Note 46 — Parts of Speech.

The collective nouns are formed by adding at the beginning of the primitive the prefix ca (which bears the idea of collection or reunion) and the affix an. As,

from bata (boy or girl), cabatáan (reunion of boys or girls)

táuo (person), catauóhan (reunion of persons).

duhá (two), caruhaán (twenty).

These forms are very frequently used to make the plural of the nouns, as of the singular batá we make the plural.

mga batà or cabataan.

NOTE—The particle ca is also employed to express abstract ideas, as

from buság (white color), mabuság (white), camabuság (whiteness)

The particle pag is sometimes added at the beginning of the particle, as

pagcamabuság (whiteness).

The collectives take also the form of the figuratives with or without the particles ca and an, as the use may permit, as

caborobong̃tóhan,

borobóng̃to.

NOTE.—There is another class of nouns which may be called depreciative. They are limited in number. The following belong to such class:

for batà (child),

nagbobóto (a being born thru an explosion)

lumátud (person of big abdomen)

lugtuc,46

motatô47

motó, from botó (report of a gun, explosion);

for anác (son or daughter)

nahólbot (past participle of “hólbot” to pull out of a hole);

for baba (mouth)

nasárag (of “sárag” to put something in the mouth);

for camót (hand)

camrauón (from “cámram”, what an eagle does with its fingers);

for tiil (foot)

sincádol48 etc.

There are despectives derived from their primitives, as,

for húbya (lazy), “húbsac”49

The variations to which the Bisayan names are subject, are: gender, number, and cases.