Tagalog and the manila - Mt Isa axis

This paper examines the grammatical alignment of Tagalog, arguing for its classification as an ergative language. While traditionally described as having a “focus system,” Tagalog’s morphosyntactic structure reveals consistent marking of patients and intransitive subjects with ang, and agents with ng, supporting an ergative analysis. The study critiques ethnocentric interpretations that equate actor-focus with accusative alignment and highlights overlooked morphological evidence. Comparisons with other Philippine languages and Australian ergative languages, such as Kalkatungu and Dyirbal, underscore typological parallels. The paper suggests that adopting an ergative framework resolves longstanding analytical ambiguities and better reflects the language’s structure. Further evidence from causatives and control constructions reinforces this view, contributing to broader discussions on alignment systems and linguistic typology (AI generated abstract, Copilot)