The Reconstruction of a Dual Pronoun to Proto Malayo-Polynesian

Abstract

The presence of first person dual pronouns in contrast with first person inclusive pronouns in many Western Malayo-Polynesian languages such as those in the Philippines is common knowledge. Cysouw (2003:154) labels such systems as ‘Maranao-type’ and renames ‘dual’ and ‘inclusive’ as ‘minimal inclusive (1+2),’ and ‘augmented inclusive (1+2+3),’ respectively, noting their widespread occurrence in other language families.2 The form of the dual pronoun, especially in many Philippine languages, kita ‘NEUT 1+2’,3 =ta ‘genitive 1+2’, compared with reconstructed Proto Austronesian *ita ‘NEUT 1+2+3’ (Ross 2006) suggests that the dual pronoun was originally a first person inclusive pronoun, the reference of which has been restricted to a single first person and a single second person.