The Archive, the official publication of the UP Department of Linguistics, released its 17th special publication featuring two studies first presented at the 14th Philippine Linguistics Congress held on 24-27 August 2021. 

The first article is by Dr. R. David Paul Zorc and April Almarines, titled, “Axis Relationships in the Philippines: When Traditional Subgrouping Falls Short.” A product of Dr. Zorc’s decades of research on Philippine and Austronesian languages, this study puts forward fifteen axis relationships, defining axis as “any unique form not found anywhere else (therefore an innovation) which spread across two or more well-established subgroups” (p. 4). While he had already noticed some forms while working on his dissertation in 1972, this is the first time all of these were compiled and published, making for a monumental publication. The axes do not discredit already existing and widely accepted subgroups but point out that these forms indicate relationships that may have developed from close trade and societal ties among speakers. The authors invite scholars of Philippine languages to engage in a discussion on their acceptance or rejection of these axes. Almarines supplemented the research with a compilation of subgroupings of (genetic) Philippine languages, which would be helpful to all involved and interested in Philippine and Austronesian linguistics. 

The second article included in the special issue is a transcript of the roundtable discussion on multilingualism, moderated by Asst. Prof. Kristina Gallego (UP Diliman), with panelists Louward Zubiri (PhD student–University of Hawai’i at Manoa), Instr. Vincent Christopher Santiago (UP Diliman), Asst. Prof. Diane Manzano (UP Los Baños), Instr. Jeconiah Dreisbach (De La Salle University), and Dr. Ruanni Tupas (University College London). The paper titled, “Counter-Babel: Reframing Linguistic Practices in Multilingual Philippines,” delves into the status of the Philippines as a multilingual country, the different faces of multilingualism together with the challenges and issues surrounding it, and a call for a paradigm shift on how we view linguistic diversity, endangerment, and multilingualism. 

Editor-in-chief Jem Javier notes that these studies are “reflective of the mandates that our Department aims to continue to fulfill: conducting linguistic research in multilingual Philippines, and establishing genetic and typological connections among the country’s many languages and dialects” (p. ix).

This issue is helmed by Asst. Prof.Jem Javier(editor-in-chief), Asst. Prof. Divine Angeli Endriga (managing editor), James Dominic Manrique (layout and cover editor), with the assistance of Dustin Matthew Estrellado and Victoria Vidal. This latest issue can be accessed via this link: https://www.journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/archive.

The Archive was originally published in the 1920s by Otto Johns Scheerer as a repository for working papers of the Department’s graduate students. It now publishes research outputs in three different categories: the regular issue, which is the peer-reviewed publication for original works dealing primarily but not exclusively with Philippine languages and dialects; the special publication, which is a venue for publishing single, extensive works on Philippine languages, translations, and other similar works; and the Archive Classics series which reprint monumental works in Philippine linguistics that paved the way for further research in the field and continue to influence current studies on Philippine languages.

The Archive accepts submissions all year round. It is officially hosted by the Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Development through the UP Diliman Journals Online website where previous and current issues of the journal may be accessed and downloaded. More information about the journal and submission guidelines are available through this link.

Published by UP Department of Linguistics