# Aklanon language

Aklanon (Akeanon), also known as Bisaya/Binisaya nga Aklanon/Inaklanon or simply Aklan, is an Austronesian language of the Bisayan subgroup spoken by the Aklanon people in 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 [ɤ] occurring as part of diphthongs and traditionally written with the letter ⟨Ee⟩ 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 ʔ, and the voiced velar fricative ɣ. 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 (2005) to be a close-mid back unrounded vowel [ɤ].

### Vowels

Table of vowel phonemes of Aklanon :
| | Front | Central | Back | Back |
| | Front | Central | Unrounded | Rounded |
| Close | i | | | u |
| Mid | ɛ | | ɤ | o |
| Open | | a ~ ɐ | | |

### Consonants

| | Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palato-alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| Nasal | m | | n | | | ŋ | |
| Stop | p b | t d | | | | k g | ʔ |
| Affricate | | | (t͡s) (d͡z) | (t͡ʃ) (d͡ʒ) | | | |
| Fricative | (f) (v) | | s (z) | (ʃ) | | ɣ | h |
| Approximant | | | l | | j | w | |
| Flap | | | ɾ ~ r | | | | |
/t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ/ from loanwords can also be heard as palatal stops [c, ɟ]. /l/ can also be heard as [ɫ] and can also alternate with [d].

## Common phrases

| Akeanon | Malaynon | English |
| Hay | Hay | Hi/Hello |
| Mayad-ayad nga agahon | Mayad nga agahon | Good morning |
| Mayad-ayad nga hapon | Mayad nga hapon | Good afternoon |
| Mayad-ayad nga gabi-i | Mayad nga gabi-i | Good night |
| Mayad-ayad nga adlaw | Mayad nga adlaw | Good day |
| Saeamat | Salamat | Thanks |
| Mayad man | Mayad man | I am fine |
| Pangabay | Pangabay | Please |
| Hu-o | Hu-o | Yes |
| Bukon/ayaw/indi | Bukon/indi | No |
| Owa | Owa | None |
| Paalin? | Paiwan? | How? |
| Hin-uno? | San-o? | When? |
| Siin | Diin | Where? |
| Sin-o | Sin-o | Who? |
| Ano? | Iwan? | What? |
| Alin? | Diin? | Which? |
| Ham-an? | Basi? | Why? |
| Kamusta ka eon? | Kamusta kaw eon? | How are you? |
| Ano ing pangaean? | Ano imong ngaean? | What is your name? |
| Siin ka gaadto? | Diin ‘kaw maayan? | Where are you going? |
| Hin-uno ka gapanaw? | San-o ‘kaw mapanaw? | When are you leaving? |
| Anong oras eon? | Anong oras eon? | What time is it? |
| Tig-pila ea? | Tag-pila dya? | How much is this? |
| Man-o ra?/Pila daya?/Pila raya? | Pila dya? | What is the price? (monetary) |
| Bak-eon ko raya | Bakeon ko dya | I will buy this |
| Kagwapa ka gid-ing | Inay nga gwapa guid imo | You are beautiful |
| Kagwapo ka gid-ing | Inay nga gwapo guid imo | You are handsome |
| Kabuot ka gid-ing | Kabuoton guid imo | You are kind |
| Maalam ka gid-ing | Inay nga aeam guid imo | You are smart |
| Ta eon | Mus ta | Let's go |
| Dalia/Bakasa/Dasiga | Dasiga | Hurry up |
| Balik eon kita | Balik 'ta eon | Let's go back |
| Uwa tang kaeobot | Uwa takon kaeubot | I do not understand |
| Owa tang kasayud | Uwa takon kasayud | I do not know |
| Gusto ko ro maeamig nga tubi | Ila akon it tubi nga eamig | I'd like cold water |
| Gutom eon ako | Gutom akon | I am hungry |
| Taeon ma kaon | Kaon taeon | Let's eat |
| Kanami eo pagkaon | Sadya ang pagkaon | The food is delicious |
| Owa ako't kwarta | Uwa akon it kuarta | I have no money |
| Kaumangon kat ing | Umang kat imo | You are crazy |
| Gahinibayag ka gid-ing | Gahibayag imo | You are laughing |
| Magamit ko it banyo | Pagamit bi ko it kasilyas | I need to use the toilet |
| Mapanaw eon kita | Panaw ta eon | We are going |
| Si-in dapit ing baeay? | Diin imong baeay? | Where is your house located? |
| Si-in ka gatinir? | Diin imo gauli? | Where are you staying? |
| Mag dahan ka | Andam imo | Take care |

### Philippine national proverb

Here is the Philippine national proverb in various languages.
* Tagalog: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.
* 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.
* Hiligaynon: Ang indi makahibalo magbalikid sang iya ginhalinan, indi makaabot sa iya padulungan.
* English: He who does not look back where he came from, will never reach his destination.

### Numbers

| Number | Akeanon/Malaynon | Hiligaynon | Tagalog | English |
| 1 | Isaea/Isya (Malaynon) | Isá | Isa | One |
| 2 | Daywa | Duhá | Dalawa | Two |
| 3 | Tatlo | Tátlo | Tatlo | Three |
| 4 | Ap-at | Ápat | Apat | Four |
| 5 | Li-má | Limá | Lima | Five |
| 6 | An-om | Ánum | Anim | Six |
| 7 | Pitó | Pitó | Pito | Seven |
| 8 | Waeo | Waló | Walo | Eight |
| 9 | Siyám | Siyám | Siyam | Nine |
| 10 | Púeo | Pulò/Napulò | Sampu | Ten |

### 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!" (Finalist Sa Unang Premyo Openiano A. Italia Competition, January 1993, Duenas, Iloilo)
* "Ham-at Madueom Ro Gabii Inay?" Philippine Panorama, March 27, 1994, p. 29. (First Aklanon poem published in the Philippine Panorama), 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 (First Aklanon poem in the Philippine Collegian)
* "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 (First Aklanon in Pagbutlak)
* "Welga". Mantala 3:99 2000

## Learning resources

* "Five-language Dictionary (Panay Island)" ISBN 971-9023-25-2, 2003 Roman dela Cruz Kalibo, Aklan
* "A grammar of Aklan". 1971. Chai, Nemia Melgarejo. Ann Arbor: UMI. (Doctoral dissertation, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania; xiv+229pp.)
* "Aklanon". 1995. Zorc, R. David. In Darrell T. Tryon (ed.), Comparative Austronesian dictionary: an introduction to Austronesian studies: Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter. pp. 359–362.
* "A study of the Aklanon dialect" / Authors: Beato A. de la Cruz, R. David Paul Zorc, Vicente Salas Reyes, & Nicolas L. Prado; Public Domain 1968-1969; Kalibo, Aklan
** "Vol.I Grammar" Smithsonian Institution Libraries call# 39088000201871 (Full text on ERIC)
** 'Vol.II A Dictionary (of root words and derivations) Aklanon to English" Smithsonian Institution Libraries call# 39088000201889 (Full text on ERIC)
* "The functions of ‘hay’ in Aklanon narrative discourse". 1990. Brainard, Sherri and Poul Jensen.
* "A preliminary study of demonstratives in Aklanon narratives". 1992. Jensen, Kristine and Rodolfo R. Barlaan.