Puneet Varma (Editor)

Philippine languages

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
ISO 639-2 / 5
  
phi

Philippine languages

Geographicdistribution
  
PhilippinesNorthern Sulawesi, IndonesiaEastern Sabah, MalaysiaOrchid Island, Taiwan

Linguistic classification
  
AustronesianMalayo-PolynesianBorneo-Philippine languagesPhilippine

Subdivisions
  
NorthernCentralSouthern?Gorontalo–Mongondow?Sama–Bajaw?Minahasan?Sangiric

Glottolog
  
Nonegrea1284  (Greater Central Philippine)

Similar
  
Austronesian languages, Formosan languages, Malayo Polynesian languages

In linguistics, 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. Philippine languages make up the oldest non-Formosan languages of the Austronesian language family, with several languages preserving the proto-Austronesian schwa and d–r assonance lost in the Sunda–Sulawesi languages.

Contents

Map of Philippines

Classification

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 Batanes and Formosa)
  • Northern Luzon languages (40 languages, including Ilocano and Pangasinan)
  • Central Luzon languages (5 languages, including Sambal and Kapampangan)
  • Northern Mindoro languages (or North Mangyan; 3 languages)
  • Greater Central Philippine languages
  • Southern Mindoro languages (or South Mangyan; 3 languages)
  • Central Philippine languages (40 languages, including Tagalog, Bikol languages and Visayan languages)
  • Palawan languages (3 languages)
  • Mindanao languages (20 languages, including Maguindanao and Maranao)
  • Gorontalo–Mongondow languages (9 languages of Gorontalo 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)

    • In addition, the Umiray Dumaget, Manide and Inagta Alabat languages are unclassified within the Philippine family.

    Vocabulary comparison

    Comparison chart between several selected Philippine languages spoken from north to south with Proto-Austronesian first for comparison.

    References

    Philippine languages Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA