| Central Bikol | |
|---|---|
| Bikol Sentral | |
| Native to | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol |
| Ethnicity | Bicolano |
Native speakers | (2.5 million cited 1990 census[needs update])[1] 6th most spoken native language in the Philippines[2] |
| Latin (Bikol alphabet) Bikol Braille HistoricallyBasahan | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Regional language in thePhilippines |
| Regulated by | Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bcl |
| Glottolog | cent2087 |
 Areas where Central Bicolano is spoken in the Philippines | |
| This article containsIPA phonetic symbols. Without properrendering support, you may seequestion marks, boxes, or other symbols instead ofUnicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, seeHelp:IPA. | |
Central Bikol, commonly calledBikol Naga[3] or simplyBikol, is anAustronesian language spoken by theBicolanos, primarily in theBicol Region of southernLuzon,Philippines. It is spoken in the northern and western part ofCamarines Sur, the second congressional district ofCamarines Norte, the eastern part ofAlbay, the northeastern part ofSorsogon,San Pascual town inMasbate, and the southwestern part ofCatanduanes. Central Bikol speakers can be found in all provinces of Bicol, and it is a majority language in Camarines Sur. The standardsprachraum form is based on theCanaman dialect. The language has also speakers outside their native regional homeland, especially inMetro Manila,Mindoro,Palawan, andMindanao (particularly inMati,Davao Oriental)
Central Bikol features some vocabulary not found in other Bikol languages nor in other members of theCentral Philippine language family likeTagalog andCebuano. Examples are the wordsmatua andbitis, which are the same as theKapampangan words meaning 'older' and 'foot, feet', respectively. The wordbanggi ('night') is another example of this as it is different from the usual Bikol wordgab-i but closer to the wordbengi of Kapampangan. There is no formal study on the relationship of theCentral Luzon languages to Central Bikol but the latter has several words that are also found in the archaic form of Tagalog spoken in theRizal andQuezon provinces that are believed to be the home of Central Luzon languages such as Kapampangan inPampanga and southernTarlac, andSambalic languages inZambales province.
Because of its broad geographic coverage as compared with other Bikol languages separated by islands and mountains, Central Bikol diverged into six dialects, which are still mutually comprehensible. The division of the language into different dialects is mainly because of the influence of other Bikol and non-Bikol languages surrounding the region.
The Canaman dialect, despite being used by only a small portion of the population in Camarines Sur, is the standard form of Central Bikol used in literature, Catholic religious rites and mass media.Naga City dialect is spoken in the first, second, and third districts (except in Del Gallego, where residents are mostly Tagalog speakers), and in the western and eastern portions of the fourth district (Caramoan, Garchitorena, Presentacion, Siruma and Tinambac) of Camarines Sur. It is also spoken in San Pascual, Masbate (Burias Island) and the southwestern part of Catanduanes. The Partido dialect is spoken in the eastern part of Camarines Sur centered in the southern portion of the fourth districts (Goa, Lagonoy, Sagñay, San Jose, and Tigaon). The Tabaco-Legazpi-Sorsogon (TLS) dialect is spoken in the eastern coast of Albay and the northeastern part of Sorsogon. TLS is the dialect that has been most influenced by theInland Bikol languages. The Daet dialect, on the other hand, is spoken in the second district of the province of Camarines Norte. The Virac dialect (orViracnon language) is spoken around Virac, Catanduanes and surrounding towns on the southeastern part of the island of Catanduanes.
The following table shows the sentence "Why did Pedro's bird not fly even though there is no lock to the cage?" translated to different dialects of Central Bikol along with some other languages in the region.
| Canaman dialect (Standard) | Naga City dialect | Partido dialect | Tabaco - Legazpi - Sorsogon (TLS) dialect | Virac dialect | Daet dialect | Rinconada Bikol language (Inland Bikol) | Sorsoganon language (Bisakol) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tàdaw ta dai luminayog an gamgam ni Pedro dawà na dai nin kandado an hawla? | Tâno daw ta dainaglayog an gamgam ni Pedro dawà namayò nin kandadosi hawla? | Hadáw taê naglayog an gamgam ni Pedromaski namayò nin kandadosu hawla? | Natà daw ta dainaglayog anbayong ni Pedromaski nawarâ ki kandadosu hawla? | Ngatà daw ta dàinagḽayog an gamgam ni Pedromaski nadaing kandadosu hawla? | Bakin dawkaya dainaglupad ang/a/ka ibon ni Pedromaski namayong kandadosi hawla? | Ta'onō/Ŋātâ raw tadiri naglayog adtoŋ bayoŋ ni Pedrodāwâ naədâ ka kandadosu awlā? | Nakay dawkay diri naglupad antamsi ni Pedromaski nawarâ san kandadosu hawla? |
Like otherPhilippine languages, Bikol has a number of loanwords, largelySpanish ones as a result ofSpanish rule in the Philippines. These includeswerte (suerte, 'luck'),karne (carne, 'meat'),imbestigador (investigador, 'investigator'),litro ('liter'),pero ('but'), andkrimen (crimen, 'crime'). Another source of loanwords in Bikol isSanskrit, with examples including words likebahala ('responsibility') andkarma.
There are 16 consonants in the Bikol language:/m,n,ŋ,p,t,k,ʔ,b,d,ɡ,s,h,l,w~ʋ,ɾ,j~ʝ/. Eight sounds are borrowed from loanwords:/f,v,ɲ,tʃ,dʒ,ʃ,ʒ,ʎ/.
The sound system of the language according to Mintz in 1971[4] is as follows.
| Labial | (Denti-) Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n̪ | (ɲ) | ŋ | ||
| Stop/ Affricate | voiceless | p | t̪ | (tʃ) | k | ʔ |
| voiced | b | d̪ | (dʒ) | ɡ | ||
| Fricative | voiceless | (f) | s | (ʃ) | h | |
| voiced | (v) | (ʒ) | ||||
| Lateral | l | (ʎ) | ||||
| Sonorant | w~ʋ | ɾ | j~ʝ | |||
Native words exhibit a three-vowel system whose vowels can be noted as/a,i,u/, with/u/ realized as[o] in the final syllable. Due to contact with Spanish, modern Central Bikol also has two marginal phonemes/e,o/ distinct from/i,u/.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i ⟨i⟩ | u ⟨u⟩ | |
| Mid | e ⟨e⟩ | o ⟨o⟩ | |
| Open | a ⟨a⟩ |
| Absolutive | Ergative | Oblique | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | ako | ko | sakuya,sakô |
| 2nd person singular | ika,ka | mo | saimo,sìmo |
| 3rd person singular | siya | niya | saiya |
| 1st person plural inclusive | kita | niato,ta | satuya,satô |
| 1st person plural exclusive | kami | niamo,mi | samuya,samô |
| 2nd person plural | kamo | nindo | saindo |
| 3rd person plural | sinda | ninda | sainda |
Like many otherPhilippine languages, Bikol has a rich set of discourse particles.
There exist two types of numerals in Bikol: native Bikol and Spanish numerals. Generally, Bicolanos use the Spanish terms when referring to time, as in the phrasea las singko ('5 o'clock'). However, the native terms can be read in literary books. The Spanish numerals are often encountered in pricing.
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The angryregister of Bikol, also known natively astamanggot orrapsak, is used when angry, shouting, or speaking in a high-pitched voice at someone. Some examples of the register include:
| Normal Bikol | Angry-register Bikol | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| malutò | malustod | rice (cooked) |
| bagas | las(u)gas | rice (uncooked) |
| tubig | tamìlig,tùlig | water |
| bungog | lusngog | deaf |
| uran | bagrat | rain |
| bagyo | alimagyo | typhoon/hurricane |
| babayi | babaknit,siknit | female |
| lalaki | lalaknit | male |
| bado,gubing | la(ma)sdô,gubnit | clothes |
| harong (Naga),balay (Legazpi) | langag | house |
| sira | sigtok,buragtok | fish |
| ikos | k(ur)asmag,kurakod | cat |
| ayam,idò | da(ma)yô (Naga), ga(ma)dyâ (Legazpi) | dog |
| damulag (Naga), karabaw (Legazpi) | ga(ma)dyâ (Naga) | carabao |
| humali | wumara | leave |
| magkakan/kumakan (Naga), magkaon/kumaon (Legazpi) | hablô,humablô,habluon,sibà,sumibà,sumibsib | eat |
| burat (Naga), buyong (Legazpi) | lasngag,lusrat,lusyong,bultok | drunk |
| taram | tabil | to speak |
| kapot,kapotan | kamlô,kamlùon | to hold, holding |
| hiling | butlâ | to see |
| bitis | s(am)ingkil,samail,siki | foot |
| talinga | talingugngog | ear |
| ngusò (Naga), ngimot (Legazpi) | ngurapak,ngaspak,ngislo | mouth |
| kamot | kamulmog | hand |
| mata | ma(ta)lsok | eye |
| payo | ali(ma)ntak | head |
| hawak (Naga), lawas (Legazpi) | kabangkayan | body |
| tulak | tindos,la(ma)sdak | belly/stomach |
| sapatos | sapagtok | shoe |
| kalayo | kalasbot | fire |
| kawali | kawalwag | frying pan |
| sarwal | sarigwal | shorts or underwear[a] |
| asin | tasik | salt |
| manok | maldos,malpak | chicken |
Note:
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Phrasebook from Wikivoyage
Central Bikol edition of Wikipedia