Blaan | |
---|---|
Native to | Philippines |
Region | Mindanao |
Ethnicity | Blaan |
Native speakers | 240,000 (2000–2007)[1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Either:bpr – Koronadal Blaan (Tagalagad)bps – Sarangani Blaan (Tumanao) |
Glottolog | blaa1241 |
Blaan is an Austronesian language of the southern Philippines.
There are two major varieties of Blaan.
- Koronadal Blaan (Tagalagad)
- Sarangani Blaan (Tumanao)
Distribution
editAccording to the Ethnologue, Koronadal Blaan is spoken in:
- eastern South Cotabato Province
- Sarangani Province
- Sultan Kudarat Province (Lutayan area)
- Davao del Sur Province
Sarangani Blaan is spoken in:
- almost the entire area of Sarangani Province
- South Cotabato Province (General Santos and north)
- Davao del Sur Province (language area across from Sarangani Province's northern border)
History
editBlaan belongs to the Bilic microgroup of the Philippine language subgroup, along with Giangan Manobo, Tiruray, and Tboli.[2]
Phonology
editBlaan has fifteen consonant and seven vowel phonemes.[3]
Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | b | t d | k g | ʔ | ||
Nasal | m | n | ŋ | |||
Fricative | f | s | h | |||
Lateral | l | |||||
Approximant | w | j |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
High | i | u | |
Mid-high | ɛ | ||
Mid | ə | ||
Mid-low | ɔ | ||
Low | a | ɑ |
Syntax
editBlaan uses word order to indicate the thematic roles of nominal elements in the sentence.[4]
Kamfe
AV.catch
kuku
cat
ungeh.
rat
'The cat catches the rat'
Similar to other Philippine-type Austronesian languages, Blaan uses verbal morphology to indicate voice (or focus, as it is usually called in the literature).[5] Here are some examples of voice/focus types in Blaan: Agent voice/focus (-m-)
Magin
AV.accompany
nga
child
do.
me
'The child accompanies me.'
Patient voice/focus (-n-)
Nebe
PV.bring
libun
girl
ale.
them
'The girl brings them.'
English | Blaan |
---|---|
chicken | anuk |
flower | bulek |
horse | kuda |
corn | agul |
needle | dalum |
basket | been |
broom | fune |
rat | unge |
money | filak |
goat | uhe |
scissors | gunting |
mat | igem |
clouds | labun |
fish | nalaf |
eye | mata |
pestle | sung |
leaf | doon |
bone | tulan |
lamp | salo |
snake | ulad |
crow | wak |
foot | bli |
mother | ye |
father | ma |
References
edit- ^ Koronadal Blaan (Tagalagad) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
Sarangani Blaan (Tumanao) at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) - ^ Blust, Robert (1991). "The Greater Central Philippines Hypothesis". Oceanic Linguistics. 30 (2): 73–129. doi:10.2307/3623084. JSTOR 3623084.
- ^ Dean, J. & Dean, G. (1955). The phonemes of Bilaan. Philippine Journal of Science, 84(3), 311-322.
- ^ McLachlin, B. & Blackburn, B. (1968). Verbal clauses of Sarangani Blaan. Asian Studies, 6(1), 108-128.
- ^ Dean, James C. (1958). Some principal relations in Bilaan. Oceania Linguistic Monographs, Studies in Philippine Linguistics by the Summer Institute of Linguistics (Pacific Branch), University of Sydney, Australia.
- ^ "ABKD" (PDF).
Category:Languages of South Cotabato Category:Languages of Sarangani Category:Languages of Davao Occidental Category:Philippine languages