŋ bina.ta naŋ bulaklak

(the maiden the bought PAM-the bachelor IGM flower)

“It was the maiden who was bought some flowers by the bachelor.”

(d) The instrumental passive

/qaŋ qitak qaŋ qipinamu.tol naŋ bina’ta naŋ ka.hoy./

(the bolo the cut PAM-the bachelor IGM wood)

“It was the bolo which the bachelor used in cutting wood.”

(e) The reciprocal actor passive

/qaŋ dala.ga qaŋ kinaqu.sap naŋ bina.taq./

(the maiden the talked PAM-the bachelor

“The maiden was the one with whom the bachelor talked.”

(f) The agentive passive

/qaŋ malàrya qaŋ qikinamatay naŋ ha.riq./

(the malaria the died PAM-the king)

“It was malaria which killed the king.”

Non-verbal sentences

-are definite sentences in which the head of the predicate is not a vrb or a verb phrase.

(a)The adjectival

/qaŋ dala.ga qaŋ maganda./

(the maiden the pretty)

“It is the maiden who is pretty.”

(b) The nominal

/qaŋ bina.ta qaŋ qabuga.do./

(the bachelor the lawyer)

“It is the bachelor who is the lawyer.”

Particulate Sentences

-the head of the predicate is a particulate phrase, i.e., a particle followed by a locative complement or a noun. The three types of particulate sentences are the prepositional, the locational, and the possessive.