This study delves into the intricate morphophonemic characteristics of Meranaw, a language within the contested Philippine subgroup of the disputed Western Austronesian family, which comprises approximately 1200 languages. The research initially defined the aspectual designation traditionally labeled as 'future tense,' proposing 'irrealis' as a more appropriate categorization, in alignment with other terminologies such as contemplative and prospective. The methodology combines a literature review with a typological comparative analysis of other well-studied languages from the family, underpinned by an introspective analysis of generated Meranaw verb samples. The findings reveal that while Meranaw shares certain Proto Extra-Formosan reflexes with other languages, it uniquely employs aspiration for inflection in actor-focused/irrealis verbs. This inflection occurs in voiceless plosives and one of the two sibilants of its phonemes. Additionally, the language exhibits three other conjugation methods for transforming verbs into their irrealis/actor-focus forms. The study underscores the need for further exploration of Meranaw, advocating for an increased understanding of the diversity and linguistic creativity inherent to Austronesian languages.

Authors:
Mosa-ab Mangurun, Mindanao State University, Philippines
Nancy Echavez, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology, Philippines

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Mosa-ab Mangurun is a University Doctoral Student at MSU - Iligan Institute of Technology in Philippines

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