Today in sha Allah we will talk about how to tell time in Bahasa Sūg.
It’s simple so I would expect that you could learn this in a day or two.
First here are the things we need to review or learn first for those who
haven’t read the other lessons.
1. The Basics of Numbers
The basic way of naming numbers in Bahasa Sūg. You can access the old post I published about this topic in: NUMBERS in Bahasa Sūg (I haven't edited this post
yet, there might be some mistakes in there). Just learn the numbers from 1-59
first, coz that's the only thing you need to know to tell time haha.
Then remember the magic word LISAG. Just add the word "Lisag" which
signifies "time" BEFORE the number and you will have it, the time of
the day! (The word Lisag doesn't even have an English
translation! Cool huh?).
*Hambuuk is one of the many
words in Bahasa Sūg equivalent to the English word “one (1)” and as we have
learned in the past lessons about numbers #link#, we will use hambuuk instead of isa in telling time.
2. Other words to
know:
Maynaat = morning
Mahapun = afternoon
Duwm = night/evening
Mataas-suga = Noon
We usually add any of the above words in the end of saying the
"time" of the day. Like "Lisag siyam sin duwm" (It's
9 o'clock in the evening). "sin" is the article
"of" usually placed before the words maynaat, mahapun, duwm or
mataas-suga.
Examples:
One o’clock in the afternoon = Lisag
hambuuk sin mahapun
Five o’clock in the morning = Lisag
lima sin maynaat
[Listen to VR]
3. Including
Minutes
To include the minutes, just place the conjunction "iban" (and)
after the "hour" then mention the minutes by saying the numbers (from
01-59) then add "minit" in the end.
Format: Lisag (hour) + iban +
(number in minute) minit + sin maynaat/mahapun/duwm
Example: How to say 4:30 PM
Four (4) is upat and Thirty (30) is katluan in
Bahasa Sūg, and PM = mahapun. So we get
"Lisag upat iban katluan minit sin
mahapun."
You can also use the word tunga’ (half)
for “30 minutes” to signify “half of an hour”. So instead of saying Lisag upat iban katluan minit (4 and 30
minutes) you can just say Lisag upat iban
tunga’ (four and half hours) which is the same.
"Lisag upat iban katluan minit sin mahapun."
"Lisag upat iban tunga' sin mahapun."
[Listen to VR]
4. Asking for time.
Use this when you want to ask or answer what time is it:
"Lisag pila na?" (What
time is it?)
“Lisag siyam na sin maynaat.” (It’s
already 9 in the morning)
[Listen to VR]
"Lisag (time) na sinmaynaat/mahapun/duwm"
That is all! We will end this lesson here. A special mention
to Miss Florian, this lesson was part of her request :) and there you go! You
now have learned how to properly tell time in Bahasa Sūg. For the correct
pronunciations of the words mentioned here, please listen to the voice/video
records provided.
Here's the voice record for all the examples mentioned in this post. Listen to them or download the audio file:
Originally published: June 7, 2012 Thursday
Updated: January 9, 2015
Assalamu Alaykum. This is the 2nd lesson on
“Tausūg 101: Learning Bahasa Sūg” by Anak Iluh. For more lessons, please go to:
Lists of Lessons.
Among the 17 commonly used consonants we
have in Bahasa Sūg, two letters are notable of having a “special ruling” on
articulating their sounds. These are the letters /Bb/ and /Gg/. Both
letters can be pronounced with (1) their regular distinct sounds and (2) their
special “spirant” sounds. The following rules must be learnt by anyone who
wants to learn to speak Bahasa Sūg fluently.
We first published this article in July 2012
and we have found out that this lesson actually agree with the guideline by Dr.
Bangahan’s “Bahasa Sūg Phonetics and Orthography” which again, we will follow
for this lesson.
The rules are simple: look for the letters /Bb/
and /Gg/ and find out what precede them in a word or a sentence.
The Distinct /Bb/ and /Gg/
Rule #1: When the letters Bā’ and Gā’ are placed in the BEGINNING or in
the END of a word, they will be pronounced with their regular ‘solid’ or
distinct /Bb/ and /Gg/ sounds. This is known as “Bā’ mahantap” for /Bb/ and “Gā’
mahantap” for /Gg/. Examples of these words are:
Bā’ mahantap
Gā’ mahantap
basi’ (iron/metal)
gadja (elephant)
badju’ (cloth/shirt)
gallang (bracelet)
saub (cover/lid)
niyug (coconut tree)
ukab (open)
hulug (fall)
Rule #2: The same rule applies when these letters are placed in the MIDDLE of
a word andthenfollows or is followed by another consonant or a glottal
stop (‘). We retain the distinct /Bb/ and /Gg/ sounds such as in:
Bā’ mahantap
Gā’ mahantap
dagbus (face)
siyagnat (hooked)
sambut (catch)
si’gub (burp)
sa’bu (already)
bugtu’ (broken, for strings)
The Aspirant /Bb/ and /Gg/
Rule #3: The special rule (the aspirant sound), applies when the two letters
are in BETWEEN TWO VOWEL sounds. When this happens, the two letters will
take their “spirant” form or sound; meaning they will have a bit of “softer”
sound and should not have a “stopping”, bursting distinct sound.
The letter /Bb/ will be pronounced with a slight opening of the lips
letting air to smoothly and freely pass during the pronunciation. This is
called the “Bā’ mahangin”. It would
have the sound /v/ as in LEVITATE, but not /V/ in VIOLET. But it should also be
noted that the letter /Vv/ should never be used to replace the aspirant /Bb/
sound. Listening to the recordings I have prepared would make this clearer.
The letter /Gg/ would then sound like the Huruf Ghain /Gh/ in Arabic
and not with the distinct /Gg/ sound. This is called the “Gā’ mahangin” sound.
Bā’ mahangin
Gā’ mahangin
(vowel)+/b/+(vowel)
(vowel)+/g/+(vowel)
Labay (Pass by, v.)
Bagay (Friend)
Lubid (Rope)
Tagad (Wait, v.)
Tabang (Help, v.)
Higad (Side)
Habay-Habay
(Amulet)
Tagaynup (Dream)
Sabun (Soap)
Agap (Parrot)
(Please
download the audio copy of these examples or watch the video I prepared. See
the links at the end of this post.)
Rule #4: Now what about if we attach affixes (prefixes, suffixes) to these
words? The following rules should be followed. Notice that they are exactly the
same as those in single words.
4a) When adding a prefix ending with a vowel to a word beginning with
/Bb/ or /Gg/, the letters /Bb/ and /Gg/ will take the aspirant forms. Attaching
a suffix beginning with a vowel sound will also have the same effect.
Sinūg word
+ prefix / suffix
new word
biskay (fastness)
ma+
mabiskay (fast, adj.)
gituk (tickle)
ma+
magituk (tickling)
ukab(open)
+an
ukaban (to open)
hulug(fall)
+un
hulugun (to drop)
On the new word the letters /Bb/ and /Gg/ are now in between tow
vowel sounds; and following the third rule, they will take the aspirant forms.
4b) When words beginning with letters /Bb/ and /Gg/ are attached with
prefixes with another consonant, the distinct sounds Bā’ mahantap and Gā’ mahantap
are retained. There are no suffixes attached to words ending with /Bb/ and
/Gg/.
Sinūg word
+ prefix / suffix
new word
bugsay (oar)
mag+
magbugsay (fast, adj.)
guling (fry)
nag+
nag-guling (fried something)
Rule #5: The last one is about finding these words in a sentence
with other words. We will follow the same rules with a slight difference:
5a) In a sentence, when a word beginning with /Bb/ or /Gg/ is preceded
by another word ending with a consonant sound or a glottal stop (‘),
the distinct Bā’ mahantap or Gā’ mahantap will be retained.
Sentence with words beginning in
Bā’ mahantap or Gā’ mahantap
English
Masawa in bulan.
The moon is bright.
Kiyta’ ku in gadja.
I saw the elephant.
5b) In a sentence, when these words on the other hand, are preceded by
another word ending with a vowel sound, they will take the aspirant Bā’ mahangin or Gā’ mahangin.
Sentence with words beginning in
Bā’ mahangin or Gā’ mahangin
English
Didtu kami limingkud ha bangka’.
We sat there at the
boat.
Simakat kami ha gadja.
We rode an elephant.
5c) In a sentence, when a word ends with letters /Bb/ or /Gg/, they will
always take the distinct Bā’ mahantap
or Gā’ mahantap regardless of the
kind of letters the next word begins with.
Sentence with words ending in
Bā’ mahantap or Gā’ mahantap
English
Naukab in lawang.
The door was opened.
Nahulug in sāmin.
The mirror fell.
Yari in saub garapun.
Here is the container lid.
Sulug kaw badju’.
Wear some clothes.
Comparing with Tagalog
The special
sounds of /Bb/ and /Gg/ sounds are found to be unique in Bahasa Sūg. There is indeed a
great difference in pronouncing these sounds in Bahasa Sūg compared to that in
Tagalog, where these sounds are more distinctly pronounced regardless of their
positions. Comparisons are seen in the following examples:
Tagalog
(The sounds /B/ and
/G/ are more pronounced)
Bahasa Sūg
(The sounds are
spirantized; softened)
Bagay (Things)
Bagay (Friends)
Agap (To hasten, v.)
Agap (Parrot)
Libutan (to encircle)
Libutan (to encircle)
Mahaba (long)
Mahaba’ (long)
A little
confused now? Hehe. It is really hard to understand this if we will stick with
the written examples only. We have to listen to their actual pronunciations to
better understand them. And so, to easily understand this special ruling,
please listen to the audio file I have prepared for this lesson. You can
download them in this link: DOWNLOADS- I was finally able to make
a video as well. Check it out here:
==video==
In summary, we learned:
1. There are two ways to pronounce the letters /Bb/ and /Gg/: the
distinct mahantap type and the
aspirant mahangin type;
2. In root-words or words with affixes, whenever the /Bb/ and /Gg/
sounds are PRECEDED or are FOLLOWED by another CONSONANT SOUND or a GLOTTAL
STOP (‘), they will be pronounced with their distinct Bā’ mahantap or Gā’ mahantap sounds;
3. In root-words or words with affixes, whenever the /Bb/ and /Gg/
sounds are placed IN BETWEEN TWO VOWEL SOUNDS, they will be pronounced with
their aspirant, soft Bā’ mahangin or Gā’ mahangin sounds;
4. When found in sentences, words BEGINNING with /Bb/ or /Gg/ and
PRECEDED by words ending in VOWELS, the aspirant /Bb/ or /Gg/ mahangin will be used; and lastly
5. When found in sentences, words BEGINNING with /Bb/ or /Gg/ and
PRECEDED by words ending in consonants or a glottal stop, the distinct /Bb/ or
/Gg/ mahantap will be retained. The
same thing happens with words ENDING with /Bb/ or /Gg/ regardless of the beginning
of the next word.
Most non-Tausūg and non-Arabic speakers would
have a hard time learning these rules. Yet nevertheless, it would only take a
little patience and a lot of practice to master their correct sounds. It’s
really fun if you will only put your heart in it, right?
This ends our second lesson.
I hope we have achieved something today. Our
next topic will be on the other special letters: “The Transforming Letters /Dd/,
/Rr/, etc.”, which will be posted hopefully next Thursday. We have at least one
week to practice what we have learned today, the special sounds of /B/ and /G/.
You can always ask questions in our page Tausug101 or email me at anakiluhmd@gmail.com.
For Download link: (feel free to share it
with others)
I hope you can help me find the meaning of this word in tausug: "CONGRATULATIONS'
Please help me utoh.. I need this word, post ku kasi ha fb kasi my wife just got pregnant... greet aku kanya in tausug..u know what mean.. hope you could help
Anakiluh:
Good day Taymanghud and Assalamu Alaykum.
Do you happen to understand Bahasa Sug? or are you a Tausug yourself, too? Sorry I just need to know po.
As far as my little knowledge on bahasa Sug, there is NO TRANSLATION for the word CONGRATULATIONS... (or maybe there is, but its already used long time ago, and I am not aware of it, magmaaf tuud :( Anyways, The locals would usually use the original english term in congratulating other pipol as "congrats!" and the like. But if youwan to be more "different" you can use the Arabic term instead. you can say "Mabrook!" to mean congratulations, or better yet "Alhamdulillah!" (praise be to Allah!" for indeed that is the best way to congratulate someone.
I hope I was able to help somehow taymanghud.
Even then, let me say "MABROOK! to you and your wife! ALHAMDULILLAH, Allah had bestowed a very wonderful Blessing to both of you :-D MashaAllah, May Allah keep your family happy and healthy. Ameen.
Salam Kasilasa!
==============
Kylie G.:
Hi Sir can I asked a favor ? can you translate these words:
How much.
How much is this?
Time.
What time is it?
Small.
This is too small.
Big.
That is bag is big.
House.
Our house is very huge.
Little.
Ten little indian.
Eat.
Have you eaten?
Monday.
Tuesday.
Wednesday.
Thursday.
Friday.
The 12 months.
THANKS YOU!
Anakiluh:
Hello Kylie :-)
I just finished my last exam, and was happy to receive more emails about Tausug101.
The 12 months. = Same with Arabic/Islamic Calendars but not equivalent with Gregorian calendar. Pls google the "12 Hijrah Months" for more info.
I hope this helped :-)
Pls kindly help us promote TAUSUG101 by (1) liking our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/Tausug101 (2) Visiting the blog and learning from it :-) and (3) Sharing the knowledge to other friends! Some of these examples are already discussed in our lessons in TAUSUG 101 (www.tausug101.blogspot.com)
Magsukul tuud! (Thank you very much!) Kamaya (take care)
MashaAllah! We just reached our 80,000th view! ^_^ Thank you all for supporting this humble blog. Magsukul!
Although we haven't post much updates these past months, rest assured that we are working hard as well to improve this site in sha Allah. We are now updating our old posts, and guess what? We will add more videos and voice records in the future! Horraay!
Feel free to message us your suggestions by sending an email. Just visit the "Contact us" page. If you want to lend us a hand, we are more than willing to accept you! :D
Today in sha Allah we will talk about how to tell time in Bahasa Sūg.
It’s simple so I would expect that you could learn this in a day or two. 
