@Tagamanila
Thank you very much. I'm learning a lot from our discussion. English is not my native language but I would like to give my opinion/thoughts as a Tagalog learner.
1. The type of stress used and where the stress is placed can make a world of difference in meaning.
Yes, I agree. But the use of accent mark in Tagalog word is not always uniform.
Here are some exceptions to that rule:
panginóon - panginoón (noun)
>> first word (panginóon) - the accent mark is written on the third vowel, but on the second word (panginoón) the accent mark is written on the fourth or last vowel.
-Did the accent mark placement change the lexical category of the word panginoon? No
- Did it change the meaning of the word? No
Here are the other examples showing that changes in stress placement and adding another accent mark do not really change the meaning of some Tagalog words.
dáan - daán
kalúsúgan - kalusugán
kaloóban - kaloobán
mágasin - magasín
mákina - mákiná
título - títuló
prínsipe - prínsipé
múndo - mundó
>> Sometimes, in written Tagalog word, the accent mark is placed on the last syllable of the first word, but the actual stress in conversation is transferred to the last vowel of the second word.
Example:
ibá pa (written)
iba pá (spoken)
isá pa (written)
isa pá (spoken)
anó pa (written)
ano pá (spoken)
malakí na (written)
malaki ná (spoken)
>> Correct stress and accentuation are very important in learning Tagalog especially for foreigners, but the problem is that, most of the online dictionaries for Tagalog language do not use accent mark or even audio for the pronunciation (except the dictionary in this website and Tagalog-English dictionary by Leo James English). Tagalog people do not use accent mark when writing the words that's why I rely on the lexical category if two or more words have the same spelling.
2. Do not be misled to thinking that English grammar and Filipino grammar are the same.
>> I am aware of this. However, ma-adjective playing a double role (as an adjective and an adverb) is something I don't consider a unique characteristic of Tagalog grammar. You can also find this characteristic in other languages like Spanish and English. This is my reason why I used "maaga" and "early" in my example, to show that even English is a germanic language and Tagalog- a malayo polynesian, they still share a few similarities, like an adjective playing double role without having to make any changes to their spellings. And "early" is not the only example in English. There are many examples of English adjectives that use the same words as the adverbs.
In Spanish, the example I can give you is the word "menos" which can act as an adjective and an adverb:
Example:
Si comes MENOS, bajarás de peso. (adverb)
-menos modifying the verb "comer."
Tienes MENOS credibilidad que un político (adjective)
-menos modifying the noun "credibilidad."
But this doesn't mean that the grammar of all these three languages are the same.
3. The explanations we give here are intended for native English speakers who are trying to learn Filipino. We, therefore, have to relate the Filipino words/phrases/sentences/grammar to their equivalents in English for them to be understood.
>> Ok, I understand.
4. Gigising ako nang maaga bukas para makagawa ako nito. = I will wake up early tomorrow so that I can make something like this. - “So that” there not an auxiliary verb but a conjunction that links the dependent clause to the independent clause that has a normal verb.
>> Yes, para is a conjunction.
5. I looked it up in a dictionary and it is pronounced as “sanâ”. We are talking about “sana” (I hope; hopefully).
>> Sorry, I couldn't find any online dictionary that has an entry for sana functioning as an adjective with accent marker. That's why I didn't know that it has a circumflex accent mark on the last vowel.
6. A modifier of a noun is an adjective while a modifier of a verb is an adverb.
>> What is confusing to me is the word "baka". In Tagalog dictionary, it is categorised as adverb. If it is an adverb why it can't act as a modifier in the sentence,
"Baka makagawa ako nito" - why it can't modify "makagawa"?
7. Actually, “sino-sino” is more often written as “sinu-sino”.
>> Yes, but Commission on Filipino Language issued a new rule for Tagalog orthography.
8. Here's the translation I was talking about in my last post.