Native to Philippines Native speakers 51,000 (2007 census) | Ethnicity Bolinao people | |
Region Bolinao and Anda, Pangasinan Language family Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Philippine
Central Luzon
Sambalic
Bolinao Writing system Latin (Filipino alphabet)
Historically Baybayin | ||
The Bolinao language or Binubolinao is a Central Luzon language spoken primarily in the municipalities of Bolinao and Anda, Pangasinan in the Philippines. It has approximately 50,000 speakers (Ethnologue 1990), making it the second most widely spoken Sambalic language. Most Bolinao speakers can speak Pangasinan and Ilocano.
Contents
Phonology
Bolinao has 21 phonemes: 16 consonants and five vowels. Syllable structure is relatively simple. Each syllable contains at least a consonant and a vowel.
Vowels
Bolinao has five vowels. They are:
There are six main diphthongs: /aɪ/, /əɪ/, /oɪ/, /uɪ/, /aʊ/, and /iʊ/.
Consonants
Below is a chart of Bolinao consonants. All the stops are unaspirated. The velar nasal occurs in all positions including at the beginning of a word.
Language Comparison
A common proverb from Philippine national hero Jose Rizal in English, “He who does not acknowledge his beginnings will not reach his destination,” is translated into Bolinao and followed by Pangasinan, the dominant indigenous language of Pangasinan province and the original in Tagalog for comparison: