The Institute of National Language (INL) published this study in 1937 as part of its mandated work under Commonwealth Act No. 184 to develop a common national language for the Philippines. This specific monograph, the first in the INL's publication series, is a foundational effort in comparative lexicography. It compiles and categorizes words beginning with the sound 'a' across twelve major Philippine languages, including Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, and Bikol, and compares them against English and Spanish. The goal of this research was to identify common linguistic elements that could serve as the basis for the evolving national language. This scholarly undertaking preceded the official proclamation of Tagalog as the basis for the national language by President Manuel L. Quezon later that same year, marking it as a critical document in the history of language planning and national identity formation in the Philippines.
Preliminary studies on the lexicography of the Philippine languages: letter a