Blaan language
Blaan, also known as Bla'an, is an Austronesian language of the southern Philippines spoken by an indigenous ethnic group of the same name who inhabited many areas of Soccksargen and Davao Occidental.
Classification
Blaan belongs to the Bilic microgroup of the Philippine language subgroup, along with Giangan Manobo, Tiruray, and Tboli.Distribution
There are two major varieties of Blaan: Koronadal Blaan and Sarangani Blaan.According to the Ethnologue, Koronadal Blaan is spoken in:
Sarangani Blaan is spoken in:
- almost the entire area of Sarangani Province
- South Cotabato Province
- Davao Occidental Province
Phonology
Blaan has fifteen consonant and seven vowel phonemes. Unlike most other Philippine languages and Austronesian languages in general, Blaan, but is rarely seen outside of the Bilic group within the Philippines.are also heard as. can also be heard as within syllables.
Syntax
Blaan uses word order to indicate the thematic roles of nominal elements in the sentence.Similar to other Philippine-type Austronesian languages, Blaan uses verbal morphology to indicate voice. Here are some examples of voice/focus types in Blaan:
Agent voice/focus
Patient voice/focus