Arta language

Wikipedia

Arta
Native toPhilippines
Regionnorthern Luzon
Ethnicity150 (no date)[1]
Native speakers
11 (2013)[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3atz
Glottologarta1239
ELPArta

Arta is a highly endangered Negrito language of the northern Philippines.

Distribution

Lawrence Reid's 1990 fieldwork revealed only 12 speakers in Villa Santiago, Aglipay, Quirino Province,[3] and in 1992 it was spoken by only three families. It is not closely related to other languages.

There are still small groups of Arta speakers in Maddela and Nagtipunan towns of Quirino Province.[4] Kimoto (2017) reports that Arta has 10 native speakers and 35–45 second-language speakers living primarily in Pulang Lupa, Kalbo, and in Disimungal, Nagtipunan.[5]

The Arta are found in the following places within Nagtipunan Municipality.[6]

  • Nagtipunan Municipality
    • Disimungal Barangay
      • Purok Kalbo
      • Pulang Lupa
      • Tilitilan
    • San Ramos Barangay
    • Pongo Barangay
    • Sangbay Barangay

Arta is in contact with Casiguran Agta, Nagtipunan Agta, Yogad, Ilokano, and Tagalog.[5]

Phonology

Arta is notable for having vowel length distinction, an unusual typological feature in the Philippines.[5]

Sound changes

Kimoto (2017) lists the following sound changes from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) to Arta. Long vowels in Arta are derived from PMP diphthongs.[7]

PMPArta
*pp
*tt
*kØ ~ k
*qØ
*bb
*d/*j/*zd
*gg
*ss
*hØ
*Rr
*ll
*mm
*nn
ŋ
*ww
*yy
*aa
*ii
*uu
ə
*ai
*au

Lexical innovations

Kimoto (2017)[8] lists the following Arta lexical innovations (highlighted in bold). Lexical innovations in Casiguran Agta are also highlighted in bold.

GlossArtaCasiguran AgtaIlokanoTagalog
excrementsiritattaytakkitaʔi
laughəlaŋihitkatawatawa
bananabagatbigetsabasagiŋ
back (body)sapaŋadəg, səpaŋlikodlikod
hairpulugbukbuokbuhok
bodyabiːbəgibagikatawan
waterwagətdinomdanumtubig
housebunbunbilɛbalaybahay
malegiləŋanləlakelalakilalaki
femalebukaganbəbebabaebabae

Reid (1994)[9] lists the following reconstructed forms as possible non-Austronesian lexical elements found exclusively in Arta. Forms from Kimoto (2018)[10] have also been included. Note the use of orthographic è [ə] and ng [ŋ].

GlossPre-Arta (Reid 1994)Arta (Reid 1994)Arta (Kimoto 2018)
afternoon(ma-)*lutəpmalutəpmalu:tèp
arrive*digdigdumigdigdigdig
bone*sagnitsagnitsikrit 'small thin bones'
butterfly*pippunpeppun-
drink*timmattimti:m
ear*ibəŋibəŋibeng
lime*ŋusuŋusúnusu
man, male*gilaŋ(-an)gilaŋángilèngan
mosquito*buŋurbuŋúrbungor
old (man)*dupudupúdupu:
one*sipaŋsípaŋsi:pang
rain*punədpúnədpu:nèd
run*gurugudmaggurugúdgurugud
say, tell*budibudbud
sleep*idəmmédəmidèm
two*təliptalliptallip

Reid (1994)[9] lists the following reconstructed forms as possible non-Austronesian lexical elements found in both Arta and "North Agta" (i.e., various Northeastern Luzon languages spoken mostly in Cagayan Province). Forms from Kimoto (2018)[10] have also been included.

GlossReconstructed form
(Reid 1994)
Arta (Reid 1994)Arta (Kimoto 2018)
pity, kindness*Rəbipagarbiánarbi
thirst*pələkmeɁiplaiplèk
hunt*purabmamurab
‘hunt with bow and arrow’
purab
deer, buck*b[ia]dutbidutbidut
fingernail*[l]usiplusiplusip
penis*g[ia]ləŋgiləŋgilèng
wall*gəsədgisə́dgisèd
dog, puppy*lapullappullappul
fire*dukutdutdut
hair, feather*pulugpológpulug

The forms *səlub 'fragrant' and *Rəbi 'pity, kindness' are found in both Arta and Alta.[9]

Notes

  1. Arta at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009) Closed access icon
  2. Arta at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. Reid, Lawrence A. (Summer 1989). "Arta, Another Philippine Negrito Language". Oceanic Linguistics. 28 (1): 47–74. doi:10.2307/3622974. hdl:10125/32983. JSTOR 3622974.
  4. Lobel 2013, p. 88.
  5. 1 2 3 Kimoto 2017.
  6. Kimoto, Yukinori. A preliminary report on the grammar of Arta (Report).
  7. Kimoto 2017, pp. 56–67.
  8. Kimoto 2017, p. 4.
  9. 1 2 3 Reid, Lawrence A. (June 1994). "Possible Non-Austronesian Lexical Elements in Philippine Negrito Languages" (PDF). Oceanic Linguistics. 33 (1): 37–72. doi:10.2307/3623000. hdl:10125/32986. JSTOR 3623000.
  10. 1 2 Kimoto, Yukinori (2018). Arta vocabulary (PDF) (Report).

References