| Riŋkonāda or Rinconada Bikol | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoken in | Philippines | |||
| Region | Bicol | |||
| Native speakers | 234,000 (2000) | |||
| Language family |
Austronesian
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| Writing system | Latin (Filipino alphabet); Historically Baybayin |
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| Official status | ||||
| Official language in | Regional language in the Philippines | |||
| Regulated by | Commission on the Filipino Language | |||
| Language codes | ||||
| ISO 639-3 | bto | |||
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Riŋkonāda or Rinconada Bikol is one of the several languages that compose the Inland Bikol group of the Bikol languages. It belongs to Austronesian language family that also include Māori, Hawaiian, Malagasy, Tagalog, Indonesian and Malay. The closest relatives of this language outside Bicol are Aklanon, Waray and Tagalog to the lesser extent. This is also the language adopted and used by the aboriginal or indigenous population of Agta/Aeta (Negrito) in surrounding and mountainous areas. Riŋkonāda was brought to Negritos by the Austronesian people when they began engaging in commerce and trade with them. The original language of the aboriginal people is unknown but it is believed that they have contributed some of their tribal languages to Riŋkonāda's accent, vocabularies and lexicon. Riŋkonāda is considered by most Bicolanos as one of the most difficult variety of Bikol. The name of the language is derived from the name of the place where it was originated, developed and is largely spoken: Rinconada District.
The word "Rinconada" is erroneously referred as taken from Spanish word arrinconada which means cornered.
Contents |
This language is divided into 2 main dialects and can be narrowly subdivided into 6 variants:
(Strong accent, flat intonation only, and with /ə/)
(Soft accent with different types of intonation, and without /ə/)
| Iriga variant (Standard) Highland Riŋkonāda dialect |
Agta variant Highland Riŋkonāda dialect |
Nabua – Balatan variant Lowland Riŋkonāda dialect |
Bato variant Lowland Riŋkonāda dialect |
Baao variant Lowland Riŋkonāda dialect |
Bula – Pili Lowland Riŋkonāda dialect |
Filipino/Tagalog translation | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namāmaɣəw iyā ku inarādo naŋgad ku igin niyā su ragâ dāwâ ədâ pa tubig adtong omā nirā. | Namāmaɣəw iyā ku inarādo naŋgad ku igin niyā su ragâ dāwâ ədâ pa katbag adtong omā nirā. | Namāmawow 'yā ku inarādo naŋgad ku igin niyā su ragâ dāwâ udâ pa tubig adtong omā nirā. | Namāmawow iyā ku inarādo naŋgad ku akos niyā su ragâ dāwâ udâ pa tubig adtong omā nirā. | Namāmawow siyā ku inarādo jāday ku igin niyā su ragâ dāwâ udâ pa kin tubig adtong omā nindā. | Namāmawow siyā ku inarādo dayday ku igin niyā su ragâ dāwâ udâ pa tubig adtong omā nindā. | Nag-aalmusal siya nang araruhing muli ng kaniyang anak ang lupa kahit na wala pang tubig ang kanilang bukirin. | He was eating breakfast when his child plowed the land again even though the ricefield has no water yet. |
Nabua-Balatan variant features high pitch intonation. It covers the entire municipality of Nabua, Camarines Sur and up to the jungles and shores of Balatan, Camarines Sur. It is the direct descendant of Rinconada Bikol and considered as the largest of all the variants. However, it is Iriga variant that has the most number of speakers. The speakers are concentrated in the populous city of Iriga and some of the important barangays of Buhi, Camarines Sur (West and East Sta. Justina and De los Angeles) and an urban barangay of Matacon, Polangui, Albay. Iriga variant has a flat intonation and being spoken rapidly. Bato variant on the other hand has a distinctive mellow intonation. It is also said that regardless of the mood, the speaker might always sound sleepy and chanting. Bato variant is also being used by the people in Agos, Polangui, Albay. Agta variant is the smallest in the group. The speakers are exclusively the indigenous population of Agta/Aeta or the aboriginal people of different tribes surrounding Mount Iriga. Same with Iriga, Agta variant also has a flat intonation. The variants of Baao and Bula-Pili are considered as sisters. They have the same accent and slight differences in vocabulary. But of the two variants, Baao often uses rising intonation while Bula-Pili is moderately flat but both used high pitch when reasoning. The latter variant is being used entirely in Bula and in the southern half part of the provincial capital town of Pili. It also has a substantial population of speakers in Ocampo and Milaor, both in Camarines Sur. These two variants feature some lexicon of Coastal Bikol language but also believed to have influenced the vocabulary of Bikol-Partido (a dialect of Coastal Bikol).
List of phrases and expressions of each variant which they are known and unique to them:
Baao variant: "Gaorag na!"
Nabua – Balatan variant: "Labinā kan."
Agta variant: "Mayaŋ na ŋod."
Bato variant: "Ay tarā?"
Bula – Pili variant: "Paiŋōrag.."
Iriga variant: "Labinā man nâ!"
Rinconada Bikol or Riŋkonāda rampantly uses short or unstressed letter "I" sound. In fact, most root words with letter "I" are unstressed. However, not all words with "I" should be read and pronounced as such. There are some words that have stressed "Ī" on it, especially loanwords, e.g. sīlī (chili). The short vowel "I" is written as the same both in simplified and native alphabets.
The language retains the proto-Philippine schwa vowel /ə/ that has been disappeared in most Philippine languages like Cebuano, Tagalog and even the neighboring Coastal Bikol language. In Nabua, Camarines Sur (where the language was originated), the vowel was lost through its development and evolution. However, it was carried out by the people that migrated to mountainous region of Rinconada due to severe flooding in Nabua. As a result, the vowel only survived and can only be heard in Highland Riŋkonāda speakers. People that are new to the highland accent may find it sounds like Ilokano or Pangasinense. The vowel can also be found in towns and cities speaking Albay Bikol group of languages. The native word for this vowel in Riŋkonāda is "gəpə". This vowel has made the language divided into two dialects – Highland (with /ə/) and Lowland (without /ə/).
Aside from the vowel /ə/, the other interesting thing in Riŋkonāda language is the occurrence of an extra consonant phoneme /ɣ/. This consonant bears the sound of mixed letters "h, y and "w". The neighboring language of Buhinon [1] also uses this letter - a clear evidence of close ties of the two languages. Unfortunately, the said consonant phoneme neither has corresponding letter in Philippine alphabet nor an equivalent character in Philippine standard keyboard. Thus, the Rinconada Bikol speakers left no other option but to use "h" as an alternative letter. In Lowland dialect, the consonant /ɣ/ and the vowel /ə/ are often being replaced by the letters "w" and "o" respectively.
1. Mimaɣəw – will eat breakfast. (Mudtō na, mimaɣəw pa sanā ikā?)
2. Baɣəw – cold cooked rice. (Naŋagnəw na man na kānən adī, malakabaɣəw!)
3. Taɣəp – a process of separating rice from its outside skin or outside layer after milling. "Tahip" in Filipino/Tagalog. (A pagtaɣəp, əsad na gīboŋ dirî dāpat pinagdədəlagan.)
4. Daɣun – plant leaf. (Kadakəl ka daɣun ka tanəm ni Tātā Isko.)
5. Saɣəg – meat or fish mixed in a vegetable viand, "ulam". (The native word for it is "bangot" in Rinconada Bikol. *Saɣəg is one example of a borrowed word from Tagalog – "sahog"). (Ayaw ŋanî pagkuutā itō saɣəg ta pansalak iton sa gūlay!)
Iriga variant has been chosen as the standard Riŋkonāda for the following features and reasons:
1. It retains the proto-Austronesian schwa vowel /ə/ that helps eliminate homographs (words that are spelled the same way but have different pronunciations and meanings).
2. The consonant phoneme /ɣ/ is evident and pronounced more clearly.
3. It has a neutralized and flat intonation which serve as the moderator between variants.
4. It has no continuum accent or fusion of variants in between boundaries.
One example of continuum accent can be heard in barangays bordering Bula and Nabua which the speakers have mixed accents of Bula-Pili variant and Nabua-Balatan variant. Same thing can be heard in the boundaries of Baao and Nabua.
5. Iriga City is the center of learning, trade and commerce in Rinconada.
6. It has a lesser loan words and less influenced by neighboring languages than any other variants except Agta.
7. It has been used for decades to represent the entire Rinconada as a whole in local and national level.
8. It has the most number of speakers inside and outside Rinconada area.
9. There's no or little variation of accent between speakers. Whether a person is residing at the northeastern most part of Iriga bordering Bikol-Partido speakers, or a person residing in the southern most part of Matacon, Polangui bordering West Miraya speakers, or one residing in East Sta. Justina, Buhi bordering Buhinon speakers, all are using same accent with centralized intonation.
e.g. "lawəd" (midnight) can be pronounced as "lawod, lawəd or lawud" by speakers but MUST be written officially as "lawəd" across variants.
This language is officially called as Riŋkonāda (Rinconada Bikol) and not Iriga Bikol, Irigueño or Bikol Nabua.
Riŋkonāda is using a different variation of Latin alphabet that is patterned to Philippine alphabet. But unlike Filipino language, Riŋkonāda uses diacritics. This is to highlight or stress the meaning of the words being said or read, and to differentiate words with different meaning but are the same in spelling. In return, the diacritics placed and provided Rinconada Bikol the unique form of ortography in Philippine literature. Diacritics for this language is only limited to macron and circumflex which is unlike other languages, say for example Vietnamese that has several. However, due to some technical difficulties and scarcity of resources, diacritics are sometimes not available. Thus, the two forms of Riŋkonāda alphabet were created to meet the needs of the speaker for both oral and written: NATIVE and SIMPLIFIED. However, both can be used at the same time depending on the situation, purpose and availability of resources.
The Riŋkonāda Native alphabet has 6 short vowels, 6 long vowels, and 17 consonants, a total of 29 letters. A long or stressed vowel is also called macron (a diacritic placed above a vowel). This alphabet contains all letters that can only be found exclusively in native vocabulary of Riŋkonāda. It also includes the velar nassal special character /ŋ/ that represents "NG" as one letter only.
| Majuscule Forms (also called uppercase or capital letters) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A | Ā | B | K | D | E | Ē | Ə | ə̄ | G | H | Ɣ | I | Ī | J | L | M | N | ŋ | O | Ō | P | R | S | T | U | Ū | W | Y |
| Minuscule Forms (also called lowercase or small letters) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| a | ā | b | k | d | e | ē | ə | ə̄ | g | h | ɣ | i | ī | j | l | m | n | ŋ | o | ō | p | r | s | t | u | ū | w | y |
Example of a Filipino saying written in Riŋkonāda native alphabet:
"A dirî tattaong maglīlî sa pinaŋgalinan, dirî makaaābot sa paiiyānan." (Tagalog: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan)
| Letter | Riŋkonāda | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| A | aləp | hungry |
| Ā | ārak | to flaunt |
| B | bādô | dress/cloth |
| K | kamət | hand |
| D | dəlag | escape |
| E | erak | pity |
| Ē | kalē | canal |
| Ə | əŋət | angry |
| ə̄ | ə̄lâ | sit |
| G | gab-ī | night |
| H | sahâ | offshoot |
| Ɣ | baɣog | feeds |
| I | ikā | you (singular) |
| Ī | īkaw | earring |
| J | tadjok | hit by a sharp pointed tool or thing |
| L | lətəw | floating |
| M | matā | eye |
| N | nəknək | small mosquitoes |
| ŋ | ŋipən | tooth |
| O | oroŋ | nose |
| Ō | ōmol | a person who is not funny anymore |
| P | parəy | rice (unmilled) |
| R | rayô | far |
| S | saləg | floor |
| T | tagbâ | a way of harvesting with a use of bolo or knife |
| U | uran | rain |
| Ū | ūri | late |
| W | wayəy | gay |
| Y | yabâ | love |
The Riŋkonāda Simplified alphabet is almost the same as the Philippine alphabet. It has 28 letters:
| Majuscule Forms (also called uppercase or capital letters) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | Ñ | Ng | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Minuscule Forms (also called lowercase or small letters) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | ñ | ng | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z |
The letters F, V and Z are included because they are native to other Philippine languages like Itawis and Ibanag. Letters C, Ñ, and Q are also included but their usages are limited to foreign names and Filipinized words of foreign origins or loan words specially Spanish, English and Arabic.
The simplified alphabet doesn't use diacritics like the macron ⟨◌̄⟩ for stressed and long vowels or the circumflex ⟨◌̂⟩ for glottal stop, or the letters for velar nassal ⟨ŋ⟩, schwa ⟨ə⟩, or velar fricative ⟨ɣ⟩, as they don't appear on a standard "qwerty" keyboard. The velar nasal ⟨ŋ⟩ is replaced by the digraph ⟨ng⟩ and the two latter letters can be replaced by ⟨o⟩ and ⟨h⟩, ⟨w⟩, and ⟨y⟩ respectively. But one must understand that with the absence of diacritics in modern & simplified alphabet, the proper pronunciations are not altered. Moreover, the long vowel sound in a word should not be omitted as well. One good example of this is "bə̄ət" (kind) and "bəət" (want/like). The word bə̄ət in native alphabet is to be written as bəət in simplified alphabet making the two words the same in spelling albeit with different meanings. In this case, the pronunciation of the words depend and rely on their place and usage in a sentence. To avoid confusion and ease of reading, it is strongly recommended to write this language using the native alphabet as much as possible.
A Riŋkonāda name for the letter which represents the glottal stop is "rəgsad". This can only be found in the native form of alphabet and it is only limited to final vowels or vowel at the end of a word. Rəgsad is represented by the circumflex ( ˆ ).
For examples of the rəgsad, consider the Rinconada words salâ (wrong) and turô (drop of water/fluid), often simply sala and turo in simplified alphabet and in Filipino and English orthographies.
Numbers and words (in native alphabet) are as follow:
| 0 | pōlô | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | əsad | 11 | samsad | 21 | darwamsad | 31 | tolomsad | 41 | pamsad | 51 | limamsad | 61 | nəmsad | 71 | pitomsad | 81 | walomsad | 91 | yamsad |
| 2 | darwā | 12 | samdarwā | 22 | darwamdarwā | 32 | tolomdarwā | 42 | pamdarwā | 52 | limamdarwā | 62 | nəmdarwā | 72 | pitomdarwā | 82 | walomdarwā | 92 | yamdarwā |
| 3 | tolō | 13 | samtolō | 23 | darwamtolō | 33 | tolomtolō | 43 | pamtolō | 53 | limamtolō | 63 | nəmtolō | 73 | pitomtolō | 83 | walomtolō | 93 | yamtolō |
| 4 | əpat | 14 | sampat | 24 | darwampat | 34 | tolompat | 44 | pampat | 54 | limampat | 64 | nəmpat | 74 | pitompat | 84 | walompat | 94 | yampat |
| 5 | limā | 15 | samlimā | 25 | darwamlimā | 35 | tolomlimā | 45 | pamlimā | 55 | limamlimā | 65 | nəmlimā | 75 | pitomlimā | 85 | walomlimā | 95 | yamlimā |
| 6 | ənəm | 16 | samnəm | 26 | darwamnəm | 36 | tolomnəm | 46 | pamnəm | 56 | limamnəm | 66 | nəmnəm | 76 | pitomnəm | 86 | walomnəm | 96 | yamnəm |
| 7 | pitō | 17 | sampitō | 27 | darwampitō | 37 | tolompitō | 47 | pampitō | 57 | limampitō | 67 | nəmpitō | 77 | pitompitō | 87 | walompitō | 97 | yampitō |
| 8 | walō | 18 | samwalō | 28 | darwamwalō | 38 | tolomwalō | 48 | pamwalō | 58 | limamwalō | 68 | nəmwalō | 78 | pitomwalō | 88 | walomwalō | 98 | yamwalō |
| 9 | siyam | 19 | samsiyam | 29 | darwamsiyam | 39 | tolomsiyam | 49 | pamsiyam | 59 | limamsiyam | 69 | nəmsiyam | 79 | pitomsiyam | 89 | walomsiyam | 99 | yamsiyam |
| 10 | sampōlô | 20 | darwampōlô | 30 | tolompōlô | 40 | pampōlô | 50 | limampōlô | 60 | nəmpōlô | 70 | pitompōlô | 80 | walompōlô | 90 | yampōlô | 100 | saŋgatos |
There has been no written records found that would say that Riŋkonāda has native words for two-digit numbers (11 - 99). On the other hand, there is also no proof that would say that the language has no indigenous words for those numbers. As a matter of fact, it is an intriguing issue for Riŋkonāda to have native words for three-digit numbers (e.g. "sanggatos" for 100) but not for two digits. Utilization and adaptation of foreign words being made through by colonization of Spain for 333 years could be the main reason why the native terminologies were not passed to the new generations. But for a long established language, it is only just and fair to have a complete numbering system in words. Therefore, creation by fabricating words is necessary but must follow and retain the indigenous or original structural form of Riŋkonāda's ortography.
The number in words of 1 to 10 and 100 are all native Riŋkonāda while numbers 11 to 99 are all fabricated. However, as earlier mentioned, the fabricated numbers are all based from the original structure. Fabricated numbers follow the same format of number 10 (sampōlô or sampu in Filipino). It is the only two-digit number that has a native name with a perfect indigenous structural form.
The word sampōlô is derived from the portmanteau words of əsad + na + pōlô (əsadnapōlô) which is the based th of one (1). In the evolution of this number, the schwa letter ⟨ə⟩ of ⟨əsadnapōlô⟩ became silent and so the word became "sadnapōlô". Same with other Philippine languages, /na/ is converted into /ŋ/ and it replaces the last consonant letter of the first word (which is /d/) and becomes the connector to the second word (which is pōlô), thus the letter /d/ is omitted and the word became "saŋ". The connector /ŋ/ becomes /m/ naturally if the next letter is /p/ or /b/ (which is also the case of the other Philippine languages). So then, the word became sampōlô. The evolution of the word "sampōlô" from "əsadnapōlô" follows the ortography of Riŋkonāda and came naturally within it over the years.
Structure of sampōlô (10):
1. əsad + na + pōlô = əsadnapōlô
2. əsadnapōlô – /ə/ = sadnapōlô
3. sadnapōlô – /d/ = sanapōlô
4. /na/ replaced by /ŋ/ = saŋpōlô
5. /ŋ/ replaced by /m/ before /p/ = sampōlô.
From sampōlô, all two-digit numbers were given a name that are copied from it. The number 40 (pampōlô) and 60 (nəmpōlô) follow the same exact format of sampōlô. Exception to the naming system of numbers is the number zero (0). Though zero (0) is single digit but there is no native word for it. Since sampōlô (10) is a combination of 1 and 0, the word pōlô was taken out from it to represent zero (0) rather than using "sīro" or "sēro". As a result, Riŋkonāda has a complete basic set of numbers without using foreign words.
The amount of Php 356,817,142,590 can be translated into Rinconada Bikol as:
"Toloŋgatos limamnəm na bilyon, waloŋgatos sampitoŋ milyon, saŋgatos pamdarwaŋ rībo ag limaŋgatos yampōloŋ pīso."
In ENGLISH language it is:
"Three hundred fifty six billion, eight hundred seventeen million, one-hundred forty two thousand and five hundred ninety pesos."
In FILIPINO language it is:
"Tatlong daan limampu't anim na bilyon, walong daan at labing pitong milyon, sandaan at apatnapu't dalawang libo at limang raan siyamnapung piso."
| Decimal Numbers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAN, circa 4000 BC | *isa | *DuSa | *telu | *Sepat | *lima | *enem | *pitu | *walu | *Siwa | *puluq |
| Tagalog | isá | dalawá | tatló | ápat | limá | ánim | pitó | waló | siyám | sampu |
| Cebuano | usá | duhá | tuló | upat | limá | unom | pitó | waló | siyám | napulu |
| Riŋkonāda | əsad | darwā | tolō | əpat | limā | ənəm | pitō | walō | siyam | sampōlô |
| Chamorro | maisa/håcha | hugua | tulu | fatfat | lima | gunum | fiti | guålu | sigua | månot/fulu |
| Malay | satu | dua | tiga | empat | lima | enam | tujuh | lapan | sembilan | sepuluh |
| Javanese | siji | loro | telu | papat | limo | nem | pitu | wolu | songo | sepuluh |
| Tongan | taha | ua | tolu | fā | nima | ono | fitu | valu | hiva | -fulu |
| Samoan | tasi | lua | tolu | fā | lima | ono | fitu | valu | iva | sefulu |
| Māori | tahi | rua | toru | whā | rima | ono | whitu | waru | iwa | tekau (archaic: ngahuru) |
| Marquesan | e tahi | e 'ua | e to'u | e fa | e 'ima | e ono | e fitu | e va'u | e iva | 'onohu'u |
Although considered as separate languages, speakers of Rinconada Bikol or Riŋkonāda can communicate with Albay Bikol speakers with ease and without code switching. A student from Ligao City (West Miraya speaker) studying in a university in Iriga City can understand Riŋkonāda (any variant) and can be understood by his peers as well. Same thing will happen if a local tourist from Rinconada will visit the Cagsawa ruins in Albay or visit Donsol, Sorsogon for the annual whale shark sightings and talk with the population around it. The difference between Riŋkonāda and Albay Bikol (both are included in Inland Bikol group) is comparable to German and Yiddish or Portuguese and Galician while the difference between variants are comparable to English US, English British and English Australian. The mutual intelligibility of Riŋkonāda and Albay Bikol is set to as high as 80% to 85% while intelligibility between variants is 95% to 98%.
Despite Riŋkonāda has several thousands of speakers, the language is still one of the unrecognized regional languages in the Philippines. This is because the Commission on the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino) has seen no interest to seriously regulate and develop this language. Frustratingly, even the local government of Camarines Sur does not publish or circulate any papers written in this language and not even a single local radio station in the province utilizing it as their medium of broadcast. Thus, making the speakers of the language being marginalized by the dominant Coastal Bikol (Bikol Naga-Legazpi) speakers.
Due to mobility of Riŋkonāda speakers inside and outside Bicol Region, the language has given the nickname: PASĀDI PASAN, PASĪNI PASĪTON LANGUAGE. Translated literally as – will go here will go there, will go here will go there.
Nora Aunor (actress)
Rex Cortez (actor)
Emilia Boncodin (former secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and Management)
Leila Magistrado De Lima (secretary of Philippine Department of Justice)
Dominic Almelor (ABS-CBN reporter)
Dianne Necio (Top 15 Miss International 2011)
Venus Raj (Miss Universe 2010 4th runner-up)
Joker Arroyo (Senator)
Beatriz Saw (Pinoy Big Brother season 2 winner)
Riŋkonāda is spoken entirely in Bula, Baao, Nabua, Balatan, Iriga City and Bato in Camarines Sur (Politically the 5th district of Camarines Sur province except the Municipality of Buhi, which the majority speaks Buhinon). The language is used and dominant in the southern half part of the provincial capital town of Pili, west barangays of the town of Ocampo, far west barangays of the town of Buhi, all in Camarines Sur province; it can be heard as well in neighboring places such as the northern barangays of Polangui and Libon towns of the province of Albay. It has almost 250,000 native speakers excluding the speakers permanently residing in Metro Manila and overseas. Based from Ethnologue, as of year 2000, the number of speaker is 234, 361. This count can only be attributed to the population of the fifth ditrict of Camarines Sur (Rinconada), and as such, it does not include the speakers outside Rinconada district. Some has placed the total population of native speakers to 500,000 (estimate) because of a great number of speakers outside Rinconada due to the mass exodus of the population to other places searching and looking for better job opportunities. This is also known as Rinconada Bikolano diaspora, which is also the same case with other ethnic groups in the Philippines. Secondary speakers of the language is believed to be numbered at 30,000 to 50,000.
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