Phonological Idiosyncrasy of Kawayan Dialect of Southern Negros, Philippines

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the phonological idiosyncrasy features of the Kawayan dialect in Southern Negros, Philippines. Nine purposively identified native speakers based on the selection criteria in the rural areas of Cauayan, Hinoba-an, and Sipalay City in Negros Occidental. This study employed a qualitative text analysis method using transcripts of face-to-face interviews and other interactions between the researcher and native speakers. Phonological features and segmental sounds of the Kawayan dialect focused on examining the phonetic features of the dialect. The findings manifested that the Kawayan dialect had four (4) vowel sounds [a], [i], [u], and schwa sound-[ə] may vary according to the point of articulation of the native speakers. This study also revealed 13 consonants such as [b], [p], [m], [d], [n], [l], [t], [s], [g], [ŋ], [k], [ʔ], [h] and two (2) semiconsonants, [w], [y]. Some consonants like labiodental [v], [f]; interdental [ð], [θ]; voiced alveolar-fricative [z]; palatal-fricative [Ʒ], [ƒ]; palatal-affricate [ʤ], [tʃ]; and alveolar-liquid [r] do not appear from the informants. The nonexistence of the mentioned consonants is foreign by nature. The tongue of the native speakers used to sound these consonants, as in [v] may substitute the sound to the native speakers as [b]; [f] to [p]; [z] to [s], and no sound equivalent for interdental, palatal-fricative, palatal-affricate. The alveolar-liquid [r] has not also manifested from native speakers, and it is uncommon and hard for native speakers to execute this kind of sound [r]. This study recommends that the phonetic features of the Kawayan dialect need more tokens and in-depth analysis to confirm the present findings.