You are on page 1of 8

Pronouns in Narrative Discourse:

Personal versus Demonstrative Pronouns


Patricia Maria D. Musico
2008-04919
paaaaats@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT
In Tagalog discourse, pronouns take the place of full noun
phrases only under certain conditions. In most cases, third
person pronouns are employed to track referents across
clauses. However, there are instances that demonstratives
are used in lieu of third person pronouns. It is the task of
this study to illustrate the usage types of demonstratives
other than deixis and to describe the conditions that
motivate the speaker to show preference for demonstrative
pronouns over personal pronouns. It will show the
difference between using personal pronouns and
demonstrative pronouns to track topical nominal across
clauses: primary topics are referred to by personal pronouns
while secondary topics are referred to by demonstrative
pronouns; how these referents also change depending on
the point of view in different parts of the discourse with the
change of primary and secondary topics.

General Terms
Tagalog Morphosyntax, Typology, Philippine Linguistics,
Discourse Narrative

Keywords
Pronouns, Discourse, Demonstratives, Deixis, Topicality,
Reference-tracking

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
A narrative discourse describes a series of interdependent
events, usually in the past. This kind of discourse is usually
centered on a specific actor or actors. The events in a
discourse are arranged chronologically and are oriented
around a specific topic or referent. In Tagalog, a pronoun
tends to refer to a topical participant [10]. Pronouns are
employed to track referents across clauses in a narrative.
Pronouns take the place of full noun phrases in discourse
but only in certain cases. In most cases, third person
pronouns are used as substitutes for noun phrases. There
are instances, however, that instead of third person
pronouns, speakers tend to use demonstrative pronouns to
refer to the participant in discourse.
It is the task of this study to demonstrate the other usage
types of demonstratives other than deixis and to describe
the conditions that motivate the speaker to show preference
for demonstrative pronouns over personal pronouns. It will
show the difference between using personal pronouns and
demonstrative pronouns to track topical nominal across
clauses: primary topics are referred to by personal pronouns
while secondary topics are referred to by demonstrative

pronouns; how these referents also change depending on


the point of view in different parts of the discourse.
Below is a conversation of the author and one of her
acquaintances. Normally, when talking to a person we use
personal pronouns, but as we can see below, the speaker
used instead a demonstrative pronoun.
1.

N-(k)aka-ka-inis
PERF(n)-paka-RED-inis

to.
ABS.DIST

2.

N-(k)aka-ka-inis
PERF(n)-paka-RED-inis
Youre annoying.

ka.
ABS.DIST

The author explains that the reason behind the use of the
demonstrative to or ito this in (1), instead of the personal
pronoun ka (clitic form of ikaw) you used in (2), was to
lessen the intensity of the expression so as not to be
offensive to the hearer and pass it off as a playful comment.
This would show that there is a perceived distance when
using demonstratives instead of personal pronouns. It
seems less offensive to be told Nakakainis to as opposed to
Nakakainis ka which both mean Youre annoying. The
demonstrative would stand for something like,walang
personalan pero...
1.2. Previous Studies
Pronouns belong to a closed syntactic class and function as
replacement of full noun phrases. Nolasco [14] identifies
five types of pronouns in Philippine languages. They are
personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns, demonstrative
pronouns, reflexive pronouns and indefinite pronouns. He
also said that pronouns exhibit clitic behavior. They
typically occupy the second position in a clause, following
the first full word.
Nagaya [13] demonstrated in his study that, in Tagalog,
pronominalization is described to be that which expresses
the continuity of topics. Nagaya said that like all other
languages, in Tagalog when a participant has been
introduced in discourse, they are then subsequently referred
to by non-lexical forms in succeeding clauses for the reason
of speakers economy. The non-lexical form employed is
pronouns. They tend to refer to topical participants in
discourse. He used Tagalog pear stories as his data and he
was able to show in one part of the transcribed narrative
where a young boy took the basket of pears away, with the
boy as the main topic of the paragraph that once the boy
was introduced, he was then subsequently referred to by
personal pronouns like siya and niya.

Himmelmann [10], on the other hand, discussed the major


usage types of demonstratives in discourse. He was
concerned only with the adnominal (adjectival) use of
demonstratives as this kind was more varied and occurred
more in his data. The usage types include: situational use,
discourse deictic use, tracking use and recognitional use.
The situational use refers to an entity in the discourse, and
it is described in terms of these two features: it should have
a deictic center or the point of view, and it should also
establish a referent in the discourse.
3.

The next major use is discourse deictic use. Demonstratives


may be used to refer to propositions and events in
discourse.
Nanalo si Liesl sa loto. Iyon ang nagpabago sa
buhay niya.

The demonstrative iyon refers to the specific event in the


discourse which is Liesls winning the lottery.
Another major use is the tracking usually of major
participants in discourse. This use may be referred to as
anaphoric or co-referential use.
5.

7.

Ito ang numero ko sa bahay.

8.

Iyan yung sinasabi kong damit ko na hindi mo na


binalik.

9.

Iyon yung paaralan ko nung high school.

Bumalik ka nga rito.

The deictic center is the current location, current time, and


so forth with respect to the current speaker. The established
referent of rito is the place where the speaker is and to
where the hearer is being asked to return.

4.

Similarly in Tagalog, this is also true but there are three


instead of two demonstratives that can be used ito this
(near speaker), iyan that (near hearer) and iyon that
(remote). See examples below.

Sinabi ni Andres sa ama ni Hwan na ito ay


matalino at dapat ipadala sa paaralan.
(Bloomfield)

Ito can also modify locations and the speaker is considered


to be present at the specific location as shown in (10)
below.
10. Pinuntahan nila itong bahay ko.
The second type of usage of demonstratives is discourse
function. The discourse function of Sama Bangingi
demonstratives is further specified into: a) discourse deixis;
b) tracking previously mentioned themes or participants; c)
particularizing a hypothetical participant and d) selecting
local information [3].
Discourse deixis is a function of demonstratives that refer
to adjacent parts of the discourse (Himmelman 1996:224).
There are two types of discourse deixis function:
presentation function and summarizing function.
The presentation function is when a demonstrative points
forward to adjacent parts of the discourse. For example:
11. Ito yung gusto kong mangyari sa kaarawan ko.
12. Ito si Lee Min Ho, Koryano siya.

The last major use is recognitional use. Instead of the


intended referent being readily identifiable through context
clues or by referring to previous parts of the current
discourse, the hearer will only be able to identify the
referent if they have background knowledge on it.
6.

Grabe sa Bangkok, yun yung parang Divisoria


dito na sobrang mumura ng mga damit.

He also pointed out that definite articles as well as third


person pronouns are historically derived or grammaticized
from demonstratives. Thus, it is sometimes difficult to
distinguish demonstratives from third person pronouns and
definite articles.
A study on the demonstratives in Sama Bangingi
Expository discourse shows that demonstratives have the
following functions: situation and discourse. The
situational function of demonstratives is described as
locating entities in the discourse spatially or temporally.
Demonstratives that indicate the spatial location of
participants or locations are introduced primarily by itu
this (near speaker) or e that (remote) in Sama
Bangingi. The participant is physically present at the
current location of discourse if it is modified by itu.

13.

Ito ang napakakyut kong inaanak.

Ito this is the only demonstrative that has a presentation


function. It is the only one that points forward to an
adjacent discourse segment. [3]
The summarizing function points backward in the discourse
or that which restates what has been said as seen below:
14. Gusto daw ni Mai-mai ng kotse, ito yung hiling
niya para sa kanyang pang-18 na kaarawan.
15. Isang lalaking mayaman, iyon ang gusto ko.
16. Binaha ang buong mundo, nabiyak ang lupa,
sumabog ang mga bulkan at namatay ang
milyong-milyong tao, ganito rin ang nangyari sa
pelikulang 2012.
In John Blakelys Sama Bangingi study, he only mentioned
itu this as the demonstrative that has a summarization
function like in (14). However, other demonstratives like
iyon that and ganito like this also function the same way
as in (15) and (16).

The next discourse function is tracking themes or


participants and locations previously mentioned in the
discourse.

In (23) the hypothetical participant is the full NP which is


leader. In (24) it was now referred to as leader na iyon, and
it is expected that in the succeeding clauses it would be
referred to as iyon.

Themes are marked usually by the near speaker


demonstrative ito this. The theme is then restated with
this same demonstrative in the continuation of the
discourse. Tracking themes may be found in the closing
comments of statements like in (17) and (18) [3].

The last usage function that Blakely tackled is selecting of


local information or that which are only of minor
importance for comment. In his data, there was only one
speaker who uses this kind of function and he did so only
on four occasions.

17. Itong pag-aalinlangan niya ay nakagugulat. Ito


ang naging dahilan ng kanyang pagkasisante.
18. Itong mga panahong ito ay marami talagang
masasamang-loob. Ito ay dapat magmulat sa
ating mga mata na hindi lahat ng tao ay
mapagkakatiwalaan.
Sometimes, themes that were introduced in the beginning
of full texts can be restated in subsequent parts like in (19)
[3].
19. Muli, ito ay tungkol sa mga Ita.
The tracking of participants or locations in Sama Bangingi
is mainly limited to the demonstrative u that (near
hearer) and e that (remote). Tracking is mainly a
reintroducing function applicable to major participants,
props and themes. When a demonstrative marks a
participant that has been subsequently referred to by a
pronoun then its identity is simply retained in the discourse,
but when it refers to a different noun, then the participant is
reidentified. All these functions are illustrated below in the
following 3 successive examples (20), (21) and (22).
20. O sige, tingnan natin yung lugar kung san
nastranded sila (4 finalists and 5 other people
from the movie Temptation Island).
21. Eh parang disyerto yun eh. Walang makain
talaga.
22. Iisipin mong mamamatay talaga sila sa gutom,
buti nalang hindi.
Another usage type is particularizing hypothetical
participants. Particularizing hypothetical participants is
needed when someone is trying to explain an entity in a
certain situation hypothetically. In Sama Bangingi, these
participants are marked with ilu that (near hearer) [3]. In
the chosen kind of discourse, which is narrative discourse,
there may be next to no occurrence of this certain function
of demonstratives unless for example, one of the characters
will try and explain in hypothetical terms to someone else.
23. Upang maging leader, kailangan ng consent ng
lahat ng tao na naninirahan sa lugar na ito.
24. Sa lugar na ito, kung ang asawa ng leader na
iyon ay di nagpakita ng paggalang, hindi rin siya
igagalang.

25. Si Paero yung aso namin!


Status:

In
Focu
s

Activat
ed

Familiar

Uniqule
Identifiable

Referential

Type
identifia
ble

Form:

It
Them
they

This
that

That (noun)
this (noun)

The (noun)

This (noun)
(indefinite
use)

A (noun)

26. Itong asong to talaga, ang kulit.


According to Brown-Schmidt, Byron and Tanenhaus [6],
who studied the behavior of preference for the use of the
personal pronoun it and the demonstrative pronoun that in
English, the personal pronoun generally refers to the theme
or the most salient entity in the discourse while the
demonstrative pronoun refers to a composite entity.
Saliency of an entity is measured by the Givenness
Hierarchy, which is seen below.
The Givenness Hierarchy [6]
This is consistent with the study of Bosch, Rozario and
Zhaos study on the German der vs er [5]. They developed
the Complementarity Hypothesis. This states that
demonstratives refer to less salient entities, and they
describe this as being the main difference between the two.
They also said that a further problem for a clear and
systematic explanation for the use of demonstratives is that
their distribution often overlaps with that of personal
pronouns and their distinction as they described it appeared
to be occasionally just stylistic.
1.3. Methodology
The data used in this study were written texts, including
quoted speech or conversations inside the text, from
romance novels published by Precious Hearts Publications
and text transcription of Tagalog pear stories. Both oral and
written narrative discourses were analyzed. Then the
alternation between the use of personal pronouns and
demonstrative pronouns were observed. The occurrence of
both types of pronouns as used in the data was also
counted.
1.4. Scope and Limitations
This paper is limited to analyzing the preference of
demonstrative pronouns over personal pronouns if the
referents are [+human], the motivations of the speaker to

do this and also how the hearer/s cope or follow the train
of thought of the speaker.

2.

PRONOMINAL
TAGALOG

SYSTEM

OF

2.1. Types of Pronouns in Tagalog


This section will discuss briefly the pronominal system of
Tagalog.

2.2. Personal pronouns


In Tagalog, personal pronouns typically take the place of
full human noun phrases in discourse, as illustrated in the
following examples:
27. Napangiti si Liza na nasa likuran ng dalawa.
Two weeks ago lang, mag-boss pa ang dalawang
ito, naisaloob niya.
28.

There are five types of pronouns in Tagalog; personal


pronouns, interrogative pronouns, demonstrative pronouns,
reflexive pronouns and indefinite pronouns.
Personal pronouns refer to human entities already
mentioned in the discourse and is known to the hearer.
They are classified according to person, case and number.
Table 1. Tagalog Personal Pronouns
Absolutive
Ergative
Singular
1st
ako
ko
Dual
kita/kata
nita/nata
2nd
ikaw
mo
3rd
siya
niya
Plural
1st (inclusive)
tayo
natin
1st (exclusive)
kami
naming
2nd
kayo
ninyo
3rd
sila
nila

Oblique
akin
kanita/kanata
iyo
kanya
atin
amin
inyo
kanila

Interrogative pronouns are used when a concept or


information is being elicited so that an item can be
identified.
Demonstrative pronouns or deictics refer to entities in
relation to distance and space, and also their location in
time.
Table 2. Demonstrative pronouns in Tagalog
Spatial orientation Absolutive Ergative
near
ito
nito
speaker/proximal
near
iyan
niyan
hearer/medial
far
from
iyon
niyon
both/distal

Oblique
dito, nito
diyan
doon

Reflexive pronouns are special words which refer to the


same referent in the construction. In Tagalog, it is made up
of the word sarili plus the relevant pronouns, as in the
phrase sa kanyang sarili or sa sarili niya.
Indefinite pronouns refer to entities, persons, places, or
times which cannot be clearly established. The indefinite
pronouns have the same form as interrogative pronoun plus
the particle man (i.e. anuman whatever, sinuman,
whoever, kailanman whenever, etc.

Excited si Hercule tuwing off-duty na siya sa


Castillo De Amor Complex. Kasi'y may
dinadaanan siyang isang place na nagbibigay sa
kanya ng kakaibang kasiyahan.

In Tagalog, as in many other languages, a participant that is


once introduced into the discourse is then referred to by a
non-lexical form in the following clauses. This is mainly
for the sake of speakers economy. This function is usually
performed by personal pronouns. In (27), the participant
Liza is introduced in the first clause. In the following
clause, it is referred to by the personal pronoun siya.
Similarly, Hercule in (28) is referred to by siya as it was
being mentioned in the discourse in the succeeding clauses.
2.3. Demonstrative pronouns
2.3.1. Deictic use
In Tagalog, demonstratives are typically used as deictics as
shown in 29-31. They function to indicate the spatial
orientation and location in time of the referents they refer
to. These deictic functions are categorized into three based
on the nearness to the speaker, nearness to the one being
spoken to and the remoteness from both speaker and the
one being spoken to, as shown in Table 2.
29.

Ito ay lapis.

30.

Iyan si Pedro.

31.

Iyon ang bahay namin.

However, other than demonstrating or expressing the


spatial relation between entities, Tagalog demonstratives
are also employed to perform other functions in discourse.
Deictic function, as used by Himmelmann, is understood as
reference to proposition or events. In Tagalog, this is
mostly the case. Demonstratives are often used to refer to
referents in discourse. Take a look at the following
examples:
32. Tumunog ang doorbell mayamaya. Si Rado ang
nagbukas ng pinto. Sumunod si Liza rito pagkat
tapos na ang paghuhugas niya ng pinagkanan.
33. Habang nangunguha may batang lalaking sakay
ng bisikleta ang dumaan. Huminto ito at itinumba
ang bisikleta.
34. Sa simula nung pelikula, may isang magsasaka
na kumukuha ng prutas sa isang puno. Nilalagay
niya yung prutas sa loob ng kanyang damit at

pagbaba niya sa puno. Inilalalagay niya ito sa


isang basket.
2.3.2. Tracking use
Demonstratives are also used to track referents across
clauses. They often take the place of the nouns or pronouns
to refer to referents in discourse.
35. At pagkalipas ng tatlong buwan, bumalik sa
nayon ang kababata at kaibigan niyang si Maya.
Isinama siya nito sa Maynila para tumao sa
apartment nito. Magtutungo raw ito sa ibang
bansa at ayaw nitong iwan ang apartment nito
kaya gusto nito na siya muna ang tumira doon.
Pagbalik daw nito ay tutulungan siya nitong
humanap ng trabaho at doon na rin siya titira
para may kasama ito. Hindi na siya nag-isip.
Sumama siya rito dahil mag-isa na siya sa
nayon.
In (35), the proximate demonstratives ito and nito are used
to refer to a single mention in discourse, which is Maya.
The entity si Maya is first introduced in the discourse as a
full noun phrase. However, in the succeeding clauses, it has
been referred to by demonstrative pronouns. According to
the Givenness Hierarchy that was developed by BrownSchmidt et. al [6], the entity has an activated status. The
demonstratives activated the entity si Maya that was put
into short-term memory after it was first introduced. Both
the ergative and genitive forms, nito are employed to track
Maya in the example.
3.

The Distribution of
DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUNS
and PERSONAL PRONOUNS in
Discourse

This paper is concerned with the discourse use of


demonstratives in place of full noun phrases and third
person pronouns. As we have already observed in the
previous examples, the substitution function is not only
limited to personal pronouns. Demonstratives are also used
as frequently as the third person pronouns.
Table 3 shows the frequency count of both personal
pronouns and demonstratives as used in the data.
Table 3. Frequency count of the occurrence of personal
pronouns and demonstrative pronouns
Personal
Proximal
Demonstra
tives

Ergative

Absolutive

niya (338)

siya (240)

Oblique/
Genitive
sa kanya (75)

nito (378)

ito (235)

dito (15)

Medial

niyan (2)

Distal

noon/nun (0)

iyan/yan
(4)
iyon/yun
(2)

Diyan (1)
doon/dun (0)

The frequency count shows that there is no significant


difference in the occurrence of personal pronouns and
proximal demonstrative pronouns. It does seem that their

interchangeability is due only to stylistics as what Bosch et.


al mentioned [5]. The medial and distal demonstrative
pronouns however, were not used as much as the proximal
demonstratives in the data, but there are instances where
these pronouns are the more appropriate ones to use.
Though it would seem as if speakers are indiscriminate in
their choice whether to use personal pronouns or
demonstrative pronouns in discourse because of the
negligible differences between their occurrences in the
data, there are actually motivations for the usage of
demonstrative pronouns in place of personal pronouns.

4. MOTIVATION FOR THE USAGE


OF
DEMONSTRATIVE
PRONOUNS IN DISCOURSE
This section will examine the motivations behind the
preference for demonstrative pronouns over personal
pronouns with personal referents in discourse.
4.1. Topicality: Primary topic vs. secondary topic
The primary topics in a discourse are always referred to by
personal pronouns and the secondary topics are always
referred to by demonstrative pronouns. The demonstratives
most commonly used are the proximal demonstrative
pronouns, although there are some rare instances that the
medial and distal demonstrative pronouns also replace
those.
DIWA
36.

Salamat sa kaibigan niyang si Maya ang


unica hija ng kapitan nila na isinama siya sa
apartment nito sa Maynila, may bago na siyang
buhay.

In the first paragraph (36), two referents are mentioned: si


Maya and the narrator, Diwa. Diwa is the primary topic as
the story is being told from her point of view and so she is
referred to by the personal pronouns niya, and siya. The full
noun phrase si Maya is the secondary topic and is therefore
referred to in the subsequent clauses by demonstrative
pronouns.
ROGUE
37. Kailangan niyang kunin ang CD na ipinadala ni
Hermes sa on-screen partner ni Tracy na si
Enrique Ruiz, na siya palang dahilan kung bakit
nakipaghiwalay ang una sa boyfriend nito. Si
Enrique na daw ang gusto nito. Para pigilan ang
balak na paglapit ni Tracy sa kapwa artistang si
Enrique, ginagamit ni Hermes ang video na
ikakalat daw nito kung hindi makikipagbalikan
dito si Tracy.
The example in (37) was taken from the same text as (36)
with the story being told from anothers point of view:
Rogues. Rogue is now the new primary topic, referred to
by the personal pronoun niya and there are new secondary
topics in this particular part of the whole narrative
discourse, Tracy and Hermes, which were both accordingly
referred to by the proximal genitive demonstrative

pronouns nito. Since Tracy and Hermes were both referred


to by nito, it poses the problem of how the hearer would
identify who nito is referring to. This can only be solved by
having knowledge of the things that happened in the past
between the participants and deciphering the context clues
embedded. For example, between Tracy and Hermes, who
was more likely to be the one who broke up with their
boyfriend in ..kung bakit nakipaghiwalay ang una sa
boyfriend nito? Seeing as Tracy is a girl, it is her who broke
up with her boyfriend and who is also referred to by nito.

4.1.2. Iyan and iyon


Iyan or yan and iyon or yun sometimes also replace the
proximal demonstrative pronoun ito.
38. Yan yung sinasabi ko sayo na halatang may
crush sa Ate Prie mo, tila nanlolokong sabi ni
Tita Mel. Mabait din yan. Sa pagkaka-alam ko,
yan din ata ang crush ng ate Prie mo, eh.
The person that yan is referring to is Ishmael. Instead of
using ito to refer to Ishmael, the speaker used yan because
of the fact that the referent is not with them but he can
actually be seen from where the two participants are
conversing.
39. Sino yan?
The example in (39) is most often used when asking who is
at the door, but when answering the phone we ask Sino to?
If the distance accounts for the difference in the usage of
pronouns then isnt it that a person just behind the door is
actually closer to the speaker than someone who is on the
phone? In this situation, perceived distance is valued higher
than actual distance. In answering the phone, one should
put it to his or her head which makes it closer to the
speaker. In answering the door, a person asks the question
in (39) usually before they even reach the door.
4.2 Perceived Distance
Aside from topicality, perceived distance is another
motivation for the preference for demonstratives. In the
very first example Nakakainis to vs. Nakakainis ka, it
has been explained that it is more appropriate to use the
first clause which uses a demonstrative instead of the
personal pronoun because it is less rude. The intensity of
nakakainis was dampened with the use of ito because of the
perceived distancing of the speaker from the comment to be
able to dismiss it as something playful and uninsulting.

5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION


This study has shown that while it is typical to use third
person pronouns as substitute for nominal phrases in a
clause, demonstratives are used just as frequently and that
there are motivations behind this.
Speakers tend to choose demonstrative pronouns in place of
personal pronouns because of two motivations: topicality
and perceived distance. It was shown that primary topics,

the most salient entities in discourse, are usually referred to


by personal pronouns while the secondary topics or less
salient entities are usually referred to by demonstrative
pronouns.
Demonstratives, other than deixis, also perform other
function. As they are used interchangeably with third
personal pronouns, they are used to track referents across
clauses.

6. REFERENCES
[1] Alonzo, A. S. (2011). Sweetest downfall. Precious Pages
Corporation. Quezon City, Philippines.
[2] Amor, V. (2011). Hot intruder: Rogue (the dashing
vagabond). Quezon City, Philippines: Precious
Pages Corporation
[3]

Blakely, J. Sama Bangingi, Publisher. In Sherrie


Brainard, series ed. 2001. Studies on Philippine
Languages and Cultures Vol 12, 1.

[4] Bloomfield, L. 1917. Tagalog texts with Grammatical


Analysis. 3 vols. Urbana.
[5] Bosch, P., Rozario, T. and Zhao, Y. Demonstrative
pronouns and personal pronouns. German der
vs. er.
[6]

Brown-Schmidt, S., Byron, K. and Tanenhaus, M.


2005. Beyond salience: interpretation of personal
and demonstrative pronouns. Journal of memory
and language, 53. 292-313.

[7] Dalisay, G. (2011). Kapag handa na ang puso. Quezon


City,
Philippines:
Bookware
Publishing
Corporation.
[8] Dianco, C. (2011). Forever in my heart. Quezon City,
Philippines: Bookware Publishing Corporation.
[9] Francesca, S. (2008). Calle pogi: Buwi. Quezon City,
Philippines: Precious Pages Corporation.
[10] Himmelmann, N. Demonstratives in Narrative
Discourse: A Taxonomy in Universal Use.
Universitat zu Koln.
[11] Isabella, C. (2011). My sweetest wish. Quezon City,
Philippines: Precious Pages Corporation
[12] Lee, M. (2011). Akin ka na lang sana. Quezon City,
Philippines: Precious Pages Corporation.
[13] Nagaya, N. 2006. Topicality and Reference-tracking in
Tagalog. Paper presented at the 10th Philippine
Linguistics Congress. Quezon City: University of
the Philippines-Diliman.

[14] Nolasco, R. 2010. Grammar Notes on the National


Language. Unpublished. Quezon City: University
of the Philippines.
[15] Sabina, B. (2011). Photographs and memories.
Quezon City, Philippines: Precious Pages
Corporation
[16] Yngrid, H. (2010). Campus girl Ashlee: the rock diva.
Quezon City, Philippines: Precious Pages
Corporation
[17] SIL. Narrative discourse. (2004) Retrieved October,
24,
2011
at
12:58
am
from
http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguist
icTerms/WhatIsANarrativeDiscourse.htm
[18] Yngrid, H. (2010). Campus girl Vee: the pretty witch.
Quezon City, Philippines: Precious Pages
Corporation.
[19] Wikipedia. Tagalog pronouns. (2011) Retrieved
October 24, 2011 at 6:09 pm from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_grammar#P
ronouns_.28Panghalip.29

7. APPENDIX
The following are excerpts from the Pinoy romance novels
used in this study.
DIWA
Salamat sa kaibigan niyang si Maya ang unica hija ng
kapitan nila na isinama siya sa apartment nito sa
Maynila, may bago na siyang buhay.
Sa Maynila ay hindi na rin siya ang anak ni Maruca
Masalanta na tanyag na mangkukulam at manggugulang.
Niloloko nito ang mga kanayon nila sa pamamagitan ng
pagtitinda ng kung anu-anong orasyon, halamang gamot,
gayuma, nagmimilagrong tubig, at kung anu-ano pa. Iyon
ang raket nito.
At pagkalipas ng tatlong buwan, bumalik sa nayon ang
kababata at kaibigan niyang si Maya. Isinama siya nito sa
Maynila para tumao sa apartment nito. Magtutungo raw ito
sa ibang bansa at ayaw nitong iwan ang apartment nito
kaya gusto nito na siya muna ang tumira doon. Pagbalik
daw nito ay tutulungan siya nitong humanap ng trabaho at
doon na rin siya titira para may kasama ito. Hindi na siya
nag-isip. Sumama siya rito dahil mag-isa na siya sa nayon.
Kaya ngayon, hayun siya, mag-iisang linggo nang nasa
apartment ni Maya. Ang unang dalawang araw niya sa
Maynila ay ginugol nila sa paglilibot; para daw may alam
na siya sa lugar bago ito umalis.
Nang nagdaang araw ay tumulak na si Maya patungo sa
Korea. Babalik din ito pagkalipas ng ilang linggo.
Pakiramdam niya ay abnormal siya. Pero dahil kay Maya
na naniwala at tumanggap sa kanya nang buung-buo,
nagawa niyang yakapin ang kanyang kakayahan. Ayon
dito, hindi siya ang nag-iisang gifted sa mundo. Napagtanto
niyang tama ito.
Tulong po, sagot nito. Inilahad nito ang kanang kamay.
Enrique Ruiz. Tinanggap niya ang pakikipagkamay nito.

Diwa na lang ang itawag mo sa akin. Kapangalan mo


iyongg artista na narinig kong ini-interview minsa sa rayo.
Tuloy ka. Niluwangan na niya ang pagkakaawang ng
pinto. Pumasok ito. Ako nga yon. Tinwanan niya ito.
Ako nga si Enrique Ruiz. Ikaw na kung ikaw. Hintayin
mo ako riyan. Bale walang iniwan na niya ito sa sala.
Nagtuluy-tuloy siya sa kuwarto niya. Inistorbo na nito ang
tulog niya, gusto pa siyang lokohin nito? Probinsyana siya
pero hindi siya tanga na maniniwala sa kalokohan nito.
Kausapin daw niya si Maya. Pagkarinig niya sa pangalan
ng kaibigan ay agad niyang inabot ang aparato. Maya-
Youre crazy, Diwa! Huwag mo siyang masyadong
takutin, tumatawang sabi nito. Mukhang isinumbong siya
rito ng buwisita niya. Naglitanya na ito at hindi na siya
binigyan ng pagkakataong magsalita. Nanlalaki ang mga
matang napabaling siya sa lalaking tinakot niyang
gagawing ipis. Kung ganoon ay totoong ito si.. Tumaas and
mga kilay nito, parang sinasabi ng tingin nito na, I told
you so. Wala na sa kabilang linya si Maya ay hindi pa rin
niya mapaniwalaan ang mga sinabi nito. Wala ka bang
sasabihin? Nagbabanta ang ngisi sa mga labi nito.
Tumawa ito at nag-peace sign sa kanya. Biro lang, bawi
nito.
In fairness, mukha namang seryoso ito sa sinabi. Ilang
segundo niyang pinagmasdan ang mukha nito.
Ano na nga ba ang ipinunta mo rito? Tulong? Teka, gusto
mo ba ng kape o juice? Nakangiting umiling ito. May
multo sa bahay ko, sabi nito. Can you stay in my house
for.. Well, a few days or a week maybe? Talk to them..
napapangiwi pang sabi nito. Nanatili siyang nakatingin
dito. Huhulaan niyang multo ang greatest fear nito. Kung
ang kaibigan niya ang nagrekomenda sa kanya, dapat nga
siguro niya itong tulungan. Tinitiggan siya nito.
Pinagtaasan niya ito ng isang kilay.
Umiling ito.
Nginisihan niya ito.
Parang walang anumang nagkibit-balikat lang ito.
Mukhang ibibigay nito ang lahat sa ngalan ng kaligtasan
nito sa multongg sinasabi nito. Sa tingin niya ay isa ito sa
mababait na artista. Wala ere ito kung kumilos. Parang
gusto na rin niya itong maging kaibigan.
Napapailing na ibinaba ni Diwa ang cell phone na bigay sa
kanya ni Enrique. Ayon dito, hindi raw tao ang walang cell
phone kaya binigyan siya nito. Ibabawa daw nito ang
halaga niyon sa ibabayad nito sa kanya. Tinuruan pa siya
nito paano gamitin iyon.
Bago magtanghali ay sinundo siya nito sa apartment ni
Maya. Tumuloy sila sa pinakamalapit na mall para bumili
ng gadget at kumain. Gusto niyang maawa rito dahil
kailangan pa nitong magsuot ng disguise para hindi
makilala. Nakasuot ito ng wigg gaya ng buhok ng isang
miyembro ng Black Eyed Peas, loose shirt, pants, at dark
shades.
Naalala niya ang usapan nila habang papasok sila sa
restaurant. Pinagtitinginan sila ng mga taong kumakain
doon. Walis na lang ang kulangg sa yo, bulong nito sa
kanya.
Pumwest silasa mesa sa isang sulok. Hindi niya ito maawat
sa kung anu-anong kwento nito. Pero sa huli, nauwi rin ang
kwentuhan nila sa multong kailangan daw niyang itaboy.
Tinanong niya kung uuwi ito sa bahay nito habang naroon

siya. Base sa pagngiwi nito, nahulaan na niyang mag-isa


siyang sasagupa sa multo.
Ngayon ay nakumpirma niyang tama ang kutob niya.
Tinatawagan niya si Enrique sa number nito pero mukhang
nakapatay na ang cell phone nito. Ang sabi nito bago sila
naghiwalay ay may taping daw ito. Ang kutob niya, kahit
wala itong taping, hindi na ito sasagutin ang tawag niya.
Tunay nga na isa itong matatakuting artista.
Pabagsak na umupo siya sa kama. Nasa silid siya ni
Enrique dahil doon daw may nagpaparamdam. Iniwan
nitong bukas ang drawer kung saan ay ipiniakita nito sa
kanya ang baril nito lisensiyado raw iyon- na pwede
niyang gamitin kapag hiningi ng pagkakataon. Nang
ipaalala niya rito na multo ang sasagupain niya at hindi
Akyat-bahay Gang ay tumawa ito nang malakas. Biniro pa
niya ito na mas makakatulong kung holy water ang iiwan
nito sa kanya.
Bago pa lumubog ang araw ay umalis na ito. Bago magalas-kwatro ng hapon ay may dumating na envelope para
kay Enrique. Sinabi niya sa delivery man na wala ito kaya
siya na lang ang tatanggap.
Dahan-dahang kinapa ni Diwa ang switch na nasa ulunan
ng kama ni Enqirue. Nang sumindi ang ilaw sa tapat ng
desk nito ay sabay silangg nagulat at napamaang ng
estrangherong lalaki. Mababakas sa anyo nito na hindi nito
inaasahang may tao sa silid. Ang isang kamay nito ay nasa
aktong pagbubukas sa drawer sa paanan ng kama.
Ilang segundo ang lumipas bago nag-sink in sa kanya na
hindi ang lalaking ito angg inaabangan niyang multo. Sa
suot nitong na sando at itim din jeans at sa katotohanang
nakapasok ito sa bahay nang wala siya kahit anong narinig
ay sigurado siyang masamang-loob ito!
ROGUE
Gumalaw ang sulok ng mga labi ni Rogue nang tanggapin
niya ang puting sobre na iniabot sa kanya ni Tracy Wanes.
Ang pera na kabayaran sa ikalawang trabaho niya ang
laman niyon. Ang unang trabaho niya ay pasukin ang bahay
ng subject niya ang ex-boyfriend nito na si Hermes at
kunin ang laptop ng lalaki.
Ayon kay Brave trusted friend ito ng ama ni Tracy
ginagamit ni Hermes ang sex video nito at ni Tracy na
kinunan nang lingid sa kaalaman ni Tracy para i-blackmail
ang huli. Ayaw ni Tracy na pagpiyestahan ito ng media

kaya palihim ang ginawa nitong aksyon. Tatapatan daw nito


ang maruming laro ni Hermes.
Kailangan niyang kunin ang CD na ipinadala ni Hermes sa
on-screen partner ni Tracy na si Enrique Ruiz, na siya
palang dahilan kung bakit nakipaghiwalayang una sa
boyfriend nito. Si Enrique na daw ang gusto nito. Para
pigilan ang balak na paglapit ni Tracy sa kapwa artistang si
Enrique, ginagamit ni Hermes ang video na ikakalat daw
nito kung hindi makikipagbalikan dito si Tracy.
I trust you, Rogue, sabi sa kanya ni Tracy. Huminga siya
nang malalim at saka tumango. Paggkatapos ay bumaba na
siya ng kotse nito at sa kaswal na mga hakbang ay lumipat
sa kabilang kalsada kung saan naroon ang motorsiklo niya.
Hindi dapat niya dinama ang katawan nito at hinagkan ang
mga labi nito.
Parang nararamdaman pa rin niya sa mga palad niya ang
lambot ng katawan ni Diwa at ang init ng malalambot na
labi nito.
Bakit nasa mismong silid nito si Diwa?
Ang totoo ay hindi siya naniniwalang sasadyain nitong
iputok ang baril. Mas natakot siyang gulating ito dahil base
sa nanginginig na mga kamay nito ay hindi malayong
makalabit nito ang gatilyo.
Biglang sumagi sa isip niya ang katawang nitong
natatakpan lamang ng manipis na duster kaya kitang-kita
niya ang magandang tanawin. Pinigil lamang niya ang
sariling lalong takutin ito habang hostage niya dahil naawa
siya rito nang umiiyan na ito. Wala siyang balak na gawan
ito nang masama. Ginantihan lamang niya ito.
Napangisi siya nang maalala niya ang anyo nito.
Napalunok ito at iwas na iwas na mapatingin sa ibabang
bahagi ng katawan niya. Halata niyang nagtatapangtapangan lang ito. Pero na-amaze siya nang mapalutang
nito sa ere ang isang libo niya. She was one of those gifted
witches. Hindi siya naniniwalang gagawin siya nitong
palaka. Mukha nga itong mangkukulam sa anyo nito pero
natitiyak niyang hindi ito totoong mangkukulam tulad ng
hindi rin siya naniniwalang kasambahay ito ni Enrique.
Naibigay na niya kay Tracy ang CD atg ibinigay na rin nito
ang kabuuang bayad sa trabaho niya.
Hindi muna siya lilipat sa ibang lugar dahil hindi pa siya
tapos kay Diwa. Babalikan niya ito.

You might also like