Bikol languages

This article is about the various sociolinguistic dialects of Bikol. For the standardized dialect of Bikol based on the Canaman variant, see Bikol language.

Bikol
Geographic distribution:	Bicol Region
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Central Philippine Bikol
Subdivisions:	Coastal Bikol Inland Bikol Pandan Bikol
ISO 639-2 and 639-5:	bik

The Bikol languages are a group of Central Philippine languages spoken particularly on the Bicol Peninsula on the island of Luzon and parts of Catanduanes and Burias Island, Masbate Province. There is also a continuum between Visayan languages and Bikol languages, called Bisakol languages.

Internal classification

Ethnologue

The eight languages of Bikol grouped according to Ethnologue are:

• Coastal Bikol (Northern) Group
  • Naga
    • Agta, Isarog language – agk
    • Agta, Mt. Iraya language – atl
    • Central Bicolano language – bcl
  • Southern Catanduanes Bicolano language (Southern Catanduanes) – bln
• Inland Bikol (Southern) Group
  • Agta, Mt. Iriga language – agz
  • Albay Bicolano language (Buhi-Daraga) – bhk
  • Rinconada Bicolano language – bto
• Northern Catanduanes Bicolano language (Northern Catanduanes) – cts

McFarland (1974)

Curtis McFarland gives the following classification for the Bikol languages.

Bikol	Bikol Proper   North Catanduanes  Pandan (North Catanduanes)  Inland Bikol  Iriga (Riŋkonāda) Buhi (Buhi'non) Libon Oas (West Miraya) Daraga (East Miraya)  Coastal Bikol  Naga (Standard Bikol), Legazpi, and Partido Virac (South Catanduanes) Bisakol  Southern Sorsogon Northern Sorsogon Masbateño

Lobel (2000)

While McFarland (1974) splits Bikol into 11 dialects, Lobel (2000) splits Bikol into 12 different dialects (including Partido Bikol, which McFarland (1974) does not differentiate) and 4 main branches.

• Northern Coastal Bikol

1. Central Standard – Spoken primarily in Naga City. Also recognized (and sometimes understood) in Daet, Camarines Norte; many other areas in Camarines Sur; San Pascual, Masbate on Burias Island; also heard in Legazpi City and other cities along the eastern coast of Albay; and northeastern Sorsogon.
   1. Daet area variant
   2. Naga City area variant
   3. Eastern Standard Bikol – Spoken in and around Legazpi City, and also in North Sorsogon
2. Partido – Spoken in the Camarines Sur municipalities of Ocampo, Goa, Tigaon, Lagonoy, Sagñay, and San Jose. This dialect has a mellow intonation and is heavily influenced by Riŋkonāda.
3. South Catanduanes – Spoken in the southern end of Catanduanes.
   1. Virac area variant
   2. San Miguel variant (transitional to North Catanduanes)

• Southern Coastal and Inland Bikol

1. Riŋkonāda – Spoken primarily in Iriga City, Baao, Bula, Balatan, Baao, and Nabua, Camarines Sur. Also heard in Ocampo, Buhi and Pili, Camarines Sur and Polangui, Albay.
   1. Lowland Riŋkonāda dialect (lacks /ə/ vowel)
   2. Highland Riŋkonāda dialect (with /ə/ vowel)
2. Buhinon – Spoken in Buhi, Camarines Sur. Contains features from both Bikol of Polangui and Bikol of Iriga.
3. Libon – Spoken in Libon, Albay.
4. West Miraya – Spoken in Ligao City, Polangui, Oas, and Pio Duran, Albay.
5. East Miraya – Spoken in Guinobatan, Camalig, Daraga, Jovellar, Albay and in Donsol and Pilar, Sorsogon.
   1. Central (Guinobatan)
   2. Far East (Camalig, Daraga)
   3. Southeast (Jovellar, Albay, Donsol, Pilar)

• Northern Catanduanes (Pandan) – Spoken by about 80,000 people in the Northern Catanduanes towns of Caramoran, Pandan, Bagamanoc, Panganiban, and Viga.

• Bisakol

1. Central Sorsogon – Spoken in Sorsogon City, Castilla, Casiguran, and Juban, Sorsogon.
   1. Castilla Sorsogon (mixed with Legazpi Bikol)
   2. Casiguran-Juban variant
2. Southern Sorsogon – Spoken in Gubat, Barcelona, Bulusan, Santa Magdalena, Matnog, Irosin, and Bulan, Sorsogon.
3. Masbatenyo – Spoken in Masbate City, Mobo, Uson, Dimasalang, Palanas, Masbate, Aroroy on the island of Masbate, all of Ticao Island, and Claveria on the southern half of Burias Island.
   1. Standard Masbatenyo
   2. Ticao Island variant

See also

• Bikol language
• Languages of Bicol

References

General references

• Lobel, Jason William, Wilmer Joseph S Tria, and Jose Maria Z Carpio. 2000. An satuyang tataramon / A study of the Bikol language. Naga City, Philippines: Lobel & Tria Partnership, Co.: Holy Rosary Minor Seminary.

External links

• Translate Bikol, an online English-Bikol and Bisakol languages translator.