• Central-Philippine language; used as the basis for "Filipino" • glottal stops occur obligatorily in pre- and intervocalic position, and phonemically in word-final position; only word-final glottal stops are represented in spelling • the minimal roots of native words are bisyllabic • final velar nasals of prefixes assimilate in place with stem-initial obstruents
Typological Information
• VSO • verbal focus system • prefixation, suffixation, infixation • weak word class distinction
• ad CV:-reduplication: the vowel of the reduplicant is always long, irrespective of the vowel length of the base • ad CV-reduplication: the vowel of the reduplicant is always short, irrespective of the vowel length of the base • ad bisyllabic reduplication: if the base is bisyllabic, the whole base is reduplicated; if the base consists of more than two syllables, initial CV(C)CV- is reduplicated. As most word stems in Tagalog are bisyllabic, this type often appears as "full reduplication". • reduplicated word forms can be input for further word formation
Diachrony
In words with polysyllabic prefixes, the base for CV:-reduplication is changing. Older (and more formal): stem initial syllable, e.g. maka-ki~kita. Today (and more colloquial): second syllable of the prefixed word form. E.g. maka~ka-kita
Productivity
Loan words and foreign words can be regularly reduplicated in most cases.
Repetitive Operations
Intensives and repetitives with the linker na- / -ng: awa "pity" --> awa-ng-awa "feeling great pity"; bagot "boredom" --> bagot na bagot "very bored"; etc. Tumawa ng tumawa si Juan. "Juan laughed and laughed." (cf. Schachter and Otanes 1972: 225; 231)
Comments
"Initial" reduplication always means "stem-initial" (note that this apperas as word internal in most cases!).
Terminology