Wikijunior:Languages/Hiligaynon

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Languages

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What writing system(s) does this language use?

Hiligaynon and almost all of the languages in the Philippines are written using the Latin alphabet.

Upper case	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	Z	X	Y	Z
Lower case	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 Hiligaynon alphabet includes all of the same letters we use in English, along with 'Ñ' (enye), which the Filipinos borrowed from the Spanish, and 'Ng', a digraph already available as a single character in Baybayin.

Engraved — to carve into a material.

Colonize — to migrate and settle a place and occupy as a colony.

digraph — when two letters are used to show one sound.

How many people speak this language?

There are 7.8 million native speakers as of 2010. There are 9.1 million total speakers. It is the 4th most spoken native language in the Philippines.

Where is this language spoken?

Location in the Philippines where Hiligaynon language is spoken

Hiligaynon is an Austronesian regional language spoken in the Philippines by about 9.1 million people, predominantly in Western Visayas and Soccsksargen, most of whom belong to the Hiligaynon people. It is the second-most widely spoken language in the Visayas and belongs to the Bisayan languages, and it is more distantly related to other Philippine languages.

What is the history of this language?

Hiligaynon is an Austronesian Language. It was thought that the Austronesian language came from Taiwan and migrated southwards through sailing. They first reached Batanes islands, by around 2200 BCE.

Soon after the Age of Contact came and the Philippines started trading with other people like Persians, Arabs, Malays, Indians, Japanese, and Chinese. The people who traded with the Filipinos also introduced their language and culture, and soon after the Filipinos started using words from their languages and dressed, ate, and lived like them.

The Spaniards came and introduced Spanish, taught the Filipinos Spanish, and soon after many Spanish words entered the Language. The Americans came and introduced English and encouraged the use of English, so English words also entered Hiligaynon. Hiligaynon therefore is one of the most diverse languages of the world, with Sanskrit, Malay, Javanese, Mandarin Chinese, Nahuatl, Persian, Arabic, Japanese, Spanish, and English loanwords.

loanwords — words in a language that have been borrowed from other languages.

Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?

• Peter Solis Nery is a Filipino poet, fictionist, author, and filmmaker. Writing in Hiligaynon, he is a Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature Hall of Fame Awardee, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Literary Grant, and the All-Western Visayas Literary Contest (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) winner.

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?

Saot	Responses
huo	yes
indi	no
siguro	probably, perhaps
Mga Pagbati	Greetings
Kumusta?	Hi, how are you?
Maayo man, salamat.	I'm fine, thank you.
Maayo nga adlaw.	Good day.
Maayo nga aga.	Good morning.
Maayong udto.	Good midday.
Maayo nga hapon.	Good afternoon.
Maayo nga gab-i.	Good evening.
Diin ka gikan?	Where have you been?
Salamat	Thank you
Wala sang ano man.	You're welcome.
Asta sa liwat.	Good-bye.
	Basic phrases
Makahambal ka sang Ingles?	Do you speak English?
Diin ang banyo?	Where is the bathroom?
Kailangan ko sang . . .	I like . . .
Indi ko gusto sang . . .	I don't like . . .
Ako si . . .	My name is . . .
Ano ang pangalan mo?	What's your name?
Numero	Numbers
isa	one
duha	two
tatlo	three
apat	four
lima	five
anom	six
pito	seven
walo	eight
siyam	nine
pulo	ten
	Counting Units
gatos	hundred
libo	thousand
milyon	million

What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?

Masadya sa Buluthuan is a Hiligaynon song for kids composed by Mr. Jeff Javier.

Masadya mag-eskwela sa amon buluthuan
May-ara sang kalipay sa amon mga dughan
Kami ang nagahampang, nagasaot, nagakanta
Gasulat, gabasa kag gapamati sang istorya
Masadya mag-eskwela sa amon buluthuan
May-ara sang kalipay sa amon mga dughan
Kami ang nagahampang, nagasaot, nagakanta
Gasulat, gabasa kag gapamati sang istorya

Here's the English translation of that song.

It is joyful to go to school in our meeting place
There's happiness in our hearts
We face, answer, sing
Write, read and listen to stories
It is joyful to go to school in our meeting place
There's happiness in our hearts
We face, answer, sing
Write, read and listen to stories