Philippine languages

See also: Languages of the Philippines

Philippine
Geographic distribution:	Philippines Northern Sulawesi, Indonesia
Linguistic classification:	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Sulu–Philippines ? Philippine
Subdivisions:	—
ISO 639-2 and 639-5:	phi

The Philippine languages are a 1991 proposal by Robert Blust that all the languages of the Philippines and northern Sulawesi—except Sama–Bajaw (languages of the "Sea Gypsies") and a few languages of Palawan—form a subfamily of Austronesian languages. Although the Philippines is near the center of Austronesian expansion from Formosa, there is little linguistic diversity among the approximately 150 Philippine languages, suggesting that earlier diversity has been erased by the spread of the ancestor of the modern Philippine languages (Adelaar & Himmelmann 2005).

Classification

Adelaar and Himmelmann (2005)

From approximately north to south, Adelaar and Himmelmann (2005) divide the Philippine languages into the following groups:

• Northern Philippine languages
  • Batanic languages (4 languages between Luzon and Formosa)
  • Northern Luzon languages (40 languages, including Ilocano)
  • Central Luzon languages (5 languages, including Kapampangan)
  • Northern Mindoro languages (or North Mangyan; 3 languages)
• Greater Central Philippine languages
  • South Mangyan languages (3 languages of Mindoro)
  • Central Philippine languages (40 languages, including Tagalog and Cebuano)
  • Palawan languages (6 languages)
  • Mindanao languages (20 languages)
  • Gorontalo–Mongondow languages (9 languages of Gorontalo (province) and North Sulawesi)
• Kalamian languages (2 languages of northern Palawan)
• South Mindanao languages (5 languages)
• Sangiric languages (4 languages of Sangir and Talaud Islands)
• Minahasan languages (5 languages of North Sulawesi)

Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database (2008)

A 2008 lexicostatistical analysis of the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database, while confirming the unity of the Philippine languages (excluding the Sangiric and Minahasan languages), found substantial differences in internal structure:

• Philippine–Gorontalo
  • Gorontalo–Mongondow languages
  • Philippine proper
    • Northern Philippine
      • Batanic languages
      • Central Luzon languages
      • Northern Luzon languages
    • Central–Southern Philippine
      • Central–Palawanic
        • Central Philippine
        • Palawanic
          • Palawan languages
          • Kalamian languages
          • South Mangyan languages
      • Mindanao languages (including South Mindanao)

Philippine comparison chart

English	one	two	three	four	person	house	dog	coconut	day	new	we	what	fire
Tagalog	isa	dalawa	tatlo	apat	tao	bahay	aso	niyog	araw	bago	tayo	ano	apoy
Bikol	saro	duwa	tulo	apat	tawo	harong	ayam	niyog	aldaw	ba-go	kita	ano	kalayo
Cebuano	usa	duha	tulo	upat	tawo	balay	iro	lubi	adlaw	bag-o	kita	unsa	kalayo
Waray	usa	duha	tulo	upat	tawo	balay	ayam	lubi	adlaw	bag-o	kita	ano	kalayo
Hiligaynon	isa	duha	tatlo	apat	tawo	balay	ido	lubi	adlaw	bag-o	kita	ano	kalayo
Tausug	hambuuk	duwa	tu	upat	tau	bay	iru'	niyug	adlaw	ba-gu	kitaniyu	unu	kayu
Kinaray-a	sara	darwa	tatlo	apat	taho	balay	ayam	niyog	adlaw	bag-o	kita, taten	ano	kalayo
Akeanon	isa	daywa	tatlo	apat	tawo	baeay	ayam	niyog	adlaw	bag-o	kita	ano	kaeayo
Maranao	isa	dowa	t'lo	phat	taw	walay	aso	neyog	gawi'e	bago	tano	tonaa	apoy
Pangasinan	sakey	dua, duara	talo, talora	apat, apatira	too	abong	aso	niyog	ageo	balo	sikatayo	anto	pool
Ilokano	maysa	dua	tallo	uppat	tao	balay	aso	niog	aldaw	baro	sitayo	ania	apoy
Ivatan	asa	dadowa	tatdo	apat	tao	vahay	chito	niyoy	araw	va-yo	yaten	ango	apoy
Tao	ása	dóa (raroa)	tílo (tatlo)	apat (ápat)	tao	vahay	chito	niyoy	araw	vayo	yaten	ango	apoy
Kapampangan	métung	adwâ	atlû	ápat	táu	balé	ásu	ngúngut	aldô	báyu	íkatamu	nánu	api
Ibanag	tadday	dua	tallu	appa'	tolay	balay	kitu	niuk	aggaw	bagu	sittam	anni	afi
Gaddang	antet	addwa	tallo	appat	tolay	balay	atu	ayog	aw	bawu	ikkanetam	sanenay	afuy
Tboli	sotu	lewu	tlu	fat	tau	gunu	ohu	lefo	kdaw	lomi	tekuy	tedu	ofih
Gorontalo	tuwewu	duluwo	totolu	wopato	tawu	bele	'apula	sekat	dulahu	bohu	'ito	wolo	tulu
Bolaang Mongondow	inta'	dua	tolu	opat	intau	baloi	ungku'	cekut	singgai	mo-bagu	kita	onda	tulu'
Chavacano	uno	dos	tres	cuatro	gente	cassa	pero'	coco	dia	nuevo	Zamboangueñ: Nosotros (formal) kita/kame (common), Caviteñ: Nisos, Ternateño: Mijotro, Castellano Abakay: Kita/kame, Cotabateñ: Nosotros, Kita/kame	cosa	fuego
Malay	satu	dua	tiga	empat	orang	rumah	anjing	kelapa	hari	baru	kita	apa	api

See also

• Filipino orthography
• Commission on the Filipino Language
• Philippine Literature in Filipino

References

• Fay Wouk and Malcolm Ross (ed.), The history and typology of western Austronesian voice systems. Australian National University, 2002.
• K. Alexander Adelaar and Nikolaus Himmelmann, The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar. Routledge, 2005.
• Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database, 2008.

External links

• Comparative vocabularies of Philippine and other Austronesian languages (Wiktionary)