Linguists classified languages in the world into three types: a) structural, b) morphological-syntactical and morphological. These are big topics. Thus, due to limited space, we’ll just take up the morphological typology in relation to the Visayan-Cebuano language.
The word morphology comes from the Greek words, “morphe, form” and “logos, study.” Thus, in the sphere of languages, morphology is the scientific study of the internal formation of words. Morpheme is the smallest meaningful unit of language that cannot be further divided. Morphological typology of languages was developed by the brothers Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829) and August von Schlegel (1767-1845).
Agglutination or affixation is one way of forming words. In agglutinative type of languages, a word is formed by combining the root or base word and affixative word. The Visayan-Cebuano language belongs to this typology. Here, there are two kinds of words: a) morpheme that can stand on its own (stand-alone morpheme) and b) morpheme that cannot stand on its own (bound-morpheme). Stand-alone morpheme refers to a word that has clear and complete meaning on its own. For example, house, tree, stone, etc. Bound-morpheme refers to a word that has no clear meaning on its own. For example, the affixes: mo-, nag-, ni-, -i, -a, etc. Looking at each one of them on their own, we cannot see clear and complete meaning. They need to be affixed to the root or base word, and only then that the meaning they carry becomes clear.
In the Visayan-Cebuano language, the words are formed by agglutination or affixation. However, the late Bishop Manuel Yap, in his book, Our Mother Tongue (1947), said that no language in the world belongs exclusively to one typology only. In the case of the Visayan-Cebuano language, its pronouns and locative adverbs are not agglutinative in nature. For example, “ako, ikaw, kamo.” They belong to the other type called inflectional typology, in which a word is formed not by agglutination but by changing the form of the word within itself. The English words “am, was, were” are also examples of this.
Visayan-Cebuano is generally agglutinative language. Let us have some examples to illustrate this nature of this language. If we agglutinate the affixative word “nag-” with the root word “balay,” the resulting new word, with a new meaning, is “nagbalay.” This new word is different from the affixative word alone and from the root word alone. Its new meaning on its own means, constructing a house. It is now a verb or an action word, and the action is progressive or on-going. Thus, the meaning of the affixative word, “nag-,” becomes clear when affixed to the root word. It is the reason why it is called bound-morpheme.
More examples. Ni- + Kaon = Nikaon. Gi- + tula = Gitula. Nag- + pista = Nagpista. Kuha + -a = Kuhaa. Pala- + hubog = Palahubog. Mo- + lakaw = Molakaw.
In the examples above, the new word being formed by affixation acquires a new meaning on its own, which is different from the meaning of its component parts. Thus, “kuhaa” is not the same as the root word “kuha” alone, nor the same as the affixative (suffix) word “-a” alone. “Kuhaa” now means imperative, a command. Here, we can see the formation of the new words from the root and affixative words. There is the “oneness” of the component words: the stand-alone morpheme plus the bound-morpheme.
Now, the Visayan-Cebuano language generally belongs to this typology. It is because its words (except its pronouns and locative adverbs) are formed by affixation. Thus, this language is called “madinugtong-dugtongong” pinulongan, or agglutinative language.
Therefore, because of the morphological characteristics of this language, the natural agglutinative formation of the words has to be noted with diligence. It is thus required that the new agglutinated word has to be written as a whole. The stand-alone morpheme and the bound-morpheme are not to be written separately.
Let us have more examples. “Ni kaon,” “Gi tula,” “Nag pista,” “Kuha a,” “Pala hubog,” “Mo lakaw.” In this case, there is no new agglutinated word which has a new meaning on its own. The meaning of each component, the root morpheme and the bound morpheme, remains on their own. To write it this way is to defy the natural agglutinative characteristics of this language.
Thus, instead of “Ni kaon,” it should be “Nikaon” (one whole word in itself with one new meaning). Instead of “Gi tula,” “Gitula.” “Nag pista,” Nagpista.” “Kuha a,” “Kuhaa.” “Pala hubog,” “Palahubog.” “Mo lakaw,” “Molakaw.”
To write the new agglutinated word, as one whole word, is to write it in consonance with the natural agglutinative characteristics of the Visayan-Cebuano language. It is important to diligently keep this agglutinative characteristics of this language. Thus, on the basis of this natural characteristics, we codify this as a rule.
Rule:
In agglutinatively forming a new word, the stand-alone morpheme and the bound-morpheme shall be written as one whole new word, with new meaning of its own different from the meaning of its component parts.