March 29, 2024

OUR TITLE TODAY translates: “Where are you going (or, Where to?), Nabaloi?” Not yet ‘officially’ standardized, – in spite of certain Endeavours from truly ‘concerned ones across the Decades, Nabaloi as a language has somewhat ‘diversified’ into several ‘accents’, ‘varieties’, ‘versions’, – even: ‘dialects’, some are claiming.
FOR OUR PRESENT purposes, let us randomly select some words or Expressions (EXPR) and see where they fit in the following ‘Diversifications’, to wit.
ubmifa = int “understood by most, if not all”;
uaubm = int “understood and used by many”;
ubropa = int “used but rare or/only in particular applications e.g. in bahdiws (instant, oral poetry), isistodja (storytelling), and in namanamat (Oral Narratives or Dramatics);
uvpi ~ = int “used very particularly in ~ (name of Place or Area); and
‘Standard Form’ or ‘SF’ [in simple quotes because it needs to be ‘officially formalised’ yet?]. At present though, it is used – written, spoken, and accepted by many Nabaloi dictionaries, and writers too.
LET’S BEGIN NOW with our first word – or EXPR: Ambalabalaw (= int or ‘equals by interpretation’): hate/dislike/not in favour of/etc., so that if you add the pronouns -TO(he/she) or -sha(they) i.e. the enclitic forms, you get something like: Ambalabalaw to (or sha) eh Spaghetti. (Transl: “Hate/dislike/not in favour of/etc. he/or they) Spaghetti”. or simply: He (or they) are not in favour of; or she/they hate/dislike Spaghetti”).
AMBALABALAW IS AN uvpi ~ (used very particularly in Southwestern Itogon – notably in Barangays Poblacion, Tinongdan, Dalupirip.. but used as well in adjoining Sitios or areas; though possibly responded to correctly at times – or, ‘deductively’ understood: by other Nabaloi speakers. And what were the listeners expecting to have been used instead? Maybe, the ‘Standard Form’ or ‘SF’, which is:
ANSIKSHAL TO OR ansikshal sha? But a great many other speakers could have been expecting too the use of: An asneng to/sha; An oges to; Eg to khosto, etc., which though non-Standard Forms, are u a u b m (understood and used by many), e.q.u.i.v.a.l.e.n.t ‘versions’ of either Ambalabalaw to/sha, or the ’Standard Form’ Ansikshal to/sha.
ITS CLOSEST OTHER ‘version’ – Ambalaw, (even: ‘Balaw’) to/sha is heard sometimes in Cobabeng – a Sitio of Barangay Poblacion, Bokod; as well as in Sitios Banao, Abat, or Adonot – all of Barangay Ambuklao, Bokod. Our next word, or EXPR:
NAGU.. OR LENGTHENED: Naagu.. When joined with other words in a sentence, it simply stands for the Q-word: Why..? But
WHEN USED ALONE, it becomes an Interjection ellipcited, that is. Compare the two applications in the following examples:
1) NAGU or NAAGU itaka di? (Transl: “Why have you come?”).
2) NAGU..? or NAAGU..? (the two dots [..] indicating a short pause. This form or Application – depending upon context, may stand for any of the following – shortened or abbreviated statements, viz.
2a) Nagu.. (Why are you here)?
2b) Nagu.. (Where are you going)?
2c) Nagu.. (What a pleasant surprise.. visiting me here – even during this Time of the Pandemic.. you braved the Lockdowns, the hassles, the dangers, etc., Nagu.. how kind and sweet of you, my dear cousin!), and other like applications.
LOCAL LINGUISTS AND Historians say that Nagu.. or Naagu..is derived from the Ibaloi-Iowak form of Ehnagu! (same meanings or ‘shades’, more or less).
THE ‘EQUIVALENT STANDARD’ Form should be Ngantoi..?; though some contend this is only for the plain meaning of why..? [much unlike] Nagu/Naagu – venturing even as an Interjection.
OTHER NABALOI SPEAKERS may use – Ngan ni~ or Ngaran ni~ in place of Nagu/Naagu.. or the ‘SF’ Ngantoi..? as in: Ngan ni.. (or Ngaran ni) nanduganan mo di? (“By what vehicle did you come?”). Our next or final word/Expression today:
THE ‘EXISTENTIALS’ – IN English renditions: “There is~” or “There are~”. Let’s commence – in Nabaloi, with its ‘Standard Form’ (‘SF’): Gwara y~ as in: Gwara y bi-i shi doong ni taytay. (Transl: “There is a woman under the bridge.” note: for the plural – “There are~” construction, just insert an era between bi-i and shi, to wit: Gwara y bi-i era shi doong ni taytay. Or, a much-accented format of: Gwora’y bibi-i era shi doong ni taytay. But now,
THE ‘OTHER FORMS’ of Gwara y~, together with their respective ‘Diversification’ estimates, are as follows:
WARA’Y~ is ubmifa (i.e. understood by most, if not all;
GWARE’Y~ is uaubm (i.e. understood and used by many;
BARE’Y~ is uvpi~ (i.e. used very particularly in Northeastern Ibaloi areas;
GWA’Y~ or WA’Y~ are Oral or Spoken Contraction forms of either: a) or b) or c), Supra.
APPLYING ONE SENTENCE-EXAMPLE in the Interrogative, we obtain something like any of the following: Wara’y/Gware’y/Bare’y/Gwa’y/Wa’y, Saludsod? (Transl: “Is there/are there, any question(s)?). Ayuhh!

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