Barry Garcia wrote:
>Interesting. I'm assuming the settlement of Aklan was probably militarial,
>because the datus were quick to set up a united government, instead of
>disconnected barangays.
Yes, by the 1200s they would have known all about "states" and
"governments". Any idea what part of Borneo they supposedly came from?
>
>I wouldnt be too surprised though. The story goes that the datus were
>escaping an opressive datu in Borneo and decided to leave and establish
>the Minuro it Akean (as i understand it). In the story, they also "bought"
>the island of Panay from the Aeta (negritos), who "agreed" to move up into
>the central highlands, and leave the lowlands to the Akeanons.
Right. An old familiar story.....
>I wonder though, is the focus/trigger system a recent or older development
>among some Austronesian languages? Is that even known, or is that up for
>debate?
It's pretty much agreed: original. The system is found in the Taiwanese
languages, and that's supposed to have been the Homeland. And many
languages preserve hints of it (as Malay/Indo. does, and a lot of Oceanic)
even if most of the morphology has been lost or changed.