English-Bisaya Grammar, in Twenty Eight Lessons

by Unknown

Exercise I.

Have you the bread?—Yes, sir, I have the bread: Have you your bread?—I have my bread.—Have you the salt?—I have the salt—Have you my salt?—I have your salt.—Have you the soap?—I have the soap—Which (onsa nga) soap have you?—I have your soap—Which shirt have you?—I have my shirt, (ang acong sinina)?—Have you much money?—I have much money—Where is your sister?—She is at the garden (tanaman sa mga bulac)—Where is your father?—He is here.

Second Lesson.

Of the nouns.

Supposing the pupil knows the classification of the nouns into proper, common or appellative &., we shall occupy ourselves with their formation, being as it is, so much diverse and usual.

A great number of nouns and verbs are compounded in Bisaya by means of roots and particles.

The root is the word which contains in itself the signification of the thing, but can not express it without any other word, which we call a particle, to which the root must be united.

1.a With the particle ca at the beginning of the root, and an after, are formed collective nouns, and nouns of place, as:—Grove, cacahoyan—Banana plantation, casagingan.

2.a With the particle ca before, are formed the nouns of quality, as:—Whiteness,—Ang caputi.

3.a By placing the particle pagca before the roots, are formed the abstract nouns, and those pointing out the essence of the things, as:

Sweetness.	Ang catam-is.
Mercy.	Ang calo-oy.
Kindness.	Ang caayo.
Divinity.	Ang pagca Dios.
Humanity.	Ang pagca taoo.
Hardness.	Ang pagca guhi.

4.a With the particle isigca before the root, are formed correlative nouns, placing the possessive pronoun in genitive case, as:

My like.

Ang isigcataoo co.

5.a With the particles mag and man are formed substantive and adjective nouns, duplicating the first syllable of the roots, thus:

The writer.	Ang magsusulat.
The tailor.	Ang magtatahi.
The maker.	Ang magbubuhat.
The surgeon.	Ang mananambal.
The almsgiver.	Ang manlilimos.

6. With the particle pala before, are formed several substantives, as:

The drunk.	Ang palahubóg.
The tippler	Ang palainom.
The writer.	Ang palasulat.

7.a With tag before the root, are formed nouns expressing the owner of a thing, as:

The owner of the house.	Ang tagbalay.
The master of the vessel.	Ang tagsacayan.
The owner of the world.	Ang tagcalibutan.

8.a Putting this same particle before the words signifying the seasons of the year or the atmospherical changes, points out the time of these changes: and placing it before words signifying the farming-works, it shows the time of those operations. In some provinces are used also in this same sense, the particles tig and tin, thus:

Rain time.	tagolan.
Warm time.	tiginit.
Harvest time.	tagani—tinani, or tig-ani.

9.a The particle taga before the nouns of countries or nations, serves to ask some one about his town, as:

Where are you from?	Taga di-in ca ba?
I am from Spain.	Taga España man acó.
Of which town?	Taga di-in ca nga longsod?
From Cornago.	Taga Cornago.

10.a Taga signifies also until, and points out the end of the action, as:

To the knee.	Taga tohod.
To the neck.	Taga liug.
As far as the floor.	Taga salug.

11.a By means of the articles pag and pagca are formed the verbal substantives. Ex:

Making or to make.	Ang pagbuhat.
Walking or to walk.	Ang paglacao.
Reading or to read.	Ang pagbasa.
Resuscitating or to resuscitate.	Ang pagcabanhao.
Dying or to die.	Ang pagcamatay.

12.a Placing the particle tagi before the root it points out permanency on a place, as:

Inhabitant of a place.	Tagilongsod.
Countryman.	Tagibanua.