Gorontalo–Mongondow languages

The Gorontalo–Mongondow languages are a group of Austronesian languages spoken in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Gorontalo–Mongondow
Geographic
distribution
Gorontalo, parts of North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi provinces, Indonesia
Linguistic classificationAustronesian
Proto-languageProto-Gorontalo–Mongondow
Subdivisions
  • Gorontalic
  • Mongondowic
Language codes
Glottologgoro1257

Languages

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The Gorontalo–Mongondow languages are divided into two branches:[1]

Classification

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Similarities between Mongondow and the languages of the Philippines were already recognized in the first half of the 20th century.[3] Noorduyn (1982) presented phonological and morphological evidence for a close connection between Gorontalo and Mongondow,[4] while the full extent of the subgroup including all other Gorontalic languages was established by Usup (1986).[1] Blust (1991) has shown that the Gorontalo–Mongondow languages link up with many languages of the central and southern Philippines in the Greater Central Philippine subgroup.[5] The following table exemplifies the close relationship, listing Greater Central Philippine innovations which are found in Mongondow (representing the Gorontalo–Mongondow languages) and Tagalog (the northernmost member of the Greater Central Philippine subgroup):

Mongondow Tagalog Meaning
modaliʔ-daliʔ madalíʔ 'quick'
modolom madilím 'dark'
duguʔ dugóʔ 'blood'
obuʔ ubó 'cough'
pugad púgad 'nest'
tapaʔ sápaʔ 'brook'
tubig túbig 'water'

Reconstruction

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Proto-Gorontalo–Mongondow
Reconstruction ofGorontalo–Mongondow languages
Reconstructed
ancestors

The lexicon and phonology of Proto-Gorontalo-Mongondow has been reconstructed by Usup (1986).[1] Proto-Gorontalo-Mongondow pronouns have been reconstructed by Lobel (2011).[6]

Sound changes

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Initial sound changes from Proto-Greater Central Philippine:[7]

  • > *o
  • *N[-hom.]P > *N[+hom.]P
  • in reduplications *C¹C² > *C²
  • *a > *o in the first syllable of reduplications
Modern outcomes in Gorontalo-Mongondowic languages
Gorontalic Mongondowic
Gorontalo Buol Kaidipang Suwawa Atinggola Bolango Bintauna Mongondow Ponosakan
*ay > e *ay > oy
*aw > o *aw > ow
*iw > i *iw > uy
*C# > Co[8]
*b / _*u > h *b / _*u > v
*a / _# > o
*n# > , lo, ngo[9] *n# > , n, ng[10] *n# >
*o > u / {*b, *d, *g}_
*a > o / *b_ *a > o / {*b, *d, *g}_
*a > e / {*d, *g}_
*mb, *nd > m, n
*ŋg > ng[11]
*s > t *s > t *s > t[12]
*P[-voice] > P[+voice] / *N_
*#V > wV[13] *#V > wV[13] *#V > wV
*#i > yi *#i > yi
*k > ʔ[14] *k > ʔ[14]
*r > l *r > h
*n > l
*s > d / *N_ *s > j / *N_
*g > h[15] *g > k
*b > v, *d > r[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Usup, Hunggu Tadjuddin (1986). Rekonstruksi Proto-Bahasa Gorontalo-Mongondow [Proto-Gorontalo-Mongondow Language Reconstruction] (Doctoral thesis) (in Indonesian). Universitas Indonesia.
  2. ^ Moseley, Christopher (2008). Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-1357-9640-2.
  3. ^ Esser, S.J. (1938). "Talen". Atlas van Tropisch Nederland [Atlas of Tropical Netherlands] (in Dutch). Blad 9a. Batavia: Topografische Dienst.
  4. ^ Noorduyn, J. (1982). "Sound Changes in the Gorontalo Language". In Halim, A.; Carrington, L.; Wurm, S.A. (eds.). Papers from the Third International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics, Vol. 2: Tracking the travellers. Pacific Linguistics, C-75. Canberra: Australian National University. pp. 241–261. doi:10.15144/PL-C75.241. hdl:1885/145067. ISBN 978-0-85883-275-6.
  5. ^ Blust, Robert (1991). "The Greater Central Philippines Hypothesis". Oceanic Linguistics. 30 (2): 73–129. doi:10.2307/3623084. JSTOR 3623084.
  6. ^ Lobel, Jason (2011). "Pronominal Number in Mongondow-Gorontalo". Oceanic Linguistics. 50 (2): 543–550. doi:10.1353/ol.2011.0029. JSTOR 41337067.
  7. ^ Sneddon, James N.; Usup, Hunggu Tadjuddin (1986). "Shared sound changes in the Gorontalic language group: Implications for subgrouping". Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 142 (4): 407–26. doi:10.1163/22134379-90003347. JSTOR 27863783.
  8. ^ Buol originally has the epenthetic vowel -o, but now often reverted by apocope.
  9. ^ Modern reflexes are inconsistent, the most common is -∅, and the least common is -ngo.
  10. ^ Modern reflexes are inconsistent, the most common is -n, and the least common is -ng.
  11. ^ As in the orthography, pronounced the same as ŋ.
  12. ^ Possibly except before -i-
  13. ^ a b Except *i, see below.
  14. ^ a b Non-phonemic word-initially. Did not happen after nasals.
  15. ^ a b Did not happen after nasals.