Sambal is a Sambalic language spoken primarily in the Zambal municipalities of Santa Cruz, Candelaria, Masinloc, Palauig, and Iba, in the Pangasinense municipality of Infanta, and areas of Pampanga in the boundary with Zambales in the Philippines; speakers can also be found in Panitian, Quezon, Palawan and Barangay Mandaragat or Buncag of Puerto Princesa. The speakers of the language are decreasing due to the fact that many of the speakers are shifting to Tagalog and Ilocano.
Dialects Ethnologue reports Santa Cruz, Masinloc and Iba as dialects of the language.
Name The language is occasionally referred to as Zambal, which is the hispanized 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 (now SIL International). Sambals would not normally recognize the reference.
External relationships Sambal language is most closely related to Kapampangan and to Remontado Dumagat. This has been interpreted to mean that Sambal speakers had once inhabited that area, later being displaced by migrating Tagalog settlers, pushing the original inhabitants northward to the modern province of Zambales, in turn, displacing the Aetas. In Zambales, Sambal speakers were almost displaced by Tagalog settlers once again who migrated along with Ilocano settlers to repopulate the less-populated Zambales valley, leading to the assimilation of Sambals to the Tagalog and Ilocano settlers and to the modern decline of Sambal cultural identity and language.Zambales Province, Home Province of Subic Bay and Mt. Pinatubo There is also a possible relationship between the Sambal speakers and the population of the island provinces of Marinduque and Romblon based on commonalities in some traditions and practices.
Phonology Sambali has 19 phonemes: 16 consonants and three vowels. Syllable structure is relatively simple.
Vowels Sambali has three vowels. They are: /a/ an open front unrounded vowel similar to English 'father' /i/ a close front unrounded vowel similar to English 'machine' /u/ (written as ‘o’) a close back unrounded vowel similar to English 'flute'
There are five main diphthongs: , , , /ij/, and .
Consonants Below is a chart of Sambal consonants. All the stops are unaspirated. The velar nasal occurs in all positions including at the beginning of a word.
+ Sambal consonantsBilabialDentalPalatalVelarGlottal StopsVoiceless (-) []Voiced AffricatesVoiceless(ts) []Voiced Fricatives Nasalsng [] Laterals Flaps Semivowelsy []
Note: Consonants and sometimes interchange, as they were once allophones. Dy is pronounced , ny , sy , and ty .
Stress Stress is phonemic in Sambal. Word stress is very important; it differentiates homonyms, e.g. ('I') and ('elbow').
Historical sound changes Many words pronounced with and in Cebuano and Tagalog are pronounced with and , respectively, in their cognates in Sambal. Compare and with the Tagalog and .
Grammar
Nouns Zambal pronouns Common singular pronouns
ang, 'yung (iyong) – yay hikon-mong, ya-rin hikon-moy ng, n'ung (niyong) – nin kon-moyo Sa – ha Nasa – Ison ha ('near'), Itaw ha ('far')
Common plural pronouns
ang mgá, 'yung mgá (iyong mgá) – yay + first letter of plural word + aw (e.g. yay bawbabayi – ang mga babae; yay lawlalaki – ang mga lalaki) ng mgá, n'ung mgá (niyong mgá) – nin yay + first letter of plural word + aw (e.g. nin bawbabayi – ng mga babae, nin lawlalaki – ng mga lalaki) sa mgá – ha first letter of plural word + aw (e.g. habawbabayi – sa mga babae, halawlalaki – sa mga ki) 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 (sa kanila na lang iyan) is simply ‘kunla tana ‘ya-rin or even shorter, as ‘kunlay na rin.
Example:
'The man arrived.' Dumating ang lalaki:
Nakalato hiyay lalaki or nakalato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo. Linu-mato hiyay lalaki; or Lin’mato ‘yay lalaki or ‘yay tawo.
Yay (referring to object) Hiyay (singular person) Hikamon (plural second person) Hilay (plural third person)
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 'Helen and Robert will go to Miguel's house.'
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
'Father has the keys.'
Nasaan ang mga aklat? Ayti yay lawlibro? Na kay Tatay ang mga susi. Hikun niTatay yay sawsusi or ‘Kunni Tatay yay sawsusi
'That baby is healthy.'
Malusog ang sanggol. Maganda yay lalaman nya-nin makating/makalog.
Pronouns Personal pronouns are categorized by case. The indirect forms also function as the genitive.
Singular Dual Plural 1st person Exclusive ako – hikoko – koakin – hikunko (shortened to ‘kunko) kita – ta, kunta kami – hikami or ‘kaminamin – miamin – hikunmi or ‘kunmi Inclusive tayo – hitamo or ‘tamonatin – hikuntamo or ‘kuntamoatin – hikuntamo or ‘kuntamo 2nd person ikáw – hikamo – moiyó – hikunmo or ‘kunmo kayo – hikamo or ‘kamoninyo – moyoinyo – hikunmoyo or ‘kunmoyo 3rd person siya – hiyaniya – nayakaniya – hikunnaya or ‘kunnaya silá – hilanilá – lakanilá – hikunla or ‘kunla
Examples:
'I wrote.' Sulat is hulat (Masinloc) or sulat (Sta. Cruz) Sumulat ako. Humulat ko or Sumulat ko.
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 (hikuna). '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.'
Interrogative words +Sambal TagalogEnglishWhereWhatWhyWhoWhen
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. Sambal: Tagalog:
The Lord's Prayer
Version from Matthew
Version from Luke
Examples
Numbers Sambal numbers are listed below. +Sambal numbersSambalEnglishOneTwoThreeFourFiveSixSevenEightNineTenHanyatoOne hundred
Common expressions +SambalTagalogEnglish / / I don't know / I knowGrandparentSibling or cousin / / I don't like / I like Let's go home/back TomorrowNow/todayYesterday Yes No Mikaka-awloBuong arawWhole dayMangan tamoy naKumain na tayoLet’s eatMabati kay naMaiwan ka naStay thereHagyatinTawaginCallHay amot Ang initIt’s hotLiglig-dalanTabi ng daanSide of the roadLiglig-ambayTabi ng dagatCoastlineYa naurKaya nga/Oo ngaAbout rightIbayleIsayaw/SumayawDanceMangaponMaghapunanEat supperHay tiboyAng tigasIt’s hardHay dunaAng tigasIt’s chewyIli yay nan iliTawa siya ng tawaHe/she is laughing to muchMapagal koy naPagod na akoI am tiredMikakalok koy naMatutulog na akoI am going to sleep
See also Sambal people Zambales Languages of the Philippines
Notes
References
Elgincolin, Sotera B & Priscilla R; Goshnick , Hella. (1988). English-Tina Sambal-Pilipino dictionary. Summer Institute of Linguistics. Goschnick, Hella E. (1989). The poetic conventions of Tina Sambal. Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines, Special Monograph Issue, 27.
External links
Zambal-language resources at the SIL