Tausug language

Tausūg is an Austronesian language spoken in the province of Sulu in the Philippines and in the eastern area of the state of Sabah, Malaysia. It is widely spoken in the Sulu Archipelago, the Zamboanga Peninsula, southern Palawan, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Tausūg has some lexical similarities or near similarities with Surigaonon language of the provinces Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur and with the Butuanon language of Agusan del Norte; it has also some vocabulary similarities with Sugbuanon, Bicolano, and with other Philippine languages. Many Malay and Arabic words are found in Tausug language.

Nomenclature

In English, the language is primarily known as Tausug. The local name of the language is bahasa Sūg or Sinūg. The term Tausūg is derived from two words: tau and Sūg
wikt:sūg is the modern form of the older term Sulug, which was also the old name of the island of Jolo. It is derived from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *sələg, and is a cognate of Cebuano wikt:sulog, Tagalog wikt:silig, and Malay suluk.

Classification

Tausūg is an Austronesian language. It is classified by linguists as being a member of the Bisayan languages family, which includes Cebuano and Waray. In particular, it has many similarities with the Surigaonon language of the provinces Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur and Agusan del Sur and with the Butuanon language of Agusan del Norte – both spoken in northeastern Mindanao; hence, Zorc groups these three languages as part of a "South Bisayan" grouping.

Speakers

Tausūg is primarily spoken in the Sulu Archipelago, which aside from the island of Sulu, also includes the Tawi-Tawi chain of islands and the island of Basilan. It is a lingua franca spoken in different areas/islands of the archipelago.
Due to migration, the language is also spoken alongside other local languages in the Zamboanga Peninsula, which includes the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur, and Zamboanga City. It is also spoken in Southern Palawan, Eastern Sabah, Malaysia and in Tarakan City and Nunukan Regency, North Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Phonology

Vowels

Tausūg has three vowel phonemes: /a/, /i/, /u/, with phonemic length. Stress is not phonemic and usually occurs on the final syllable.
The vowel phonemes have a broad range of allophones:

/a/:
/i/:
/u/:

Tausūg has expectedly developed some variations in accent and vocabulary from one area to another, but there are two basic dialects characterized by differences with regard to vowel sounds. The "Gimbahanun" speakers, the residents of the out-of-town rural areas, use four vowels: /a/, /i/, /u/ and /ə/, the last vowel representing schwa sound or "obscure u", a retention from Proto-Philippine and Proto-Bisayan. The "Parianun", the residents of the urban areas, use only three vowel phonemes: /a/, /i/, /u/,; the loss of /ə/ is common in many Bisayan and other Philippine languages.

Consonants

The consonant phonemes are:
Allophones:

/b/: per default, but between vowels
/g/: per default, but between vowels
/h/: per default, but between vowels
/r/: per default, but before /m,n,g,k/

Medial gemination is phonemic.

Grammar

Pronouns

Personal pronouns

Tausūg has three pronoun sets:

Demonstratives

Case markers

The case markers of Tausūg are:
Non-subject undergoers take the oblique marker when definite or a proper noun, but indefinite common nouns take the genitive marker sin.

Hi Nasul in kimaun ha mampallam.
*"It was Nasul who ate the mango."
Nagdakdak sin baju' in manga bujang.
* "The maidens washed clothes."
Existentials

The positive existential is aun, the negative existential is way.

Interrogative words

Verbs

Verbs in Tausūg are inflected for focus and aspect.

	completed	progressive	contemplative	imperative
Actor focus	nag- naN-	CV- nag-CV- naN-CV-	‹um› mag- maN-	∅ ∅ paN-
Patient focus		CV-	-un	-a
Locative focus	-an	CV- -an	-an	-i
Instrument focus		CV-	hi-	-an

Affixes expressing ability:

	completed	progressive	contemplative
Actor focus	naka-	nakaka-	maka-
Patient focus	na-	na-CV-	ma-
Locative focus	kiya- -an	kiya-CV- -an	ka- -an
Instrument focus	kiya-	kiya-CV-	hika-

Numbers

Tausūg numerals:

Writing system

Tausūg is today primarily written using the Latin alphabet. Historically, it had previously been written using the Arabic alphabet. The script used was derived from Jawi used in writing the Malay language. The script is referred to as Sulat Sug
The Arabic script used to write Tausūg differs in some aspects from the script used for Arabic and in the Jawi script used for Malay.
In Sulu, there is no separate letter for . Whereas in Jawi, the sound is represented by the letter غ is reserved for Arabic loanwords, and sometimes the letter ݢ.
In Sulu, there is no differentiation between and . Whereas in Jawi, the letters ف and ڤ are used respectively, in Sulu the letter ف is used in all instances.
For the sound in the final position, in Sulu, the letter پ is used whereas in Malay Jawi, the letter ڽ is instead used. The letter پ is associated with the sound in Persian and other scripts derived from Persian. In both Malay Jawi and Sulu the letter پـ/ڽـ is used in all other positions.
For the sound in the final position, in Malay Jawi, the letter ک is used, having the same form as when in initial or medial positions. In Sulu, similar to Arabic, it is customary to use ك.

Latin

Letter	A	B	D	G	H	I	J	K	L	M
Name	Alip	bā'	dāl	gā'	hā'	ī	jīm	kāp	lām	mīm
IPA		,		,	,
Letter	N	Ng	P	R	S	T	U	W	Y	'
Name	nūn	ngā'	pā'	rā'	sīn	tā'	ū	wāw	yā'	hamja
IPA				,

Arabic

Sample Texts

Below some examples of Sulu in both Latin and Arabic scripts:

Latin script:
* Wayruun tuhan malayngkan Allāh, hi Muhammad ing rasūl sin Allāh
Arabic script
*
English translation
*There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
Latin script
* Uu kamu manga bang-sa Islam dii haka-pu'-pu' an Suug, agad tu'ud kamy sing da'akun i-ban sing tagga-hun sing parin-ta.
Arabic script
*
English translation
* Oh ye of Islamic race here in the Sulu Archipelago, obey ye fully the orders and prohibitions of the government.
Examples

English	Tausūg Latin Script	Tausūg Arabic Script
What is your name?	Unu in ngān mu? / Siyu in ngān mu?
My name is Muhammad.	In ngān ku Muhammad.
How are you?	Maunu-unu na kaw?
I am good.	Marayaw da isab.
Where is Ahmad?	Hariin hi Ahmad?
He is in the house.	Yadtu siya ha bāy.
Thank you!	Magsukul kaymu!

Loanwords

Many Tausug words derive from the Arabic language.
Some examples of Arabic words in Tausug are

Tausūg Word	Meaning	Arabic Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
Adab	manners	أدب	adab	manners
Ahirat	hereafter	آخرة	ākhirah	hereafter
Ajayb	amazing	عجيب	'ajīb	amazing
Akkal	intelligence	عقل	'Aql	intellect
Alam	universe	عالم	'ālam	world
Allāh	God	الله	Allāh	God
Amānat	message	أمانة	amānah	trust
Ammal	use	عمل	'amal	to make
Awal	origin	أوّل	awwal	first
Awliya	ascetic	أولياء	awliyā'	ascetics
Ayat	verse	آية	āyah	verse
Ayb	shame	عيب	'ayb	shame
Barawi	Desert robber	بدوي	badawī	bedouin
Batāl	unclean	باطل	bātil	void
Bilāl	Muezzin/caller to prayer	بلال	Bilāl	Bilal ibn Rabah
Daawa	excuse/alibi	دعوة	da'wah	invitation
Duhul	extremity	دخول	dukhūl	entrance
Daira	city	دائرة	dā'irah	area
Dayyus	cuckold	ديّوث	dayyūth	cuckold
Dunya	earth	دنيا	dunyā	world
Duwaa	prayer	دعاء	du'ā	prayer/supplication
Habal	news	خبر	khabar	news
Hadas	impurity	حدث	hadath	impurity
Hakīka	birth ritual	عقيقة	aqīqah	birth ritual
Hakīkat	truth	حقيقة	haqīqah	truth
Hatīb	speaker	خطيب	khatīb	speaker
Hawa	Eve	حواء	Hawā'	Eve
Hidāyat	announcement	هداية	hidāyah	guidance
Hikmat	wisdom	حكمة	hikmah	wisdom
Hukum	judge	حكم	hukm	ruling
Humus	alms	خمس	khums	fifth
Hutba'	sermon	خطبة	khutbah	sermon
Hurup	sound of a letter	حروف	hurūf	letters
Ibilīs	demon	إبليس	Iblīs	devil
Ihilās	sincerity	إخلاص	ikhlās	sincerity
Ijin	blessing	إذن	idhn	permission
Ilmu'	knowledge	علم	'ilm	knowledge
Imān	forbearingness	إيمان	īmān	faith
Intiha'	end	إنتهى	intihā	end
Irādat	determination	إرادة	irādah	determination
Islām	Islam	إسلام	Islām	Islam
Istigapar	to beg pardon	إستغفار	istighfār	to beg pardon
Instinja	pure	إستنجاء	istinjā'	to clean one's self
Jabūr	Psalms	زبور	zabūr	Psalms
Jāhil	foolish	جاهل	jāhil	ignorant
Jakāt	tithe	زكاة	zakāh	tithe
Jamāa	congregation	جماعة	jamā'ah	congregation
Jamān	clock	زمان	zamān	time
Janāja	bier	جنازة	janāzah	funeral
Jāt	appearance	ذات	dhāt	self
Jaytūn	olive	زيتون	zaytūn	olive
Jin	spirit	جنّ	jinn	demon
Jinā	adultery	زنا	zinā	adultery
Juba	garment	جبّة	jubbah	garment
Jubul	anus	دبر	dubr	anus
Junub	pollution	جنوب	junūb	dirty
Jurriyat	lineage	ذرية	dhurriyyah	offspring
Kahawa	coffee	قهوة	qahwah	coffee
Kāpil	disbeliever	كافر	kāfir	disbeliever
Karāmat	miracle	كرامة	karāmah	miracle
Kawwāt	power	قوّة	quwwah	force
Kubul	grave	قبور	qubūr	graves
Kudarat	Power of God	قدرة	qudrah	ability
Kulbān	sacrifice	قربان	qurbān	sacrifice
Kuppiya'	male head covering	كوفيّة	kūffiyah	kefiyyeh
Kupul	disbelief	كفز	kufr	disbelief
Lidjiki'	blessing	رزق	rizq	sustenance
Maana	meaning	معنة	ma'nah	meaning
Magrib	sunset	مغرب	maghrib	sunset
Magsukul	Thanks	شكر	shukr	thanks
Mahluk	human	مخلوق	maklūq	created
Maksud	purpose	مقصود	maqsūd	intended
Makbul	fulfilled	مقبول	maqbūl	accepted
Malak	Beautiful	ملك	malak	Angel
Maruhum	deceased	مرحوم	marhūm	deceased
Masrik	east	مشرق	mashriq	east
Matakaddam	parable	متقدّم	mutaqaddam	preceding
Mayat	corpse	ميت	mayt	dead
Mujijat	mystery	معجزة	mu'jizah	miracle
Mulid	pupil	مريد	murīd	pupil
Munapik	hypocrite	منافق	munāfiq	hypocrite
Murtad	apostate	مرتد	murtad	apostate
Muskil	uncommon	مشكل	mushkil	problem
Mustahak	lawful owner	مستحقّ	mustahaqq	deserving
Mustajab	occurred	مستجاب	mustajāb	answered
Muwallam	scholar	معلّم	mu'allim	teacher
Nabī	prophet	نبي	nabī	prophet
Najal	promise	نذر	nadhar	vow/promise
Najjis	filth	ناجس	nājis	filthy
Napas	breath	نفس	nafas	breathe
Napsu	desire	نفس	nafs	ego/desire
Nasihat	advice	نصيحة	nasīhah	advice
Paham	familiarity	فهم	fahm	understanding
Pardu'	legislation	فرض	fard	compulsory
Piil	action	فعل	fi'l	action
Pikil	think	فكر	fikr	thought
Pir'awn	Pharaoh	فرعون	fir'awn	Pharaoh
Rahmat	blessing	رحمة	rahmah	mercy
Rasūl	messenger	رسول	rasūl	messenger
Ruku'	bow	ركوع	rukū'	bowing
Rukun	precept	ركن	rukn	pillar
Sabab	because	سبب	sabab	reason/cause
Sahabat	follower	صحابة	sahābah	companions
Saytān	Satan	شيطان	shaytān	Satan
Sual	discussion	سؤال	su'āl	question
Subu	dawn	صبح	subh	dawn
Sunnat	female circumcision	سنّة	sunnah	tradition/sunnah
Takabbul	arrogant	تكبّر	takabbur	arrogance
Takwīm	calendar	تقويم	taqwīm	calendar
Tallak	divorce	طلاق	talāq	divorce
Tarasul	Tausug poem	تراسل	tarāsul	correspondence
Tasbi	prayer beads	تسبيح	tasbīh	praise
Ummul	age	عمر	'amr	age
Wajib	compulsory	واجب	wājib	compulsory
Wakap	pause	وقف	waqf	pause
Waktu	time	وقت	waqt	time

Tausūg words derived from Sanskrit