Reactions to Blust's "The Resurrection of Proto-Philippines"

Abstract

Blust has secured the position of PPH by raising the number of country-wide innovations to at least 600 etymologies (out of the 1286 proposed). Unlike PMP or PAN, at the phonological level, accent contrasts must be a significant innovation for PPH (although not explicitly stated by Blust, nine minimal pairs are well-established within his survey). An initial *y- and a clear-cut contrast between glottal stop (*ʔ) as opposed to *q can also be reconstructed for PPH. Axis-relationships (areal contact phenomena) have arisen which blur genetic boundaries, but not to any great extent; discreet macro- and microgroups can be substantiated throughout the Philippines, all descended from one proto-language.