The Karay-a language ( krj, label=none, Kinaray-a, krj, label=none, Binisayâ nga Kinaray-a or krj, label=none, Hinaraya; en, Harayan)
[ is an Austronesian ]regional language
*
A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area.
Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...
in the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
spoken by the Karay-a people
The Karay-a are a Visayan ethnic group native to the islands of Panay and Palawan in the Philippines. They speak the Karay-a language ( krj, Kinaray-a).
Etymology
The ethnonym ''Karay-a'' was derived from the word ''iraya'', which means "upstream ...
, mainly in Antique, Iloilo
Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...
, Guimaras
Guimaras , officially the Province of Guimaras ( hil, Kapuoran sang Guimaras; tl, Lalawigan ng Guimaras), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Jordan while its largest local government ...
, and other provinces on the island of Panay, as well as portions of the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao and Palawan
Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
.
It is one of the Bisayan languages, mainly along with Aklanon/Malaynon, Capiznon, Cebuano, and Hiligaynon.
Geographical distribution
Kinaray-a is spoken mainly in Antique. It is also spoken in Iloilo
Iloilo (), officially the Province of Iloilo ( hil, Kapuoran sang Iloilo; krj, Kapuoran kang Iloilo; tl, Lalawigan ng Iloilo), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is the City of Iloilo, the ...
province as a primary or secondary language in the city of Passi
Passi () is a hip hop artist who became famous in the mid-1990s with the group Ministère AMER, which included himself and Stomy Bugsy. He is most widely known, however, as a solo artist, as well as a participant in many other groups, such as ...
, in the municipalities of Alimodian
Alimodian, officially the Municipality of Alimodian ( krj, Banwa kang Alimodian; hil, Banwa sang Alimodian; tgl, Bayan ng Alimodian), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a p ...
, San Joaquin, Lambunao
Lambunao, officially the Municipality of Lambunao ( hil, Banwa sang Lambunao, krj, Banwa kang Lambunao, tgl, Bayan ng Lambunao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populat ...
, Calinog
Calinog, officially the Municipality of Calinog ( hil, Banwa sang Calinog, krj, Banwa kang Calinog, tgl, Bayan ng Calinog), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...
, Leon, Miag-ao
Miagao (also written Miag-ao), officially the Municipality of Miagao ( krj, Banwa kang Miagao; hil, Banwa sang Miagao; tl, Bayan ng Miagao), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it h ...
, Pavia
Pavia (, , , ; la, Ticinum; Medieval Latin: ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy in northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It has a population of c. 73,086. The city was the cap ...
, Badiangan, San Miguel, Guimbal
Guimbal, officially the Municipality of Guimbal ( krj, Banwa kang Guimbal; hil, Banwa sang Guimbal; tl, Bayan ng Guimbal), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population o ...
, San Enrique, Tigbauan, Igbaras, Leganes, Pototan
Pototan ( krj, Banwa ka Pototan, hil, Banwa sang Pototan, tgl, Bayan ng Pototan), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 78,298 people.
The town lies on the ba ...
, Bingawan, San Rafael, Mina, Zarraga, Oton, Santa Barbara, Cabatuan, Janiuay
Janiuay (), officially the Municipality of Janiuay ( hil, Banwa sang Janiuay, krj, Banwa kang Janiuay, tgl, Bayan ng Janiuay), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Iloilo, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...
, Maasin
Maasin (IPA: ɐ'ʔasɪn, officially the City of Maasin ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Maasin; war, Syudad han Maasin, fil, Lungsod ng Maasin), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Southern Leyte, Philippines. According to the 2 ...
, New Lucena, Dueñas, Dingle
Dingle ( Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Kill ...
, and Tubungan, and certain villages in Palawan
Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in t ...
and Mindanao – especially in the Soccsksargen region (particularly the province of Sultan Kudarat
Sultan Kudarat, officially the Province of Sultan Kudarat ( hil, Kapuoran sang Sultan Kudarat; Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Sultan Kudarat'', Jawi: دايرت نو سلطان كودرت; ceb, Lalawigan sa Sultan Kudarat; tl, Lalawigan ng Sul ...
) by citizens who trace their roots to Antique or to Karay-a-speaking areas of Panay island. Inhabitants of most towns across the latter areas speak Kinaray-a while Hiligaynon is predominant around coastal areas particularly in Iloilo. It is also spoken in Iloilo City by a minority, particularly in the Arevalo district and parts of Capiz
Capiz, officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon/ Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; tl, Lalawigan ng Capiz), is a province in the Philippines located in the central section of Western Visayas region. Its capital is the city of Roxas. It ...
and Aklan
Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan ( Akeanon: ''Probinsya it Akean'' k'ɣan hil, Kapuoran sang Aklan; tl, Lalawigan ng Aklan), is a province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital is Kalibo. The province is situa ...
provinces, as well as Guimaras
Guimaras , officially the Province of Guimaras ( hil, Kapuoran sang Guimaras; tl, Lalawigan ng Guimaras), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital is Jordan while its largest local government ...
and some parts of Negros Occidental
Negros Occidental ( hil, Nakatungdang Negros; tl, Kanlurang Negros), officially the Province of Negros Occidental, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region. ...
.
Dialects
There has not been much linguistic study on the dialects of Kinaray-a. Speakers both of Kinaray-a and Hiligaynon would however admit to hearing the differences in the ways by which Kinaray-a speakers from different towns speak. Differences in vocabulary can also observed between and among the dialects.
The differences and the degrees by which the dialects differ from each other depend largely on the area's proximity to another different language-speaking area. Thus, in Antique, there are, on the northern parts, varieties that are similar to Aklanon, the language of Aklan, its neighbor on the north. On the south, in Iloilo towns on the other hand, the dialects closely resemble that of the standard Kinaray-a spoken in San Jose de Buenavista, lowland Sibalom and Hamtic. A distinct dialect of Karay-a is spoken in central Iloilo where a lot of Hiligaynon loanwords are used and some Kinaray-a words are pronounced harder as in or ('here') of southern Iloilo and San José de Buenavista area as compared to of Janiuay, Santa Barbara, and nearby towns. Two highly accented dialects of Kinaray-a can be heard in Anini-y and Tobias Fornier in Antique and San Joaquin, Leon, and Tubungan in Iloilo.
Some dialects differ only on consonant preference like ''y'' vs ''h''. e.g. ('girl') or ''l'' vs ''r'' e.g. . Some have distinct differences like ('ugly') and ('defective').
Intelligibility with Hiligaynon
Due to geographic proximity and mass media Kinaray-a-speakers can understand Hiligaynon (also known as Ilonggo) speakers. However, only Hiligaynon speakers who reside in Kinaray-a-speaking areas can understand the language. Those who come from other areas, like Iloilo City and Negros Island
Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...
, have difficulty in understanding the language, if they can at all.
It is a misconception among some Hiligaynon speakers that Kinaray-a is a dialect of Hiligaynon; the reality is that the two belong to two different, but related, branches of the Bisayan languages.
However, most Karay-a also know Hiligaynon as their second language. To some extent, there is an intermediate dialect of Hiligaynon and Kinaray-a being spoken in Mindanao, mainly in Sultan Kudarat province.
Phonology
Vowels
The phonemes and are used mostly in non-Karay·a words and were formerly allophonic with and , respectively. The phonemes and may also be pronounced as and . Among some speakers, may be pronounced as , such as when krj, label=none, subâ is uttered as instead of as .
Consonants
Orthography
There are two official orthographic conventions currently in use: a four-vowel-grapheme system released by the in 2016 in coordination with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
, logo =
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, logo_caption =
, seal = Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF).svg
, seal_width =
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, formed = 1937 (first formation)1991 (reformed)
, preceding1 ...
(KWF), and a six-vowel-grapheme system recommended by the KWF in 2018. The latter builds on Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...
's introduction of a separate letter for through the publication of ''Karay-a Rice Tradition Revisited'', but using in 's place. Karay·a writings predating Pangantihon's innovation had not graphemically distinguished between and . In 2018, the KWF elaborated,[
]
Vowels
The 2018 Pangantihon–KWF orthography provides for six vowel letters: , , (previously ), , and . They do not form diphthongs with each other and always indicate a separate syllable: there are as many vowels as there are syllables. Informal writing, however, contravenes this orthographic rule such as, for example, when words such as krj, label=none, balunggay, krj, label=none, kambiyo, krj, label=none, lanaw, krj, label=none, puwede, krj, label=none, ruweda and krj, label=none, tuáw are written as *, *, *, *, * and *.
, referred to as and which Pangantihon had originally written as , represents , a phoneme that occurs natively in Karay·a and in some other languages spoken in the Philippines such as Ivadoy, Maranao
The Maranao people (Maranao: mәranaw Filipino: ''Maranaw''), also spelled Meranao, Maranaw, and Mëranaw, is the term used by the Philippine government to refer to the southern indigenous people who are the "people of the lake", a predomi ...
and Pangasinan. is also used for integrated words of relatively recent foreign origin.
Separate glyphs for and were introduced with the arrival of the Castilians; namely and .
Consonants
In line with the KWF's 2018 recommendation,[ the alphabet has 23 consonant letters: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . Of the above, , , and are used only in names and unintegrated loan words.][
The digraph constitutes a single letter and represents the phoneme . In the old orthography, which followed the Castilian norms set forth by the Real Academia Española, this phoneme was represented by , the tilde stretching over both letters in order to distinguish it from and , which represented the Castilian and , respectively.
In contrast to , the digraph , which represents , is not counted as a distinct letter.
]
Grammar
Nouns
Pronouns
Numbers
Common expressions
Saying (literally 'Where are you going?') is a common way to greet people. The question does not need to be answered directly. The usual answer is an action like (literally 'to buy something on the market') instead of (literally, 'to the market'.)
* Are you eating well? –
* Good. –
* How are you feeling? – or: (What do you feel?)
* I don't know. – / (or simply: – informal, usually an annoyed expression)
* Let's go! – (usually for hurrying up companions)
* Come together. –
* Why? – (or: )''/'' (informal)
* I love you. –
* My love/sweetheart. –
* What is your name? –
* Good morning! –
* Good afternoon! –
* Good evening! –
* That one. – (Or simply: )(or: )''/''
* How much? –
* Yes. – (Ho-ud)/
* No. – ()''/''
* Because. –
* Because of you. – or
* About you. – or
* You know. – (or: )
* Hurry! – () or ()
* Again. – (or: ('again') ''/'' (command to repeat).)
* Do you speak English? – or
* It is fun to live. –
*Happy –
*Thank you –
See also
*Language shift
Language shift, also known as language transfer or language replacement or language assimilation, is the process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language, usually over an extended period of time. Often, languages that are percei ...
* Hiligaynon
*Language revitalization
Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community groups, o ...
Notes
References
External links
Taramdan sa Lantipulong Kinaray·a
guide to grammar (Antiqueño dialect)
Marayum Dictionary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinaraya Language
Visayan languages
Languages of Antique (province)
Languages of Iloilo
Languages of Aklan
Languages of Capiz
Languages of Guimaras
Languages of Negros Occidental