User:Lac414/Batak language (Philippines)

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Batak
Palawan Batak
Native toPhilippines
RegionPalawan
Ethnicity2,040 (1990 census)[1]
Native speakers
200 (2000)[1]
Tagbanwa alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3bya
Glottologbata1301

Batak is an endangered Austronesian language spoken by the Batak people, who are an indigenous people native to Palawan Island in the Philippines. To be specific, this group inhabits a series of river valleys that fall along a 50 km stretch northeast of what is known today as Puerto Princesa City and parts of the mountains in Central Palawan Island. The language spoken by the people is sometimes disambiguated from the Batak languages as Palawan Batak and is one of 32 Negrito languages[2].

The language shares phonetic, morphologic, and lexical similarities with the Central Bisayan group of Philippine languages but has stronger similarities to the lexical and morphological features that is found with Tagbanuwa and Palawano. Batak is spoken in the communities of Babuyan, Maoyon, Tanabag, Langogan, Tagnipa, Caramay, and Buayan. Surrounding languages include Southern Tagbanwa, Central Tagbanwa, Kuyonon, and Agutaynen.

According to a census taken in the year 1990, there are only about 450 Batak people remaining[3]. However, acculturation has caused this group to not only decline in numbers, but for the language to slowly disappear as well. The people who do speak Batak are often bi-lingual or multi-lingual and are able to speak Tagalog, Cuyonon, and Tagbanwa, alongside their native language. There is no writing system for Batak and it is believed that they borrow from the Tagbanwa alphabet despite no evidence[4].

Classification[edit]

The Batak language belongs to the Austronesian language family. Specifically, the Malayo-Polynesian branch and is part of the Greater Central Philippines, Palawanic section. It is also classified within the Visayan group of Philippine languages[5].

History[edit]

Group of Bataks, Paragua (Palawan) [1913]

Negritos, who the Batak people belong to, are believed[citation needed] to have originated from a singular ancestral population that entered the SEA region during the first of the expansions of modern humans approximately 50,000 years ago. The Batak People is one of the aborigines of the Philippines and is thought to have ancestors going back as far as over 20,000 years ago[6]. In the sixteenth century, the Philippines was populated with 500,000 peoples with archives stating that of these people, 50,000 were Negrito people. As of 2010, there are approximately 32 known Philippine Negrito language groups, totaling 33,000 people, and comprising of only about 0.5% of national population[7]. They are one of the few remaining Philippine negritos groups left[8]. All of those who belong to the Negrito groups, including Batak, speak languages that are classified in the Austronesian family.

The Batak are traditionally a nomadic group who had a hunter-gatherer economy. Due to contact with lowland Philippine society, this changed and Batak people began to shift to agriculture, resulting in a decline in population and a loss of society and culture. Detribalization caused by human intrusion into Batak people's lands have lead to them leaving their original ancestral home, migrating elsewhere, and or assimilating into lowland Philippine society. Increased intermarrying between the Batak and non-Negritos, particularly with the Tagbanua tribe, have also lead to lower Batak distinctiveness[9]. The territory of the Batak people is surrounded by Tagbanuwa speaking peoples and settlements of Christian FIlipinos, who are Tagalog and Cuyonon speakers[4]. Extensive intermarriage has resulted in the Batak language to adopt dialects. The spoken Batak of today is simplified and or mixed with other languages such as Batak, Tagbanua, and Cuyonon[10].

Geographical Distribution[edit]

The Batak language in the Philippines is not to be confused with the Batak language in other SEA countries. While similar, it is distinct on its own. The Philippines is the only place where Batak language of the Batak people in Palawan is found. Due to intermarriage and assimilation to modern Philippine society, the Batak found today is the simplified version.

Official Status[edit]

Batak is an endangered language, but it is spoken in the Babuyan, Maoyon, Tanabag, Langogan, Tagnipa, Caramay, and Buayan communities.

Dialects/Varieties[edit]

Extensive intermarriage has led to the the Batak language becoming a lingua franca between the different tribal groups.

Extensive intermarriage at Buayan settlements in particular has lead to the emergence of a dialect of the Batak language and a belief that their version of the language is the true and uncorrupted one[10].

Sounds/Phonology[edit]

Phonetic Key[4][edit]

The symbols below are used to represent five vowel and sixteen consonant phonemes in Batak.

Consonants[11]
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t k ʔ
voiced b d g
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative s
Lateral l
Rhotic ɾ~r
Approximant w j

All consonants occur in initial, medial, and final positions with two exceptions:

h - occurs in medial position only in a few words; and,

y - occurs in medial position occasionally

Vowels[11]
Front Central Back
Close i ɨ u
Open a

i - high, front, unrounded, close

a - low, front, unrounded, open

ə - mid, central, unrounded, close

o - mid, back, rounded, close

u - high, back, rounded, close


There are five dipthongs: ay, aw, iw, oy, and uy

Vocabulary/Lexis[edit]

Stress[4][edit]

A stressed syllable is indicated by an acute accent symbol over the vowel. Primary stress is either on the ultima or the penult except in a few cases. Secondary stress is indicated only when it is peculiar to a constituent prefix.

Order[4][edit]

Entries are arranged in the following alphabetical sequence:

ʔ (i.e. ʔa-, ʔe-, ʔi-, ʔo-, and ʔu-) , (a), b, d, (ə), g, h, (i), k, l, m, n, ng, (o), p, r, s, t, (u), w, y.

The vowels a, ə, i, o, and u never occur initially. A loan word, the original form of which contained an initial vowel, acquires an initial glottal stop in Batak: A Spanish loan word with the shape VCVC occurs in Batak as ?VCVC (i.e. CVCVC).

Pronouns[edit]

Personal Pronouns[12]
nominative genitive oblique
enclitic preposed
1.sg. aku ku akɨn kanakɨn
2.sg. ikaw/ka mu imu kanimu
3.sg. kanya ya kanya kanya
1.pl.dual kita/ta ta atɨn kanatɨn
1.pl.incl. tami tami atɨn kanatɨn
1.pl.excl. kami men amɨn kanamɨn
2.pl. kamu mi imyu kanimyu
3.pl. sira sira sira kanira

Writing System[edit]

There is no writing system. Batak borrows from Tagbanuwa alphabet.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Batak at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Language documentation and cultural practices in the Austronesian world : papers from 12-ICAL. Volume 4. I. Wayan Arka, Ni Luh Nyoman Seri Malini, Ida Ayu Made Puspani, Australian National University. Department of Linguistics. Asia-Pacific Linguistics, International Conference on Austronesian Linguistics. Australian National University, A.C.T. 2015. ISBN 978-1-922185-20-4. OCLC 908932347.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. ^ "The Batak - National Commission for Culture and the Arts". web.archive.org. 2018-07-21. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  4. ^ a b c d e author., Warren, Charles P.,. Field Vocabulary of the Batak of Palawan (Philippines). ISBN 978-3-11-233032-6. OCLC 1202623326. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ G.), Oxenham, Marc. Tayles, N. G. (Nancy (2009). Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-12065-4. OCLC 423590855.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Headland, Thomas N. (2018-09-12). "Thirty endangered languages in the Philippines". Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session. 47 (1). doi:10.31356/silwp.vol47.01. ISSN 0361-4700.
  7. ^ J., Florey, Margaret. Endangered languages of Austronesia. OCLC 1078694593.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Eder, James (1977). "PORTRAIT OF A DYING SOCIETY: CONTEMPORARY DEMOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS AMONG THE BATAK OF PALAWAN". Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society. 5: 12–20 – via JSTOR. {{cite journal}}: line feed character in |title= at position 71 (help)
  9. ^ Scholes, Clarissa; Siddle, Katherine; Ducourneau, Axel; Crivellaro, Federica; Järve, Mari; Rootsi, Siiri; Bellatti, Maggie; Tabbada, Kristina; Mormina, Maru; Reidla, Maere; Villems, Richard (2011-09). "Genetic diversity and evidence for population admixture in Batak Negritos from Palawan". American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 146 (1): 62–72. doi:10.1002/ajpa.21544. ISSN 0002-9483. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ a b F., Eder, James (1993). On the road to tribal extinction : depopulation, deculturation, and adaptive well-being among the Batak of the Philippines. New Day Publishers. ISBN 971-10-0541-7. OCLC 957984124.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ a b Andrew., Reid, Lawrence (1971). Philippine minor languages : word lists and phonologies. University of Hawaii Press. OCLC 1132172314.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Virginia., Morey, (1962). Some particles and pronouns in Batak. Bureau of printing. OCLC 177268830.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Bibliography[edit]

  1. Eder, J. F. (1993). On the road to tribal extinction: Depopulation, deculturation, and adaptive well-being among the Batak of the Philippines. Quezon City: New Day.
  2. Eder, J. F. (1977). PORTRAIT OF A DYING SOCIETY: CONTEMPORARY DEMOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS AMONG THE BATAK OF PALAWAN. Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, 5(1/2), 12-20. Retrieved May 13, 2021, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/29791308
  3. Florey, M. J. (2010). Endangered languages of Austronesia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  4. Headland, T. N. (2018). Thirty endangered languages in the Philippines. Work Papers of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, University of North Dakota Session, 47(1). doi:10.31356/silwp.vol47.01
  5. Reid, L. A. (1971). Philippine minor languages: Word lists and phonologies. Honolulu, HI: Univ. of Hawai'i Press.
  6. Scholes, C., Siddle, K., Ducourneau, A., Crivellaro, F., Järve, M., Rootsi, S., … Migliano, A. B. (2011). Genetic diversity and evidence for population admixture in Batak Negritos from Palawan. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 146(1), 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.21544
  7. Tajolosa, T. D. (2015). Predicting the ethnolinguistic vitality of an endangered Philippine language: The case of three Batak communities in Palawan. In 1372471560 1003287314 I. W. Arka, 1372471561 1003287314 M. N. Seri, & 1372471562 1003287314 P. I. Made (Authors), Language documentation and cultural practices in the Austronesian world: Papers from 12-ICAL (pp. 49-75). Australian National University, A.C.T.: Asia-Pacific Linguistics.
  8. Turner II, C. G., & Eder, J. F. (2009). Bioarchaeology of Southeast Asia (pp. 172-187) (1372477927 1003291306 M. Oxenham & 1372477928 1003291306 N. G. Tayles, Authors). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  9. Warren, C. P. (1975). Field vocabulary of the Batak of Palawan (Philippines). Lisse: De Ridder.


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