When Does a Diacritic Make a Letter?

A Guide to the Diacritical Marks of the Bikol Language

The current written script used by Bikol languages is the modern Latin alphabet where several native sounds do not exist. To supplement the shortcomings of our borrowed script, diacritical marks (or pandúon) are used by attaching it above or before a vowel (patanóg), not only to indicate new sounds, but also to locate the stress and determine the specific pronunciation of a word.

In Sentral Bikol, there are three main diacritics: pahilíg (´), paiwà (`), and pakupyâ (ˆ).

Pahilíg (´)

A pahilig, or acute mark, is used to indicate where the stressed syllable is located. The stress is the louder and more emphasized part of the word. When stress is found at the penultimate syllable, it gives off a slow pronunciation, and if found at the final syllable, it gives off a quick pronunciation.

Example:

úlayㅤㅤ to speak

saágaㅤ tomorrow

iyó ㅤ ㅤyes

The stress in the word úlay is in the letter u. Therefore, /u/ is pronounced louder and with more emphasis. In the word saága, the stress is in the second syllable, thus the middle syllable is more emphasized. The word iyó, since the stress is in the letter o at the final syllable, then the word is pronounced quicker.

Paiwà (`)

A paiwà, or grave mark, is used to indicate where an unstressed glottal stop is located. It also gives off a slow pronunciation when the stress is found at the penultimate syllable.

Example:

kuhàㅤㅤto takeㅤㅤ

dakulàㅤ big

In the samples above, pahilig (´) is not necessary due to the fact that there is an inherent stress at the syllable before the glottal stop. Meaning, even without the mark, the stress is understood to be there. The word kuhà can be written as kúhà, the same with dakulà, where it can also be written as dakúlà, but is usually deemed unnecessary.

Pakupyâ (ˆ)

A pakupyâ, or circumflex, is used to indicate where a stressed glottal stop is located. It gives off a quick pronunciation and ends with a sudden stop-vowel sound.

Example:

salâㅤㅤwrong

tigayâㅤ obverse

Compare the following words: sáko (sack), sakô (me). Diacritics may save a person from the guessing game. It can serve as a guide on how to properly pronounce a word. In the sentence, “Itao mo sakô an sáko” (“give the sack to me”), it is well understood where the stress is located.

If you come to think of it, pakupya (ˆ) is a combination of pahilig and paiwa. This is a because it is both stressed and has a glottal stop.

Try also practicing where stress and glottal stop is located by pronouncing sakó (no meaning) and sâko (no meaning) or sàkó (no meaning).

For practice, try reading these five words, each with different diacritical mark combinations used:

túgaㅤㅤto erupt ㅤ [tuˈɡaʔ]

tugâㅤㅤto admit ㅤ [tuˈɡa]

sagóㅤㅤpearlㅤㅤㅤ[sɐˈɣo]

tânoㅤㅤwhy ㅤㅤㅤ [ˈtaʔno]

sàngábㅤto inhale ㅤ[ˈsaŋab]

Other Diacritics

Other than the three main diacritical marks, sometimes a kúrit (-) may be used to indicate glottal stop not located in the final syllable. This is also to separate a vowel sound with a preceding consonant.

Example:

mag-alangㅤㅤ to dry

not magalangㅤrespectful

A paláwig, or macron (¯), is also rarely used to indicate long vowel sounds. This is sometimes confused with a stress. However, stress does not necessarily mean that the vowel is pronounced longer. Macron is the prolonged flat vowel that is unstressed.

Example:

minādaláganㅤ tends to run

In the sample above, the paláwig in the prefix minā- is not stressed. It’s not pronounced louder nor higher, therefore it is not a stress. It is a long /a/ sound.

When Does a Diacritic Make a Letter?

A diacritic makes a separate letter when it is used to represent a distinct sound in a writing system. For example, in Spanish, the letter ñ, which uses the diacritic tilde (˜), is considered a separate letter from the letter n and is treated as such in alphabetical order.

In the phonology of the Miraya Bikol language, such as that used in Daragueño variety, a distinct /ü/ sound exists, resembling an open /o/ sound, very much like a close back unrounded vowel /ɯ/. This is written with an umlaut (¨) above the letter u, although it is typically transcribed as u.

Despite the fact the /u/ and /ü/ used to be allophones (interchangeable sounds) in native Miraya terms, the two sounds are now distinguishable in the influx of borrowed and loaned words in the modern orthography.

Contrary to the common belief, /ü/ is not a schwa sound. Schwa is unstressed and takes up an /ə/ sound in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). It is more closer to the sound of “uh” than an open /o/ sound.

Today, the phoneme /ü/ is a strong contender to not only remain as a sound, but to potentially be a distinct vowel letter of its own in the Miraya Bikol language. This parallels the situation with the phoneme /ë/ in the Boinën language, which is also distinct from the borrowed /u/ sound in their respective languages.

Through the lens of phoneme marginality, the Miraya /ü/ and /u/ used to be marginal. However, as the latter gains frequency in usage perhaps at a rate similar to /ü/ due to loaned words, it may no longer be considered marginal. Therefore, advocating for the inclusion of /ü/ as its own letter becomes significant for the linguistic development of the Miraya language.

On the side note, while I am inclined to continue investigating the phonemic distinctions of /ü/ in Miraya, the /ë/ in Boinën, and the /ə/ in Rinconada, each having analogous features, the scarcity of reliable IPA transcriptions online necessitates me a direct discourse with native speakers. A dedicated article is warranted.

The diacritical marks pahilig (´), paiwa (`), and pakupya (ˆ), including kurit (-) and palawig (¯), are simply guides for pronunciation so it’s easier to determine where the stress and glottal stops are. They do not change the sound, so they are far likely to turn into letters of their own. They serve important functions in readability, but to me, it is relatively isolated in orthographic stability of Bikol languages. When meaning is delivered without barriers even in the absence of diacritics, then language thrives.