Sambal language


Sambal or Sambali is a Sambalic language spoken primarily in the Zambal municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Palauig, and Iba, and in the Pangasinense municipality of Infanta in the Philippines; speakers can also be found in Panitian, Quezon, Palawan and Barangay Mandaragat or Buncag of Puerto Princesa.

Name

The language is occasionally referred to as zambal, which is the hispanicized form of Sambal.
Sambal had also for a time been referred to as Tina, a term still encountered in older sources. The term, however, which means "bleached" in the Botolan variety of the language, is considered offensive. The pejorative term was first used in the late 1970s by researchers from the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Sambals would not normally recognize the reference.

Phonology

Sambali has 19 phonemes: 16 consonants and three vowels. Syllable structure is relatively simple.

Vowels

Sambali has three vowels. They are:
There are five main diphthongs:,,, /ij/, and.

Consonants

Below is a chart of Tina consonants. All the stops are unaspirated. The velar nasal occurs in all positions including at the beginning of a word.
Note: Consonants and sometimes interchange, as they were once allophones. Dy is pronounced, ny, sy, and ty.

Stress

Stress is phonemic in Sambal. Stress on words is very important, they differentiate words with the same spellings, but with different meanings, e.g. hikó and híko.

Historical sound changes

Many words pronounced with and in Cebuano and Tagalog are pronounced with and, respectively, in their cognates in Sambal. Compare hiko and ba-yo with the Tagalog siko and bago.

Grammar

Nouns

Zambal Pronouns

Common singular pronouns

ang, 'yung – yay hikon-mong, ya-rin hikon-moy
ng, n'ung – nin kon-moyo
Sa – ha
Nasa – Ison ha, Itaw ha

Common plural pronouns

ang mgá, 'yung mgá – yay + first letter of plural word + aw
ng mgá, n'ung mgá – nin yay + first letter of plural word + aw
sa mgá – ha first letter of plural word + aw
Nasa mga – Iti, ison, itaw + pronoun

Personal singular pronouns

Si – hi
Ni – Ni
Kay – Kun ni
na kay – hikun

Personal plural

Sina – Hila
Nina – ni
Kina – Kun li
Nakina – Hikunla
Note: In a general conversation, “hi” is usually omitted or contracted from the pronoun. E.g. Hikunla tana hiya rin is simply ‘kunla tana ‘ya-rin or even shorter as ‘kunlay na rin.
Example:
The man arrived. Dumating ang lalaki:
1) Nakalato hiyay lalaki or nakalato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo.
2) Linu-mato hiyay lalaki; or
3) Lin’mato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo.
Yay
Hiyay
Hikamon
Hilay
Nakita ni Juan si Maria – Na-kit ni Juan hi Maria. "John saw Mary."
Note that in Philippine languages, even the names of people require an article.

Plural nominal article

Pupunta sina Elena at Roberto sa bahay ni Miguel.
Maku hila Elena tan Roberto ha bali ni Miguel.
Pupunta ako – maku-ko
Papunta – ma-mako
Punta – mako
Pumupunta – ampako
Pupuntahan – ampaku-tawan\makuku-son
"Helen and Robert will go to Miguel's house."
Nasaan ang mga aklat?
Ayti yay lawlibro?
Na kay Tatay ang mga susi.
Hikun niTatay yay sawsusi or ‘Kunni Tatay yay sawsusi
"Father has the keys."
Malusog ang sanggol.
Maganda yay lalaman nya-nin makating/makalog.
"That baby is healthy."

Pronouns (Panghalip)

Personal pronouns are categorized by case. The indirect forms also function as the genitive.
1st person singular
Ako – hiko
Ko – ko
Akin – hikunko
1st person dual
Kita – ta, kunta
1st person plural inclusive
Tayo – hitamo or ‘tamo
Natin – hikuntamo or ‘kuntamo
Atin – hikuntamo or ‘kuntamo
1st person plural exclusive
Kami – hikami or ‘kami
Namin – mi
Amin – hikunmi or ‘kunmi
2nd person singular
ikáw – hika
mo – mo
iyó – hikunmo or ‘kunmo
2nd person plural
Kayo – hikamo or ‘kamo
Ninyo –moyo
Inyo – hikunmoyo or ‘kunmoyo
3rd person singular
Siya – hiya
Niya – naya
Kaniya – hikunnaya or ‘kunnaya
3rd person plural
Silá – hila
Nilá – la
Kanilá – hikunla or ‘kunla
Examples:
Sulat is hulat or sulat
Sumulat ako. Humulat ko or Sumulat ko.
"I wrote."
Sinulatan ako ng liham. Hinulatan nya hiko or hinulatan nya’ ko.
"He/She wrote me a letter." Hinomulat ya ‘kunko, nanulat ya kunko, or hinulatan mya ko.
Ibibigay ko sa kaniyá. Ebi ko ‘kunna.
"I will give it to him/her."
Genitive pronouns follow the word they modify. Oblique pronouns can take the place of the genitive pronoun but they precede the word they modify.
Ang bahay ko. Yay bali ko.
Ang aking bahay. Yay ‘kunkon bali.
"My house."

Demonstrative Pronouns

Enclitic Particles

Existential

Interrogative Words

Sambal – Tagalog – English
Ayri/Ayti - Saan – Where
Anya - Ano - What
Anta/Ongkot - Bakit - why
hino - sino - who
nakano -kailan -when

Sample texts

Philippine national proverb

Below is a translation in Sambal of the Philippine national proverb “He who does not acknowledge his beginnings will not reach his destination,” followed by the original in Tagalog.

Version from Matthew

Ama mi an ison ha langit,

sambawon a ngalan mo.

Ma-kit mi na komon a pa-mag-ari mo.

Ma-honol komon a kalabayan mo iti ha lota

a bilang anamaot ison ha langit.

Biyan mo kami komon nin

pa-mangan mi para konan yadtin awlo;

tan patawaron mo kami komon ha kawkasalanan mi

a bilang anamaot ha pa-matawad mi

konlan ampagkasalanan komi.

Tan komon ando mo aboloyan a matokso kami,

nokay masbali ipa-lilih mo kamin kay makagawa doka,

ta ikon moy kaarian, kapangyarian tan karangalan a homin

panganggawan. Amen.

Version from Luke

Ama mi, maipatnag komon a banal mon kapangyarian.

Lomato ana komon an awlon sikay mag-ari.

Biyan mo kamin pa-mangan mi sa inawlo-awlo.

Inga-rowan mo kami sa kawkasalanan mi bilang

pa-nginganga-ro mi konlan nagkasalanan komi

tan ando mo kami aboloyan manabo sa tokso.

Wamoyo.

Examples

Loan words

Numbers

One= a`sa
Two = luwa

Common expressions

kay ko tanda / tanda ko= i don't know / i know = hindi ko alam / alam ko
papo = grandparent = lola/lolo
kaka = sibling or cousin = ate/kuya/pinsan
kay ko labay / labay ko = i don't like / i like = hindi ko gusto / gusto ko
murong tamoy na= lets go home/back = uwi/balik na tayo
hadilap = tomorrow = bukas
hawanin = now/today = ngayon
naapon = yesterday = kahapon
ya = yes = oo
ka`i = no = hindi