Mr. Almunshar A. Astarani, a member of the team of fieldworkers affiliated to Ifugao University and a part of OCSEAN Philippines Incorporated, a local organization of OCSEAN members in the Philippines, undertook a linguistic documentation project from March 17 to 24, 2024. The focus was on the two most widely spoken languages in Southern Mindanao, particularly in Basilan and Zamboanga City. Accompanying him were Mr. Nastri A. Taalal, serving as the photographer and navigator, and Ms. Satrina Salaman, who acted as the guide and translator. The team successfully collected over two thousand words from both languages across various semantic fields, along with video documentation.
The documentation took place in Barangay Rio Hondo, Zamboanga City, specifically in the seaside area heavily damaged during the 2013 conflict between the military and rebel groups. This location was ideal due to its diverse population of Yakan, Banguingui, Badjao, and Tausug native speakers. Navigating the narrow and bumpy roads posed a challenge, but Ms. Salaman, a local resident, provided invaluable assistance.
Upon obtaining consent, the first language documented was Sinama Banguingui. This language is spoken by a distinct ethnolinguistic group native to Balanguingui Island, with communities spread throughout the Greater Sulu Archipelago and the southern and western coastal regions of the Zamboanga Peninsula in Mindanao. The informants for this language included two native speakers and two speakers with good knowledge of the language.
Mr Astrani with the informants
Working with the OCSEAN list of 1228 words
The second language documented was Yakan, an Austronesian language primarily spoken on Basilan Island. The Yakan people are the largest ethnic group on the island, with approximately 110,000 native speakers. There were two informants in their forties and fifties for this language.
Working with the wordlist lead to the realization of an urgent need to document the languages to prevent the loss of certain words and preserve local linguistic heritage
The collected data, both written and video, will be used as part of OCSEAN linguistic data collection, but importantly also for various educational purposes. These include the creation of dictionaries by translating the words into different languages, developing school materials to aid in language learning, and conducting cross-linguistic studies to compare and contrast the languages. Mr Astrani will continue curation of the data during the OCSEAN Summer School Tartu 2024. As a result, the data will be archived in PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures) to ensure the preservation and safeguarding of these languages for future generations. This archival process is crucial as it provides a repository where the linguistic heritage of these communities can be stored and accessed by researchers, educators, and community members.
During the five-day documentation process, both researchers and informants recognized the urgent need to document these languages to prevent the loss of certain words and preserve their linguistic heritage. The realization came as they encountered words and expressions that were at risk of being forgotten due to the influence of more dominant languages and the changing socio-cultural landscape. This documentation effort not only aimed to capture the linguistic data but also to raise awareness about the importance of preserving these languages. The team hopes that their work will inspire further efforts to document and revitalize other endangered languages in the region, ensuring that the rich linguistic diversity of Southern Mindanao is maintained for future generations.
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