Aklanon language


Aklanon, also known as Akeanon or Inakeanon, is an Austronesian language of the Bisayan subgroup spoken by the Aklanon people, the locals of the province of Aklan on the island of Panay in the Philippines. Its unique feature among other Bisayan languages is the close-mid back unrounded vowel occurring as part of diphthongs and traditionally written with the letter such as in the autonyms Akean and Akeanon. However, this phoneme is also present in other but geographically scattered and distant Philippine languages, namely Itbayat, Isneg, Manobo, Samal and Sagada.
The Malaynon dialect is 93% lexically similar to Aklanon and has retained the "l" sounds, which elsewhere are often pronounced as "r".

Phonology

Aklanon has 21 phonemes. There are 17 consonants: p, t, k, b, d, g, m, n, ng, s, h, l, r, w, y, the glottal stop, and the voiced velar fricative. There are six vowels: the three native vowels i, a, and u, which are typical for a Bisayan vowel inventory, the additional e and o for loanwords and common nouns, and a distinct phoneme argued by Zorc to be a close-mid back unrounded vowel. The voiced velar fricative /ɣ/ was also analyzed by Rentillo and Pototanon as having a voiced velar approximant as an allophone.

Vowels

Consonants

from loanwords can also be heard as palatal stops. can also be heard as and can also alternate with.

Common phrases

Philippine national proverb

Here is the Philippine national proverb in various languages.
  • Akeanon: Ro uwa' gatan-aw sa anang ginhalinan hay indi makaabut sa anang ginapaeangpan.
  • Malaynon: Ang indi kausoy magbalikid sa anang hinalinan hay indi makaabut sa anang paayanan.
  • English: He who does not look back where he came from, will never reach his destination.

    Numbers

Literature

Note: All these poems were written by Melchor F. Cichon, an Aklanon poet.
  • "Ambeth". Philippine Panorama, August 14, 1994.
  • "Emergency Room". The Aklan Reporter, December 7, 1994, p. 10
  • "Eva, Si Adan!"
  • "Ham-at Madueom Ro Gabii Inay?" Philippine Panorama, March 27, 1994, p. 29., also in The Aklan Reporter, April 6, 1994, p. 8.
  • "Hin-uno Pa". The Aklan Reporter, February 23, 1994, p. 8. Also in Ani December 1993, p. 44
  • "Inay". Philippine Collegian, October 4, 1973, p. 3
  • "Limog sa Idaeom". Ani December 1993, p. 48
  • "Mamunit Ako Inay". The Aklan Reporter, December 28, 1994, p. 10
  • "Manog-Uling". The Aklan Reporter July 29, 1992, p. 9. Also in Ani December 1993, p. 50
  • "Owa't Kaso", Saeamat. Mantala 3:97 2000
  • "Ro Bantay". The Aklan Reporter, September 6, 1995, p. 7
  • "Competition", March 13, 1998, UPV Auditorium, Iloilo City
  • "Sa Pilapil It Tangke". Ani December 1994, p. 46
  • "Toto, Pumailaya Ka". Pagbutlak
  • "Welga". Mantala 3:99 2000