Volume 8, Issue 2, February – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

A Grammar of Mëranaw Language

Aimee V. Aragon Dr. Jonathan L. Cabradilla
Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Linguistics Student, College Professor 1,
University of Mindanao, Philippines, University of Mindanao, Philippines,

Abstract:- This paper describes the grammar of Lobel and Riwarung (2011) stretch that Mëranaw has
Mëranaw (ISO 639-3: mrw). Mëranaw, or more one of the richest morphologies of any Philippine language
commonly known as Maranao, is a Philippine language (McKaughan 1971), richer even than Tagalog, Bikol, or
prevalently spoken in almost all parts of Lanao del Sur Waray-Waray. Complex morphophonemics and recalcitrant
province and in some areas in Lanao del Norte, phonology further complicate the system, hindering its
Maguindanao, and North Cotabato. The primary goal of proper analysis for the first 95 years of foreign inquiry into
this study is to provide a grammar of the Mëranaw the language.
language that entails linguistic features of the language
covering its morphological features. The participants of Moreover, they are known for the richness of their
this study were the three identified professional and culture that until now is still evident and has continued to
native speakers living in Marawi City. The elicited live up in the hearts of every Mëranaw. This culture has
materials consist of the 615-word list and 775-sentence been maintained and remained strong even to the test of time
list from UP Department of Linguistics were transcribed making it very much alive up to these years. Like any other
and analyzed using the Basic Linguistic Theory. It was cultural group, in the country, the Mëranaw are also known
found that morphologically speaking, Mëranaw language for their literary involvement, which until now some are not
has a rich culture of affixation as prefixes, suffixes, yet recorded and appreciated to the fullest (Ulla, 2014).
infixes, and circumfixes are all present to create new
words. These affixations include the prefix p-, mak-, and On the other hand, studies dealing with orthographies
tomi- and the suffix -an. Moreover, the infix ka- -an and used by linguists, dictionary compilers, and Bible translators
circumfix p- -n, miaka- -e. This is to form another lexical likewise failed to represent the heavy consonants, and
category of a given Mëranaw word that most likely sometimes added an extra vowel phoneme in an attempt to
entails to tells the time certain Mëranaw verbs take compensate (Lobel and Riwarung, 2011). The orthography
place. Furthermore, this grammar sketch aims to used in this sketch was developed four decades ago by three
provide a concrete reference for Mother Tongue–Based of the most celebrated Mëranaw writers—Aleem
Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) as the Mëranaw Abdulmajeed Ansano of Taraka (1943-2008), Senator
language is one of the languages being taught. It further Ahmad Domocao “Domie” Alonto of Ramain (1914- 2002),
implies language description and documentation as the and Shaiekh Abdul Azis Guroalim Saromantang of Tugaya
basis for language revitalization and at the same time (1923-2003)—without any known outside help.
culture preservation.
Notably, no primary studies of Mëranaw phonology
Keywords:- Applied Linguistics, Maranao, Mëranaw, have previously been published. There has been extensive
Language Documentation, Grammar Sketch, Philippines. documentation of Mëranaw from Elliot (1913) to
McKaughan and Macaraya (1996), yet without exception,
I. INTRODUCTION these works were based on incomplete phonological
analyses which overlooked the language’s four heavy
There are 187 distinct living languages in the consonants, sometimes resulting in the misanalysis of the
Philippines, including Filipino Sign Language (FSL) which vowel system (Lobel & Riwarung 2009).
accounts for its diverse and multilinguistic landscape
(Lewis, 2009). Governing this multilinguistic landscape, Since the Mëranaw language has been developed to
Mëranaw is considered to be the largest of the Muslim the point that it is used and sustained by institutions beyond
cultural-linguistic groups of the Philippines with a the home and community, the primary focus of this study is
population of more than 840,000 in the late 20th century. to update its most salient points of grammar in terms of
They are one of the 13 Muslim Filipino ethnolinguistic phonological, morphological, and syntactical features.
groups living on the Philippine island. They live However, this language remains to be documented as the
around Lake Lanao on the southern island of Mindanao available studies could imply. The only dedicated
wherein rice farming is their main livelihood, along with phonological description is a brief, unpublished sketch by
metalworking and woodworking handicrafts. However, it Ward probably written in the late 1960s, which is highly
was found that it was underdocumented in terms of its problematic, based on insufficient data available in
language description and language documentation. analyzing the language's complicated phonology (Lobel &
Riwarung, 2009).

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ISSN No:-2456-2165
Similarly, not much literature on the linguistic aspects Sabah, as well as the Maguindanaon and Iranun languages
of Mëranaw is available which further denote a larger pace spoken further south in Mindanao (called Ilanun in Malay).
to study. Furthermore, the results of the study can be used to Mranaw is a member of the Danao subgroup of Greater
promote knowledge of this Philippine language, and also Central Philippine languages together with Iranun and
offers benefits for language pedagogy as one of the Maguindanaon (Alonto, 2009).
languages being used in Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual
Education (MTB-MLE). Additionally, Raymond G. Gordon Jr. (2205)
speculates that the Mranaw language descended from the
 Research Questions Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Southern Philippines,
To realize the aims of giving a comprehensive Danao, Mranaw, and Iranon language families of his book,
description of the linguistic features of the Mëranaw Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 15th edition. Gordon
language and to revitalize the language through Jr. did not look into how the Maranao language had been
documentation, this paper will seek to answer the following influenced by Arabic or other languages, though. The
questions: Maranaw language has some influences from Sanskrit,
Arabic, English, Spanish, and regional languages, according
 What is the language to be grammatically described? to The Influences of the National Question and the Revival
Who are the speakers and their speech community? of Tradition on Gender Issues Among Maranaos in Southern
 What is the morphological feature of the language as to Philippines.
its inflectional, derivational, and free morphemes?
 What is the language’s morphological process that  Mëranaw Spelling and Phonology
includes affixation? What are the present lexical The Maranaos themselves and the different
categories of the language? publications that have been written in the Mranaw language
utilize a variety of spelling schemes. The Maranao
II. LITERATURE REVIEW dictionaries and literacy resources that are now available use
the same spelling scheme (Alonto et al., 2009). It has 20
 The Mëranaw letters, not including those used to spell unassimilated words
The Philippines is a culturally diverse nation with over of English and Arabic origins (15 consonants and 5 vowels,
7,000 islands and incorporating more than 150 languages excluding the glottal stop, which is not written) not
(Reid, 2005). Filipinos are living in diaspora throughout the including letters used for spelling unassimilated words of
country. Most Filipinos identify themselves by their ethnic English and Arabic origin.
identity or by the language that they speak (Clariza, 2019)
and Mëranaw is one of these languages. The vowel "e" denotes the schwa, as in English "but,"
"what," or "shut," and these vowels are raised after a voiced
In fact, Sohayle M. Hadji Abdul Racman's Ph.D. stop (b, d, g) or a semivowel. The vowels "a," I "o," and "u"
dissertation, The Political Legitimacy of Lanao Sultanate in generally correspond to their equivalents in Tagalog or
the 17th Century with Special Reference to the Political Spanish (w, y). The consonants b, d, g, h, k, l, m, n, ng, p, r,
Theory of al-Mward (2020), hypothesizes that the term s, t, w, and y all have the same values as their Tagalog
Maranao originated from the combination of the phrases equivalents.
Mai and Ranao. The old name for Mindoro Island in the
Philippines was Mai, while the Maranao word for lake is On the other hand, the Maranao translation of the
Ranao. Migrant Chinese-Arab Muslim traders from China Qur'an, Maranao-language Islamic books and pamphlets,
lived in Mai. When the Mai people moved to Ranao, which and Maranao music videos, on the other hand, utilize a
is now Lake Lanao, they were known as Mairanao; as time somewhat distinct spelling system that is used by native
went on, Mairanao changed its name to Maranao. Maranao sources (i.e., not of Christian or foreign origin)
(Alonto, 2009). Only four vowels (a, I o, and the schwa,
Moreover, it might be assumed that some of the spelled either as "e" or "u") are recognized, together with the
Maranao people living in Lanao now are decedents of the previously listed 15 consonants and four aspirated
aforementioned Muslim Chinese-Arab traders. Many consonants: "t" (spelled "th"), "k" (spelled "kh"), "p"
Maranaos today display phenotypes that are similar to those (spelled "ph"), and "s" (spelled "z" or "sh"). As the other
of mixed Arab and Chinese or either Arab or Chinese vowels (a high I a high "u," and a high center vowel) are
individuals. Hadji Abdul Racman (2020) did not go into allophones that exclusively follow the voiced stops, the
detail in his thesis regarding how the Arabic language and aspirated stops, and the semivowels, it more closely
Arabs have influenced the Maranao language, although the resembles the actual phonological system of Maranao
majority of Maranaos are of Malay ethnicity. (Lobel, p. 288). The fact that no dictionaries, grammar, or
instruction books have ever been written in this writing
 The Mëranaw Language system makes it particularly challenging for non-native
Just over a million people in the provinces of Lanao speakers to learn.
del Norte and Lanao del Sur on the southern island of
Mindanao in the Republic of the Philippines speak Mranaw, As a result, the simpler spelling system will make it
the language of the ethnolinguistic group of the same name. easier to learn the language and use the available print
It shares a strong relationship with the Iranun language of resources without obstructing comprehension. The Maranao

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language varies extremely little from place to place, unlike  Language Description
its sister language Maguindanaon. Geographically speaking, Any language can be described efficiently by its
the Maranao that were able to communicate by boat from components. It is considered that a given language, has its
wherever they were on the lake is partially a result of the Phonology, Morphology, Syntax, and overlaps of these
terrain (Alonto et al., 2009). components such as Morpho-phonemics, and Morphosyntax
(Yule, 2020). Semantics and Phonetics are also the other
 The Mëranaw Culture and its Cultural Implications components that are included under phonology. The detailed
The Maranaos have high esteem and reverence for investigation of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of
their things because they provide them the certainty that any language entailed its in-depth description which is the
they are protected and that they may provide solutions to the main content of any grammar sketch.
issues they face in life, as evidenced by the findings of the
study on their folk songs (Velasco, 2017). Additionally,  Morphology.
Maranaos have more respect for people who live in higher This is the analysis of word formation concerning the
social classes than they do for people who live in lower smallest unit of language that bears meaning or the
classes. This is clear from the presence of a unique malong morphemes (Dobrovolsky, O'Grady, & Katamba, 2016).
species known as a landap. This is so that only Maranaos
from the higher class are permitted to acquire landaps. This Consequently, language word development and
type of malong is shared by the sultans and datus in society, perception are greatly influenced by morphology.
and it essentially guarantees that they will be respected by Morphemes are the smallest components of words that can
others. communicate meaning. They include roots, stems, prefixes,
and suffixes significance. The ability to employ this
On the other hand, Maranaos are renowned for their intermediate degree of dialect is essential for expanding
pride and rido culture (Alaya-ay et al. 2013), which relates one's vocabulary and comprehending English-language
to conflict, vengeance, and retaliatory behavior on the one material. The term "morphology" refers to the use of or the
extreme and self-worth, personal dignity, honor, and pride study of morphemes, the meaning-giving components of
on the other. As a result, they are very sensitive individuals, words. Every dialect has a different morphology, depending
especially when their "amor propio" is at risk. In relation to on the word arrangement types that are used in all dialects.
this attribute, inter-family conflict, or rido as it is known in In any event, there is no guarantee that a single, all-
the local dialect, happens whenever a family member is encompassing aspect of morphology applies to every dialect
physically or verbally offended. The Maranaos refer to the (Libben & Jarema, 2004).
conduct as retributive justice, however, the Philippine legal
system classifies it as murder or homicide when it is Moreover, in English, morphemes provide the basic
committed in retaliation. building blocks for morphemes' skill in creating new words
contributing to some of the dialect's generative power. Many
Moreover, they are also renowned for the depth of new words are immediately understandable since they are
their cultural heritage which is still obvious now, and have constructed from well-known morphemes. According to
continued to uphold the Maranao people's hearts. This Kuo and Anderson (2006), phonological awareness,
tradition has persisted and has stood the test of time well, syntactic mindfulness, and vocabulary knowledge should all
making it a very valuable asset living in these days. similar be integrated with various aspects of metalinguistic
to any other ethnic or cultural. The Maranao are renowned mindfulness and etymological competence. Additionally,
throughout the nation for their literary involvement, of they mentioned how morphological understanding in
which some have not yet been recorded, and for utmost English becomes a more significant indicator of reading
appreciation (Ulla, p.58). ability. Readers can participate in morphological analysis to
dissect new words into their component morphemes and
Additionally, even as more modern and culturally therefore expand their vocabulary, according to Anglin
diverse society has emerged, arranged marriages among (1993).
Muslims, particularly in Mindanao, have remained one of
the most preserved practices that represent the Islamic Moreover, the primary goal of this study is to provide
cultural norm. This is because it is a social necessity that a grammar of the Mëranaw language into a broader scope of
comes about as a result of their extended family and documentation that specifically entails its language
community (Morada et. al., 2014). description of the linguistic features of the language
covering its morphological features.
Indeed, the richness of the Meranaw culture and
tradition can be found in images, symbols, and practices that III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
made them the source by which themes such as love for kin,
family, marriage, good manners, social life, and other This study will deal with qualitative descriptive
attitudes and values about life are extracted. Thus, making research that looks at actual issues and offers a more in-
the Maranao culture distinctively unique. depth understanding (Korstiens, 1995). Moreover, it mainly
deals with participants' experiences, viewpoints, and actions
gathered. Instead of addressing how many or how much, it
addresses hows and whys. It might be set up as an

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Volume 8, Issue 2, February – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
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independent study that just uses qualitative data, or it might In order to choose the language consultants, principal
be a component of mixed-methods research that uses both criteria will be set up as follows; a.) The informants must be
qualitative and quantitative data. The reader is introduced to native speaker who was born and raised in Lanao del Sur
some fundamental terms, definitions, and applications of Province; b.) The informants must speak Maranao as their
qualitative research in this overview. native tongues and also use them to communicate in their
daily lives; c.) The informants must be clearly and correctly
In addition, qualitative research will utilize the direct articulate; d.) The informants must be 20-60 years old; e.)
experience of the informants in dealing with the language. In The informants should have enough free time and
the first place, Vanderstoep & Johnston, & Creswell, 2009 willingness to work and coordinate long hours with the
stress that qualitative research is descriptive that gathers data researcher.
through interviewing, making an observation, analyzing
documents, and visual performing analysis. Coupled with Equally, the selection of informants includes two
this, it will be done through detailed collection and in-depth following steps. The first step will be when any volunteers
exploration of the documents (Polkinghorne, 2005) that are contacted the researcher and they will be asked the
essential for types of studies that cannot be undertaken following questions: a.) Are you a native speaker of
quantitatively. Maranao?; b.) Do you have normal hearing and don’t have
any speech disabilities? and c.) Can you read Maranao
In addition, data collection strategies typically involve writings?
individual and/or focus group interviews with minimal to
semi-structured interview guides (Neergaard et al., 2009). In the same way, the volunteers who will pass all three
preliminary questions will be asked to attend the second
Also, Creswell (2007) emphasized that the researcher’s interview where they will be asked the following questions:
role in qualitative research is critical, as he or she collects a.) How old are you?; b.) Were you born in the province of
data and implements analysis; therefore, my specific role in Lanao del Sur? C.) Have you ever moved or lived at any
this study will be that of an observer-as-participant, as I will other location? And d.) Do you understand Maranao or
be the primary instrument of data collection and analysis English?
what will be collected, coded, and analyzed from interviews,
participant journals, and questionnaire to uncover the  Instruments of the Study
emerging concepts and patterns. If all the raised questions will be answered yes, the
informants will then proceed in translating the 615-word list
As a matter of fact, greater importance to the and 775-sentence list to delve into the linguistic features of
researcher itself will be the main mechanism for obtaining the Maranao language. These word and sentence lists
knowledge in dealing with the study. As a researcher, I am coming from UP Department of Linguistics were transcribed
confident that I am instrumental in the comprehension and and analyzed using the Basic Linguistic Theory. The use of
learning of the complexity of the Maranao language. mentioned materials already had their consent and was
approved to be used by the University of the Philippines.
 Participants/Respondents
For the inclusion criteria for the participants of the  Procedure
study, Emmel (2013), notes that sampling in qualitative Moreover, the following procedures were performed in
research is less direct as it involves a sequence of decisions collecting the data. Foremost, Permission to Conduct the
to be made, throughout the research journey. Having this in Study - the researcher submitted a letter, seeking permission
mind, this study will have three (3) native and educated to conduct the study to the target participants. These letters
Maranao speakers as Morse (2000) posits that the more were addressed to the informants as language consultants of
useable data are collected from each person, the fewer the study.
participants are needed.
 Conduct Interviews and Translation.
Moreover, the participants must be native speakers of Upon approval, the researcher validated the interview
the language and must be more than 20 years old. He/She is guide questions and checklists for translation by the panel of
also educated to translate from the Maranao language to experts. When the validity of the questions and checklists
Bisaya and then to Tagalog. However, any physiological was established, it was then administered to the informants.
defects specifically in speech among the participants should
be excluded. Participants who are non-bachelor's degree  Collection and Analysis of Data.
holders (did not finish college) and too old native speakers The researcher will collect the translated data which
who cannot communicate anymore will not be considered. will be tabulated and analyzed. Lastly, the Analysis and
Interpretation – a descriptive approach will be used to
On the other hand, participants in this study can gather the data. The phonological analysis of this
withdraw at any time without any explanation or reason. The dissertation will be based on 600 item word list and 700
participants can withdraw from being one at any time of sentence list. The data will be prepared and used in
his/her own volition. interviewing the informants. The list will be divided into
different sections based on the semantic domain. The

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mediating languages between the informants and the conduct her research using these instruments to gather the
researcher were Maranao, Cebuano, and English. pertinent data for her study only after the approval of the
Ethics Review Committee. The researcher secured the
Identically, the general word elicitation for both voluntary participation of the respondents. Before their
informants includes the following: a.) A list of 600 general approval, all the necessary information was laid to them
words in English with Filipino translation and 700 sentence followed by the signing of the informed consent form. The
lists will be given to the informants; b.) Video and voice researcher emphasized the full protection of their anonymity
recording will be used to record speech from the informants; and well-being. They were not involved in risky situations
c.) The word list will be read for the informants in English- that could affect their physical, psychological, or socio-
Filipino translation; and d.) Informants will give the economic well-being.
translation of each word after hearing a word read in English
with Tagalog translation and it will be transcribed Moreover, the respondents understood that
immediately in phonetic symbols. However, the documenting their language would preserve their cultural
immediately written transcription will be only for the and historical identity. This study can also provide teaching
segmental phonemes: consonants and vowels. In presenting materials for Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education
tones of the language, the video files will be analyzed later. (MTB-MLE) as part of the K-12 Curriculum of the
Department of Education.
 Consultation of Results with Experts.
After the collection and analysis of the data, it was IV. RESULTS
then consulted with the experts to further validate the
obtained data. The experts are native speakers and are well- This chapter will present the results of the conducted
versed in the language to further verify its results. study. This will further answer the research questions raised
Corrections were made after the consultation to improve this in the area of study. I also provided a legend of the
study. abbreviation commonly used in the interpretation of the data
particularly its codes and glosses in the appendices (please
Gearing on the data analysis of this study, further see appendix D). Using Dixon’s Basic Linguistic Theory,
utilized Dixon's Basic Linguistic Theory which entails the following are the results of the study as the main purpose
having a thorough journal for language description and of this study:
analysis, as well as a brand-new and basic characterization
of the nature of human language as he gives a thorough  The Mëranaw Language and its People
explanation of grammar that is well-articulated and Our country, the Philippines is a place with an
coherent. He goes into great detail on each major and incredibly diverse linguistic landscape with over 170 spoken
numerous minor grammatical structure that can be found in languages and 12 indigenous languages with at least 1
the languages of the globe (Genetti, 2011). million speakers. Among these languages, the Maranao
language “Meranaw” /məranaw/ in the language itself, or
As a typologically-informed framework, BLT allows the orthography currently used in Department of Education
one to describe a language in own terms and “furnishes an MTB-MLE teaching materials is spoken by under a million
array of grammatical categories and construction types— native speakers Muslim population in one of the few
together with varieties of interrelations between them—from remaining culturally homogenous areas of the large southern
which appropriate choices are made” (Dixon, 2010). Philippine island of Mindanao.

During the data collection, the journal was used to Additionally, Mëranaw is the spelling recommended
write down preliminary analyses in recording the responses by the Commission on the Filipino Language the official
of the participants of the study. Assessment and reflection regulating body of the Filipino language, and the official
were done right after each set of interviews were conducted. government institution tasked with developing, preserving,
and promoting the various local Philippine languages.
Moreover, Dixon's Basic Linguistic Theory was used
as an approach that further understands the elements Furthermore, Mëranaw is a Philippine language
comprising the morphological, syntactic, and prevalently spoken by an ethnic population of 1,325,000
morphosyntactic analysis of the language. (2010 NSO) in four provinces in Mindanao, namely—Lanao
del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, and North Cotabato
 Ethical Considerations (Eberhard, Simons, & Fennig, “Ethnologue: Languages of
This study is conducted with a strong adherence to the the World”). As previously mentioned, in terms of
ethical protocols and guidelines set forth by the University subgrouping, it is more genetically related to Maguindanao
of Mindanao Ethics committee. It was presented before a (ISO 639-3: mdh) and Iranun (ISO 639-3: ilp), and together,
panel of experts in language studies in the Professional they form a legitimate subgroup called Danaw, one of the
Schools of the University of Mindanao. After the approval microgroups that constitute a higher-order proto-language
of the study, the questionnaires were presented, reviewed, called Greater Central Philippine (GCP) (Blust, 2013).
and validated by experts in qualitative research. Also, it Mëranaw and its two other sister languages, Maguindanao
merits the approval of the committee with protocol no. and Iranun, all share the same root—i.e., danaw or lake—
UMERC -2022-152. Furthermore, the researcher started to

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which reflects these ethnolinguistic groups’ being generally inflecting new words. However, the case for the Mëranaw
referred to as people of the lake. language only constitutes to have affixation to create new
words. This morphological process is described below.
 Morphological Processes in Mëranaw Language
The morphological process is the process by which a  Affixation in Mëranaw Language
word is adjusted to conform to a certain context. To put it Affixation in Mëranaw Language merely done that
simply, it is the process of changing the form and function consists of adding an affix (or more than one affix) to a
of a word to fit a context, sometimes to the extent of morphological base. This can be done by adding the prefixes
changing the meaning and/or grammatical function. These p-, mak-, and tomi- and the suffix -an. Moreover, the infix
processes involve production, creating or deriving, and ka- -an and circumfix p- -n, miaka- -e.

Table 1 The Affixation in Mëranaw Language

PREFIX
Word (ROOT) Meaning With Affix Meaning
kan eat p’kan to eat now
imbitiyara-e to talk makimbitiyara-e talking
tind’g stand tomitind’g standing
SUFFIX
Word (ROOT) Meaning Affix Meaning
pamasa buy pamasaan planning to buy
gitagita toy gitagitaan to play

INFIX
Word (ROOT) Meaning Affix Meaning
sadya joyous kasadyahan enjoyment, celebration
utod sibling kauturan siblings
tuon learn katuludan learnings
CIRCUMFIX
kukura grate pkukuran grater
imbitiyara to talk miakaimbitiyaarae have talked

The prefix, suffix, infix, and circumfix are all present  Adn a tohan.
affixations in the Mëranaw language. This is to form another May Diyos.
lexical category of a given Mëranaw word that most likely
entails to tells the time certain Mëranaw verbs take place.  Sa walay so raga.
Nasa bahay ang dalaga.
 Lexical Category
In grammar, a lexical category can be categorized as a  Miyanik sa palaw so mangoda.
noun, verb, adjective, adverb, and preposition. These Umakyat ng bundok ang binata.
categories carry meaning, and often words with a similar
(synonym) or opposite meaning (antonym) can be found. In the Mëranaw language, specifically to nouns we
have the term walay which means a house, margas for rice,
Evidently, these identified categories were also found tohan for Lord, raga for maiden, and magoda for a young
to be present in the Mëranaw language. man.

 Mëranaw Nouns  Mëranaw Adjectives

Nouns names things, persons, objects, and places. It Adjectives are words that describe the qualities or
denotes naming everything that surrounds us. Below are the states of being of nouns. In the field of linguistics, it is a
frequent Mëranaw nouns from our elicitation materials: word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or
describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change the
 The Above-Mentioned Nouns were Used in the information given by the noun.
Elicitation Materials and Translated Into the Filipino
Language as Follows:  Mataid so raga.
Maganda ang dalaga.
 Adn a taw sa walay.
May tao sa bahay.  Mapasang so raga.
Masipag ang dalaga.
 Bigan ako niyan sa margas.
Binigyan niya ako ng bigas.  Mabagr si Juan.
Malakas si Juan.

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 Mapasang e kandadak’p sa s’da a lok’s oto. beautiful, mapasang for responsible, mabagr for strong,
Magaling manghuli ng isda ang matandang iyon. mapasang for great, and magaan for fast.

 Magaan so palalagoy o wata.  Mëranaw Verbs

Mabilis ang takbo ng bata. Almost every sentence requires a verb because verbs
are words that show an action, occurrence, or state of being.
The sentences above can be configured to have Verbs are inflected and occur as the grammatical center of
Mëranaw adjectives such as mataid for English gloss for sentences in Mëranaw with the following tenses.

Table 2 Mëranaw Verbs

Perfective Imperfective Contemplative
Verb: tind’g (stand)
Timinind’g so wata. P’tind’g so wata. Tind’g so wata.
Tumayo ang bata. Tumatayo ang bata. Tatayo ang bata.
Verb: khan (eat)
Komiyan so wata sa mangga. P’khan so wara sa mangga. Khan so wata sa mangga.
Kumain ang bata ng mangga. Kumakain ang bata ng mangga. Kakain ang bata ng mangga.
Verb: phamola (plant)
Miyamola so taribasok sa banggala. Dimamola so taribasok sa banggala. Phamola so taribasok san banggala.
Nagtanim ang magsasaka ng kamote. Nagtatanim ang magsasaka ng kamote. Magtatanim ang magsasaka ng kamote.
Verb: phamasa (buy)
Inipamasa o wata so raga sa dolse. Iphamasa o wata so raga sa dolse. Iphamasa o wata so raga sa dolse.
Ibinili ng bata ang dalaga ng kendi. Ibinibili ng bata ang dalaga ng kendi. Ibibili ng bata ang dalaga ng kendi.
Verb: phanik (climb)
Miyanik sa palaw so mangoda. P’phanik sa palaw so mangoda. Phanik sa palaw so mangoda.
Umakyat ng bundok ang binata. Umaakyat ng bundok ang binata. Aakyat ng bundok ang binata.

The results above can be configured that Mëranaw historical regime from the Spanish to the American Era who
verbs in perfective cases can be formed by adding prefixes attempted to take control of their homeland.
“ini” as inipamasa and infix “imin” as timinind’g and
“omiy” as komiyan. The change in segmental symbols such Dealing with its linguistic features, morphologically
as “miyamola” from phamola and “miyanik” from phanik speaking, Mëranaw language has a rich culture of affixation
can also be observed. On the other hand, in imperfective as prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and circumfixes are all present
tense, the prefix “p’” is the added feature to denote the to create new words. These affixations include the prefix p-,
current situation of the verbs, such as “p’tind’g” “p’khan” mak-, and tomi- and the suffix -an. Moreover, the infix ka- -
and “p’phanik”. For the contemplative tense of the verbs, an and circumfix p- -n, miaka- -e. This is to form another
the latter usually retains its form to denote that the action lexical category of a given Mëranaw word that most likely
will be done in the future such as “phanik”, “phamola”, entails to tells the time certain Mëranaw verbs take place.
“khan”, “tind’g”. Furthermore, this grammar sketch aims to provide a
concrete reference for Mother Tongue–Based Multilingual
V. DISCUSSION Education (MTB-MLE) as the Mëranaw language is one of
the languages being taught. It further implies language
Mëranaw (ISO code mrw) is one of the Austronesian description and documentation as the basis for language
languages of the Greater Central Philippine subgroup which revitalization and at the same time culture preservation.
was primarily spoken on the southern Philippine island of
Mindanao. The area that covers mainly comprises the VI. CONCLUSION
provinces of Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte. Maranao
people are considered to be merchants in the archipelago In order to maintain its historical perspective and sense
and they are closely related to Iranun (spoken in both of cultural identity especially its impact in the realm of
Mindanao and Sabah, Malaysia) and Maguindanaon. education, this grammar sketch will aim to provide a
concrete reference for Mother Tongue–Based Multilingual
Moreover, dealing with its sociolinguistics and Education (MTB-MLE) as Mëranaw language is one of the
language attitudes, the Maranao language (and culture) is languages being taught. It further implies language
likely one of the least endangered in the Philippines. They description and documentation as the basis for language
are one of the few Philippine ethnolinguistic groups who in revitalization and at the same time culture preservation.
the twenty-first century faithfully maintain the use of their
language and wear traditional clothing in any parts of the Furthermore, it can cater to teachers learning the
Philippine archipelago. One of its unwavering senses of mëranaw language who certainly don't know or have less
cultural identity is based largely on the Maranaos’ Islamic knowledge about the language. Also, this grammar sketch
faith and a centuries-old history of resistance to the will contribute to the latest and holistic language description
and documentation that offers the entire parts of linguistics.

IJISRT23FEB830 www.ijisrt.com 1093

Volume 8, Issue 2, February – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
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