Cebuano
- Language Family
- Austronesian
- Subgroup
- Malayo-Polynesian, Philippine
- Area
- —
Summary
Metathesis occurs when two consonants become adjacent as the result of vowel loss.
In Cebu City dialect, the sequences /ʔC/ and /hC/ become [Cʔ] and [Ch] in affixed forms.
The /ʔVh/ sequence becomes [hVʔ].
In some words, two forms differing by virtue of metathesis can be used together.
Type(s) of metathesis
| Type | Status | Optionality | Position | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a. CC | Synchronic | Obligatory | Adjacent | Root-final | |
| b. CC | Synchronic | Obligatory | Adjacent | Root-final | |
| c. CC | Synchronic | Obligatory | Non-adjacent | Root-internal | |
| d. CC | Synchronic | Optional | Both | Root-internal |
Case types and qualities
-
- CC
-
- C1:
- Any
- C2:
- Any
-
- CC
-
- C1:
- Glottal stop
- C1:
- Glottal fricative
- C2:
- Any
-
- CC
-
- C1:
- Glottal stop
- C2:
- Glottal fricative
-
- CC
-
- C1:
- Any
- C2:
- Any
Examples
Metathesis occurs when two consonants end up being adjacent as the result of vowel loss. According to Wolff (1972), this occurs with sequences of a liquid or /s/ and a consonant. Note though that in the data given, nasals are also involved.
In Cebu City dialect, the sequences /ʔC/ and /hC/ almost always become [Cʔ] and [Ch] in affixed forms (Wolff 1972:xii).
Wolff (p. xiv) notes that there is competition between forms which differ by virtue of metathesis, e.g. [baʔgu] vs. [bagʔu] 'new'. He says that forms containing a sequence /Cʔ/ invariable compete with forms containing /ʔC/.
This is interesting from a sound change perspective. This dialect is shifting towards having the glottal after a consonant. This is consistent with the pattern observed in words (see frequency in related processes section). The dialect is changing toward the more frequent pattern.
The /ʔVh/ sequence becomes [hVʔ].
tu!u [tu!ʔu] 'believe' + -an --> tuhu!an [tuhu#eʔan] 'believable'
In some words, two forms differing by virtue of metathesis can be used together.
bungdul ~ dungbul or dumbul 'poke'
itsa ~ ista 'throw'
baYgu [baʔgu] ~ bag-u [bagʔu] 'new'
Conditions
Metathesis is conditioned by the loss of the vowel in the stem-final syllable triggered by suffixation
Motivations
Relative frequency of preconsonantal vs. postconsonantal sequences with ʔ/h:
Out of approximately 7,500 words in Wolff's lexicon, I got the following results:
ʔC: 8 Cʔ: 0 hC: 0 Ch: 132
Symbols
ʔ = glottal stop
' = stress marker ('V = stressed vowel)
See similar metatheses in the related language Tagalog.
Comments
Optional metathesis cases in (d) are not considered in filling in 'quality of segments' section.
Bibliography
- Bunye, Maria Victoria R. & Elsa Paula Yap. 1971. Cebuano Grammar Notes. University of Hawaii Press: Honolulu.
- Wolff, John U. 1972. A Dictionary of Cebuano Visayan. Cornell University, Southeast Asia Program and Linguistic Society of the Philippines: New York.