History
The word Kapampangan is derived from the rootword
pampang which means "river bank." Very little is known about the language prior to the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. In the 18th century, two books were written by Fr. Diego Bergaño. He authored
Vocabulario de la lengua Pampanga[2] and
Arte de la lengua Pampanga. The Kapampangan Language produced two literary giants in the 19th century. Father
Anselmo Fajardo was noted for his works
Gonzalo de Córdova and
Comedia Heróica de la Conquista de Granada. Another writer,
Juan Crisostomo Soto, was noted for writing many plays. He authored
Alang Dios in 1901. The Kapampangan poetical joust "Crissotan" was coined by his fellow literary genius
Nobel Prize nominee for peace and literature in the 50's,
Amado Yuzon to immortalize his contribution to Pampanga's Literature.
[3]
[edit] Classification
Kapampangan is one of the
Central Luzon languages within the
Austronesian language family. Its closest relatives are the
Sambal languages of
Zambales province and the
Bolinao language spoken in the town of
Bolinao, Pangasinan.
These languages share the same reflex /j/ of the Proto-Austronesian consonant *R.
[edit] Geographic distribution
Kapampangan-speaking area
Kapampangan is primarily spoken in the provinces of
Pampanga and in the southern towns of the province of
Tarlac (
Bamban,
Capas,
Concepcion,
San Jose,
Gerona,
La Paz,
Victoria,and
Tarlac City). It is also spoken in isolated communities within the provinces of
Bataan (
Abucay,
Dinalupihan,
Hermosa, and
Samal),
Bulacan Baliwag, Bulacan (
San Miguel,
San Ildefonso,
Hagonoy,
Plaridel,
Pulilan, and
Calumpit),
Nueva Ecija (
Cabiao,
San Isidro,
Gapan City and
Cabanatuan City), and
Zambales (
Olongapo City and
Subic).
The Philippine Census of 2000 stated that a total of 2,312,870 out of 76,332,470 people spoke Kapampangan as their native language.
[edit] Phonology
Standard Kapampangan has 21
phonemes: 15
consonants and five
vowels. Some western dialects of Kapampangan have six vowels. Syllable structure is relatively simple. Each syllable contains at least a consonant and a vowel.
[edit] Vowels
Kapampangan is complete in vowel phonemes, they are:
In addition to those, some dialects also had
/ə/. In some western accents, there is a sixth monophthong phoneme
/ɯ/, a
close back unrounded vowel, found in for example
[atɯp] "roof" and
[lalɯm] "deep". However, this sound has merged with
/a/ for most Kapampangan speakers.
There are four main
diphthongs;
/aɪ/,
/oɪ/,
/aʊ/, and
/iʊ/. However, in most dialects, including standard Kapampangan,
/aɪ/ and
/aʊ/ are reduced to
/ɛ/ and
/o/, respectively.
The monophthongs have
allophones in unstressed and word-final positions:
- /a/ is raised slightly in unstressed positions except final syllables
- Unstressed /i u/ are usually pronounced [ɪ ʊ] as in English "bit" and "book" respectively, except final syllables.
- At the end of a word and declarative sentences, /ɛ/ and /i/ are pronounced [i], and /o/ and /u/ are pronounced [u].
- However, in exclamatory and interogatory statements, /ɛ/ and /i/ are pronounced [ɛ], and /o/ and /u/ are pronounced [o]. Examples:
- "What is this?" is Nanu ine?, not *Nanu ini?
- "Come here!" is Me kene!, not *Me keni!
- "Who is Pedro?" is Ninu i Pedro?, not *Ninu i Pedru?
- "(He) wrote me!" is Silatanan na ko!, not *Silatanan na ku!
[edit] Consonants
Below is a chart of Kapampangan consonants. All the stops are unaspirated. The
velar nasal occurs in all positions including at the beginning of a word.
Unlike other Philippine languages, Kapampangan lacks the phoneme /h/. "Que" and "C" are commonly use instead of the letter K, following the traditional orthography.
For Example: Caluguran da ca. (I love you or You are my friend) Me queni. (Come here)
- /k/ has a tendency to lenite to [x] between vowels.
- [d] and [ɾ] are allophones in Kapampangan, and thus sometimes interchangeable. So, Nukarin la ring libro? can be Nukarin la ding libro? (Translation: Where are the books?)
- A glottal stop that occurs at the end of a word is often omitted when it's in the middle of a sentence.
[edit] Basic words
Some words in Kapampangan:
Numbers
1-isa/metung
2-adwa
3-atlu
4-apat
5-lima
6-anam
7-pitu
8-walu
9-syam/siyam
10-apulu
Sentence:
My name is John-Juan ing lagyu ku
I am here!-Atyu cu queni
Where are you?-Nukarin na ka?
Who are you?-Ninu 'ica?
Words:
I-acu
You-ica
we-icami
us-itamu
all of us-itamu ngan
love-caluguran/lugud
angry-mimwa
beautiful-malagu/masanting/manayun
beauty-lagu
ugly-matsura
[edit] Stress
Stress is phonemic in Kapampangan. Primary stress occurs on either the last or the next-to-last syllable of a word. Vowel lengthening accompanies primary or secondary stress except when stress occurs at the end of a word.
[edit] Historical sound changes
In Kapampangan, the
Proto-Philippine schwa vowel
*ə has merged to /a/ in most dialects of Kapampangan. It is preserved in some western dialects. For example, Proto-Philippine
*tanəm is
tanam (to plant) in Kapampangan, compared with
Tagalog tanim and
Cebuano tanom and
Ilocano tanem (grave).
Proto-Philippine
*R merged with
/j/. For example, the Kapampangan word for "new" is
bayu, while it is
bago in
Tagalog,
baro in
Ilocano, and
baru in Indonesian.
[edit] Grammar
While Kapampangan nouns are not
inflected, they are usually preceded by case markers. There are three types of case markers:
absolutive (
nominative),
ergative (
genitive), and
oblique.
Unlike
English and
Spanish which are
nominative-accusative languages, Kapampangan is an
ergative-absolutive language. It's a common misconception that Kapampangan is frequently spoken in the passive voice.
Absolutive or nominative markers mark the actor of an intransitive verb and the object of a transitive verb.
Ergative or genitive markers mark the object (usually indefinite) of an intransitive verb and the actor of a transitive one. It also marks possession.
Oblique markers are similar to prepositions in English. It marks things such as location and direction.
Furthermore, noun markers are divided into two classes: one for names of people (personal) and the second for everything else (common).
Below is a chart of case markers.
| Absolutive | Ergative | Oblique |
Common singular | ing | -ng,
ning | king |
Common plural | ding
ring | ring | karing |
Personal singular | i | -ng | kang |
Personal plural | di
ri | ri | kari |
Examples:
Dinatang ya ing lalaki.
"The man arrived."
Ikit neng Juan y Maria.
"John saw Mary."
Munta la ri Elena ampon y Robertu quing bale nang Miguel./ Munta la di Elena ampon i Robertu king bale nang Miguel.
"Elena and Roberto will go to Miguel's house."
Nukarin la ring libru?
"Where are the books?"
Ibie ke ing susi kang Carmen.
I will give the key to Carmen.
[edit] Pronouns
Kapampangan pronouns are categorized by case: absolutive, ergative, and oblique.
| Absolutive
(Independent) | Absolutive
(Enclitic) | Ergative | Oblique |
1st person singular | yaku, aku | ku | ku | kanaku, kaku |
2nd person singular | ika | ka | mu | keka |
3rd person singular | iya, ya | ya | na | keya, kaya |
1st person dual | ikata | kata, ta | ta | kekata |
1st person plural inclusive | ikatamu, itamu | katamu, tamu | tamu, ta | kekatamu, kekata |
1st person plural exclusive | ikami, ike | kami, ke | mi | kekami, keke |
2nd person plural | ikayu, iko | kayu, ko | yu | kekayu, keko |
3rd person plural | ila | la | da
ra | karela |
[edit] Examples
Sinulat ku.
"I wrote."
Silatanan na ku.
"(He or She) wrote me."
Dinatang ya.
"(He or She) has arrived." [Note: Dinatang ya = "He arrived" or "He arrives"; He has arrived = Dinatang ne]
Sabyan me kaku "Tell it to me"
Ninu ing minaus keka?
"Who called you?
Mamasa la.
"They are reading."
Mamangan la ring babi(e)?/Mamangan la ding babi(e)?
"Are the pigs eating?"
Genitive pronouns follow the word they modify. Oblique pronouns can take the place of the genitive pronoun but they precede the word they modify.
Ing bale ku.
Ing kakung bale.
"My house."
The dual pronoun
ikata refers to only the first and second persons.
The inclusive pronoun
ikatamu refers to the first and second persons. It may also refer to a third person(s).
The exclusive pronoun
ikamí refers to the first and third persons but excludes the second.
Ala tang nasi.
"We (you and I) do not have rice." [the word "you" here maybe plural or singular]
Ala tamung nasi.
"We (you and I and someone else) do not have rice." [this is the same as above; "tang" is only a shortcut of "tamung"]
Ala keng nasi.
"We (someone else and I, but not you) do not have rice." [the third person maybe singular or plural, that is, "we" may refer to "He/She and I" or "They and I"]
Furthermore, Kapampangan stands out among many
Philippine languages in requiring the presence of the pronoun even if the noun it represents, or the
grammatical antecedent, is present.
Dinatang ya i Erning. (not *
dinatang i Erning)
"Ernie arrived."
Mamasa la ri Maria at Juan./Mamasa la di Maria at Juan. (not *
mamasa ri Maria at Juan/mamasa di Maria at Juan)
"Maria and Juan are reading."
Silatanan na kang José. (not *
silatanan kang José)
"José wrote you."
As a comparison, it would be akin to saying *
dumating siya si Erning, *
bumabasa sila sina Maria at Juan and *
sinulatan ka niya ni José in
Tagalog.
[edit] Special forms
The pronouns
ya and
la have special forms when they are used in conjunction with the words
ati (there is/are) and
ala (there is/are not).
Ati yu king Pampanga. (not *
Ati ya king Pampanga)
"He is in Pampanga."
Ala lu ring doktor keni./Ala lu ding doktor keni. (not *
ala la ring doktor keni/ala la ding doktor keni)
The doctors are no longer here.
Note: for some speakers of Kapampangan (possibly certain dialects), all of the above forms can be used:
Both "ati yu" and "ati ya" are equally right. Plural form ("they are") is "atilu" and "atila".
Both "ala la" and "ala lu" are correct in the plural form. Singular form is "ala ya" and "ala yu"
[edit] Pronoun combinations
The order and forms in which Kapampangan pronouns appear in sentences are outlined in the following chart.
Kapampangan pronouns follow a certain order following verbs or particles like negation words. The enclitic pronoun is always first followed by another pronoun or discourse marker.
Ikit da ka.
"I saw you."
Silatanan na ku.
"He wrote to me."
However, the following constructions are incorrect: *
ikit ka da and *
silatanan ku na
Also, pronouns combine to form one
portmanteau pronoun.
Ikit ke. (instead of
Ikit ku ya)
"I saw her."
Dinan kong pera. (instead of
Dinan ku lang pera.) "I will give them money."
Portmanteau pronouns are not usually used in questions and while using the word
naman. Furthermore,
Akakit me? (instead of
akakit me?)
Do you see him?
Buri nya naman yan/buri ne murin yan. (instead of
buri ne naman yan)
He likes that, too
The chart below outlines the permitted combinations of pronouns. There are blank entries to denote combinations which are deemed impossible.
The column headings (i.e., yaku, ika, etc.) in bold denote pronouns in the absolutive case while the row headings (i.e., ku, mu, etc.) denote pronouns in the ergative case.
| yaku
1 s | ika
2 s | ya
3 s | ikata
1 dual | ikatamu
1 p inc. | ikami
1 p exc. | ikayo
2 p | ila
3 p |
ku
1 s | (ing sarili ku) | da ka
ra ka | ke
keya | - | - | - | da ko (ra ko)
da kayu (ra kayu) | ko
ku la |
mu
2 s | mu ku | (ing sarili mu) | me
mya | - | - | mu ke
mu kami | - | mo
mu la |
na
3 s | na ku | na ka | ne
nya
(ing sarili na) | na kata | na katamu | na ke
na kami | na ko
na kayu | no
nu la |
ta
1 dual | - | - | te
tya | (ing sarili ta) | - | - | - | to
ta la |
tamu
1 p inc. | - | - | ta ya | - | (ing sarili tamu) | - | - | ta la |
mi
1 p exc. | - | da ka
ra ka | mi ya | - | - | (ing sarili mi) | da ko (ra ko)
da kayu (ra kayu) | mi la |
yu
2 p | yu ku | - | ye
ya | - | - | yu ke
yu kami | (ing sarili yu) | yo
yu la |
da
3 p | da ku
ra ku | da ka
ra ka | de (re)
dya | da kata
ra kata | da katamu
ra katamu | da ke (ra ke)
da kami (ra kami) | da ko(ra ko)
da kayu (ra kayu) | do (ro)
da la (ra la)
(ing sarili da) |
[edit] Demonstrative pronouns
Kapampangan's demonstrative pronouns are outlined in the chart below.
This particular system of demonstrative pronouns differs with other Philippine languages by having separate forms for the singular and plural.
| Absolutive | Ergative | Oblique | Locative | Existential |
Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
Nearest to speaker
(this, here) | ini | deni
reni | nini | dareni | canini | careni | oyni | oreni | queni |
Near speaker & addressee
(this, here) | iti | deti
reti | niti | dareti | caniti | careti | oyti | oreti | queti |
Nearest addressee
(that, there) | iyan | den
ren | niyan | daren | canyan | caren | oyan | oren | quen |
Remote
(yon, yonder) | ita | deta
reta | nita | dareta | canita | careta | oyta | oreta | queta |
The demonstrative pronouns
ini and iti
(as well as their respective forms) both mean "this" but each have distinct uses.
Iti usually refers to something abstract but may also refer to concrete nouns. For example,
iting musika (this music),
iti ing gagawan mi (this is what we do).
Ini is always concrete and never abstract. For example
ining libru (this book),
ini ing asu nang Juan (this is Juan's dog).
Furthermore, in their locative forms,
keni is used when the person spoken to is not near the subject spoken of.
Keti, on the other hand, when the person spoken to is near the subject spoken of. For example, two people in the same country will refer to their country as
keti however, they will refer to their respective towns as
keni. Both mean
here.
Nanu ini?
"What's this?"
Mangabanglu la rening sampaga./Mangabanglu la dening sampaga.
"These flowers smell good."
Ninu ing lalaking ita?
"Who is that man/guy?"
Me keni/munta ka keni.
"Come here."
Ati ku keti/atsu ku keni/atyu ku keni.
"I am here."
Mangan la keta.
"They will eat there."
Ninu ing anak a yan?
"Who is that child?"
Uyta/Oyta ya pala ing salamin mo/mu!
"So that's where your glasses are!"
E ku pa menakit makanyan/makanini.
"I haven't seen one of these before"
Manyaman la ren./Manyaman la den.
Those are delicious.
Ayni/Areni/Oreni la reng adwang regalo para keka.
"Here are the two gifts for you."
Buri daka! "I like You"
Kaluguran daka! " I Love You"
Mangan Tana! "Let's Eat"
Edaka buring mawala! "I don't want to lose you!"
Kapampangan verbs are morphologically complex and take on a variety of affixes reflecting focus, aspect, mode, and others.
[edit] Ambiguities and irregularities
Speakers of other Philippine languages find Kapampangan verbs to be more difficult than their own languages' verbs due to some verbs belonging to unpredictable verb classes as well as ambiguity with certain verb forms.
To illustrate this, let's take the rootword
sulat (write) which exists in both Tagalog and Kapampangan.
For example:
- susulat means "is writing" in Kapampangan but "will write" in Tagalog.
- sumulat means "will write" in Kapampangan but "wrote" in Tagalog. This form is also the infinitive in both languages.
- sinulat means "wrote" in both languages. However in Kapampangan it's in the actor focus but object focus in Tagalog
The object-focus suffix
-an represents two types of focuses. However, the only difference between the two is that one of the conjugations preserves
-an in the completed aspect while it is dropped in the other conjugation. Take the two verbs below:
- bayaran (to pay someone): bayaran (will pay someone), babayaran (is paying someone), beyaran (paid someone)
- bayaran (to pay for something): bayaran (will pay for something), babayaran (is paying for something), binayad (paid for something)
Note that other Philippine languages have separate forms. For example, there is
-in and
-an in Tagalog,
-on and
-an in
Bikol and in most of the
Visayan languages, and
-en and
-an in
Ilokano. This is due to historical sound changes concerning Proto-Philippine /*e/ mentioned above.
There are a number of actor-focus verbs which do not use the infix
-um- but are usually conjugated like other verbs that do. For example,
gawa (to do),
bulus (to immerse),
terak (to dance),
lukas (to take off),
sindi (to smoke),
saklu (to fetch),
takbang (to step),
tuki (to accompany), etc. are used instead of *
gumawa, *
bumulus, *
tumerak, *
lumukas, *
sumindi, *
sumaklu, *
tumakbang, *
tumuki,
Many of the verbs mentioned in the previous paragraph undergo a change of their vowel rather than use the infix
-in- (completed aspect). In the actor focus (i.e.,
-um- verbs), this happens only to verbs having the vowel /u/ in the first syllable. For example, the verb
lukas (to take off) is conjugated
lukas (will take off),
lulukas (is taking off), and
likas (took off) (rather than *
linukas).
This change of vowel also applies to certain object-focus verbs in the completed aspect. In addition to /u/ becoming /i/, /a/ becomes /e/ in certain cases. For example,
dela (brought something) and not *
dinala,
semal (worked on something) and not *
sinamal, and
seli (bought) and not *
sinali.
Furthermore, there is no written distinction between the two
mag- affixes in writing.
Magsalita can either mean
is speaking or
will speak. There is an audible difference, however.
[mɐɡsaliˈtaʔ] means "will speak" while
[ˌmaːɡsaliˈtaʔ] means "is speaking".
[edit] Conjugation chart
Below is a chart of the basic Kapampangan verbal affixes.
| Infinitive &
Contemplative | Progressive | Completed |
Actor Focus1a | -um- | CV- | -in- |
Actor Focus1b | - | CV- | -in-
-i- |
Actor Focus1c | m- | mVm- | min-
me- |
Actor Focus2 | mag- | mág- | mig-, meg- |
Actor Focus3 | ma- | má- | ne- |
Actor Focus4 | maN- | máN- | meN- |
Object Focus1 | -an | CV- ... -an | -in-
-i-
-e- |
Object Focus2
Benefactive Focus | i- | iCV- | i- -in-
i- -i-
i- -e- |
Object Focus3
Locative Focus | -an | CV- ... -an | -in- ... -an
-i- ... -an
-e- ... -an |
Instrument Focus | ipaN- | páN- | piN-, peN |
Reason Focus | ka- | ká- | ke- |
[edit] Enclitic Particles
1. ba: used optionally in yes-and-no questions and other types of questions.
2. agyaman, man: even, even if, even though.
3. nung: condition particle that expresses unexpected event; if.
4. kanu: reporting or hearsay particle that expresses that the information is second-hand; he said, she said, they said, it was said, allegedly, reportedly, supposedly.
5. din/rin: inclusive particle that adds something to what was said before; also, too.
6. iká: expresses hope, unrealized condition (with verb in completed aspected), used in conditional aspects.
7. itá: expresses uncertainty and unrealized idea; perhaps, probably, seems.
8. mu: limiting particle; only, just.
9. na and pa
- na: now, already, yet, anymore.
- pa: still, else.
10. namán: used in making contrasts and softens requests and emphasis.
11. nanu ita: expresses cause; because, because of.
12. pin: used in affirmations or emphasis and also softens imperatives; indeed.
13. palá: realization particle that expresses that the speaker has realized and/or suddenly remembered something.
14. pu/opu: politeness particle.
Swerti kanu iti kanaku.
It was said that it is lucky to me.
Edukadu ya rin ing nobyu mu./Edukadu ya din ing nobyu mu.
Your boyfriend is also educated.
[edit] Existential
To express existence (there is/are) and possession (to have), the word
atí is used.
Atí la namang konsyensya.
They also have conscience.
[edit] Negation
There are two negation words:
alí and
alá.
Alí negates verbs and equations. It means
no and/or
not.
Alí ya seli.
He did not buy.
Alá is the opposite of
atí.
Alá na mo kanung lugud.
They say that there is no more love.
But in several statements,
e is used instead of "ali."
E ke seli.
I did not buy it.
[edit] Interrogative Words
Kumustá is used to inquire how something is (are). It is frequently used as a greeting meaning
How are you? It is derived from the Spanish
¿cómo está?
Kumustá na ka?
“How are you?”
Kumustá ya ing pasyenti?
“How is the patient?”
Nanu means
what.
Nanu ya ing gagawan mu?
“What are you doing?”
Ninu means
who.
Ninu la reng lalaki?/Ninu la deng lalaki?
“Who are those men?”
Ninu i Jennifer?
“Who is Jennifer?”
Nukarin means
where but is used to inquire about the location of an object and not used with verbs.
Nukarin ya ing drayber?
“Where is the driver?”
Note:
Drayber is the Kapampangan phonetic spelling of “driver.”
Nukarin ya i Henry?
“Where is Henry?”
[edit] Loan words
Kapampangan has a plethora of
Spanish loan words, given its more than three hundred years of occupation. Among a few examples are
suerti from Spanish
suerte (luck),
curus from
cruz (cross),
carni from
carne (meat),
corsunada from
corazonada (crush),
casapego from
casa fuego (matchbox), and
machura from
mal hechura (ugly-looking).
Due to the influence of Buddhism and Hinduism from the surrounding islands, Kapampangan also acquired words from
Sanskrit. A few examples are:
- alaya "home" from Sanskrit आलय alaya
- kalma "fate" from Sanskrit कर्म karma
- damla "divine law" from Sanskrit धर्म dharma
- mantala "magic formulas" from Sanskrit मन्त्र mantra
- upaya "power" from Sanskrit उपाय upaya
- siuala "voice" from Sanskrit स्वर svara
- lupa "face" from Sanskrit रुपा rupa
- sabla "every" from Sanskrit सर्व sarva
- lawu "eclipse" from Sanskrit राहु rahu
- galura "giant eagle" (a surname) from Sanskrit गरुड garuda
- laksina "south" (a surname) from Sanskrit दक्षिण dakshin
- laksamana "admiral" (a surname) from Sanskrit लक्ष्मण lakshmana
Kapampangan also contains a lot of
Chinese especially from
Cantonese and
Hokkien. Examples are:
- ápû 阿婆 "(maternal) grandmother"
- impû 外婆 "(paternal) grandmother'
- ingkung 外公 "(paternal) grandfather"
- atchi 阿姐 "eldest sister"
- koya 哥仔 "eldest brother"
- susi 鎖匙 "key"
- pansit 便食 "noodles" (lit."instant meal")
- buisit 無衣食 "bad luck" (lit."without clothes and food")
[edit] Examples
[edit] Some Common Phrases & Sentences
- Kumusta na ka? - How are you?
- Masalese ku pu. - I'm fine.
- Mayap ku pu. - I'm good.
- Nanung lagyu mu? - What is your name?
- Malagu ka talaga! - You are really beautiful.
- Kasanting mo! - You are so handsome!
- Wa - Yes
- Ali - No
- Me keni. (from 'Ume ka keni'). - Come here.
- Bisa kung maglolo keka. - "I want to court you."
- Tabalu keka- literally "I don't know with you." (expression)
- Eku balu.- I don't know.
- Mako na ku. - I am going.
- Mangan ta na, mangan tamu. - Let us eat now, let us eat.
- Kanyaman na ning lutu mo! - You're cooking is good!
[edit] Numbers
Number | Kapampangan |
1 | Metung/Isa |
2 | Adua |
3 | Atlu |
4 | Apat |
5 | Lima |
6 | Anam |
7 | Pitu |
8 | Walu |
9 | Siyam |
10 | Hangpu |
11 | Labing metung |
12 | Labing adua |
13 | Labing atlu |
14 | Labing apat |
15 | Labing lima |
20 | Adwang pulu |
21 | Adwang pulu't metung |
22 | Adwang pulu't adua |
30 | Atlung pulu |
100 | Hanggatus |
200 | Aduang dalan |
1,000 | Libu / Metung Libu / Metung a Libu |
2,000 | Aduang Libu |
10,000 | Lacsa |
100,000 | Gatus |
200,000 | Adwang Dalan Libu / Adwang Dalan A Libu |
1,000,000 | Sangyuto |
2,000,000 | Aduang Milyun (Modern) |
1,000,000,000 | Bilyun / Metung Bilyun / Metung a Bilyun (Modern) |
[edit] Orthographical Issues
The 3 sets of Roamanised attitudinal procedures:
1. SÚLAT BACÚLUD (Bacolor Script), commonly known as C&Q orthography, is the first Romanised orthography introduced by the Spaniards during the colonial period. It is called SÚLAT BACÚLUD because for a long time it has been identified with the literary giants like Crissot, Galura and Pabalan who all hail from the town of Baculud. Many Kapampangan believed this to be the original orthography and call it TUTÛNG KAPAMPÁNGAN (genuine Kapampangan) because it has been identified with the orthography used in the Kapampangan "pasion" that is still being used today, believed by many to be the oldest living Kapampangan literature to date.
2. SÚLAT WÁWÂ (Guagua Script), commonly known as K orthography. The name is derived from the town of Wáwâ (Guagua), Bacolor's economic and literary rival, because it was it was first introduced by Wáwâ nationalist writers Don Monico Mercado and Aurelio Tolentino, who were following José Rizal's example to indigenise Philippine writing. In the 20th century, there were three phenomena that further popularised this orthography: the legal imposition of Tagalog as national language with its ABAKADA orthography, the creation of the Akademyang Kapampangan by Zoilo Hilario and the prolific writings of Poet Laureate Jose Gallardo.
3. ÁMUNG SAMSON'S HYBRID ORTHOGRAPHY. This orthography was created by former Catholic priest Venancio Samson in the 1970s prior to the official translation of the Bible into the Kapampangan language. His orthography was meant to resolve the conflict between the proponents of the C&Q and K orthography. Samson adopted the K in place of the conventional QUE and QUI but retained the C for CA, CE, CI, CO and CU. He also eliminated the Ñ and LL and replaced them with NY and LY respectively. An expert in Kapampangan, Latin and Spanish, Samson was the official translator of the Kapampangan Bible as well as the translator of Diego Bergano's Vocabulario.
(article from www.siuala.com)
[edit] Traditional Kapampangan Songs
Atin Ku Pung Singsing
Atin ku pung singsing
Metung yang timpukan
Amana ke iti
King indung ibatan [Better = "Kang..."]
Sangkan keng sininup
King metung a caban
Mewala ya iti,
E ku kamalayan.
King sukal ning lub ku
Susukdul king banua
Pikurus kung gamat[or the active "Mikurus..."]
Babo ning lamesa
Ninu mang manakit
King singsing cung mana
Kalulung pusu ku
Manginu ya keya.
English Translation:
I once had a ring
With a beautiful gem
I inherited this
From my mother
I stored it as well as I could
In a hopebox
But it just suddenly disappeared
I didn't notice.
The heartache inside me
Is as high as the sky
My crossed hands (as I pray)
Are upon the table
Whoever would find
That inherited ring
[Better: My inherited ring] My poor heart (that's aching)
Shall forever worship him/her.
Aldo ning Quequeng Quasal
Pengacu ning sintang cacung liguran
Queng Domingo aldo na ning quequeng casal
Mipalucsu ya'ing pusu cu queng tula't ligaya
Micaul que pang adua bayu memun caya
Aniang miras ing aldo ning tipanan
Migayac at misulud cung pangcasal
Bigung calma aniang miras cu lele altar ning pisamban
Cacasal de ring aliwa'y Sintang Irang. (2X w/ ref.)
Refrain:
Sintang Irang ning bie co
Ica ing mal canacu
Nung miwale ca siping cu
Ay mate cu!
Ica ing sampaga, acu ing maging ambun
Acung babie tula qng pusu paragul
Potang bigla cang magticum
Ing tanque malanat
Ing tanque malagas!
Mabaldug qng gabun!