HILIGAYNON speakers have the option to use either the existential ara or the locative dira, but usually prefer the existential (which is ara).
For instance, instead of ‘dira ang bata’, Hiligaynon speakers prefer ‘ara ang bata’. Or for emphasis, Hiligaynon speakers can use the existential in conjunction with the locative, as in the example above – ‘ara na dira siya’.
The Hiligaynon didto: located away from me and you.
Didto ang bata. – The child is (located) over there.
Didto siya. – He is over (located) there.
Didto sila. – They are over (located) there.
Existentials can be used in conjunction with locatives as previously mentioned. In the case of the locative didto it can be used with the existential ato.
Ato na siya didto. – She is already there.
One can use both the existential and the locative independently, as in the sentences ‘Ato na siya’ and ‘Didto na siya’. By using both, emphasis is lent to the idea that person or thing referred to is present far from both the speaker and the person being spoken to.
The Tagalog equivalents would be.
Nandoon / doon ang bata. – The child is (located) there.
Nandoon / doon siya. – He is (located) there.
Nandoon / doon sila. – They are over (located) there.
Tagalog has no choice but to use the locative nandoon / doon. In addition, Tagalog can’t use an existential in conjunction with the locative doon because there are no appropriate existentials.
Hiligaynon speakers have the option to use either the existential ato or the locative didto, but usually prefer the existential (which is ato). For instance, instead of ‘didto siya’, Hiligaynon speakers prefer ‘ato siya’. Or for emphasis, Hiligaynon speakers can use the existential in conjunction with the locative, as in the example above – ‘ato na siya didto’.
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PART 2
(The Imperative affixes retained by most Visayan languages that the Tagalog language has lost)
Both Hiligaynon and Tagalog have retained two imperative affixes –
the action focus imperative affix mag– which is the imperative of the action focus affix with the same form, namely also mag– and the instrumental/ conveyance focus imperative affix i– which is the imperative of the instrumental/ conveyance focus affix with the same form, namely also i-.
The action focus affix mag– indicates that the topic is the actor, or doer of the action and expresses a voluntary durative action or one that lasts over a period of time (in the future)
Its imperative form is also mag-.
The instrumental/ conveyance focus affix I- indicates that the topic is the thing used to perform the action (instrument) or the person or thing being conveyed from its origin to its destination (conveyance) and expresses a momentary or an immediately completed action. Its imperative form is also i-.]
What both Hiligaynon and Tagalog have retained are not the topic of this article, and expounding on them only clutters and obfuscates things up. Thus, we shall not include the above. (To be continued)/PN
