A Cultural Linguistic Analysis of Manobo Tud-Om

Abstract

This paper documented and presented a cultural linguistic analysis of tud-om by the Manobo tribe, an ethno-linguistic group in Bitaugan, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Particularly, it investigated the metaphorical languages of Manobo tud-om and the cultural significations of ethnic realities of the tribe. A Cultural Linguistics Framework of Gay Palmer, which posited that the study of language can reveal the worldview of a society and the thoughts and practices of a culture, was employed as guide in the analysis of data. Guided with the objectives, this study employed a qualitative research design particularly narratology using the methods of fieldwork, recording of tud-om and interviews with the Manobo Datu, Manobo Baylans and other Manobo elders who were knowledgeable of the tribe's tud-om. In this study, five (5) tud-om were documented in an authentic Manobo dialect and were translated into English for cultural linguistic analysis. Results revealed that the Manobo tud-om was rich in metaphorical languages namely: Anaphora, Assonance, Chiasmus, Hyperbole, Litotes, Metonymy, and Synecdoche. The analysis further revealed that Manobo tud-om presented themes like love and affection, care for fairness, belief, faith, aspiration for quest for peace and harmony of the ethnic group. Meanwhile, the symbols found in the five tud-om were strong faith that a supreme being grants request, kneeling as a gesture of plea, god as the provider and humility. It was concluded that language mirrors a culture and the tud-om of the Manobo as a linguistic and communicative act, is a product and reflection of that culture – the ideals, beliefs, worldviews and traditions of the Manobo in Bitaugan, San Miguel, Surigao del Sur.