Rinconada Bikol language

5th congressional district of Camarines Sur

The name "Rinconada" is derived from the Rinconada District in Camarines Sur where the language originated, developed and is largely spoken. However, the precise origins of how the term "Rinconada" was assigned to the area are still unclear. Popular wisdom ascribes the name to have come from the Spanish arrinconada, "cornered", from the root rincón that means "corner or small district". Rinconada might have been given by the Spaniards to the then-newly explored and established colony in the southeastern corner of Luzon Island; natives formerly called the area Sumagang (Sumagaŋ), meaning "far east".

Adding credence to the theory of a Spanish origin are the localities of La Rinconada in Spain and La Rinconada in Chile, which was also a former Spanish colony.

The language is divided into two main dialects and subdivided into six variants:

• The Nabua-Balatan variant features high pitch intonation. Though it is the direct descendant of Rinconada Bikol but it lost some features of the original spoken language. The speakers can be found in the entire municipalities of Nabua and Balatan.

• Iriga variant on the other hand has the most speakers. The speakers are concentrated in the district's center - Iriga City, in some of the important barangays of Buhi (West and East Sta. Justina and De Los Angeles), and the urban barangay of Matacon located in Polangui, Albay. The Iriga variant has a flat intonation and is spoken rapidly.

• The Bato variant, on the other hand, has a distinctive mellow intonation. It is said that regardless of one's mood, the Bato speaker always sounds sleepy, as if they are chanting. The Bato variant is primarily being spoken in Bato, Camarines Sur and also spoken in Agos, Polangui, Albay.

• The Agta variant is the smallest in the group. The speakers are exclusively the indigenous population of Agta/Aeta, the aboriginal people of different tribes surrounding Mount Iriga and Buhi lake. Like Iriga, the Agta variant also has a flat intonation but they speak the language with distinct form of pronunciation which can be traced from the group's extinct language.

• The variants of Baao and Bula-Pili are considered twins. They have the same accent and only slight differences in vocabulary. Of the two variants, Baao often uses rising intonation, while Bula-Pili is moderately flat but both are using high pitch when reasoning. The latter variant is used entirely in Bula and in the southern half of the provincial capital town of Pili. It also has significant speakers in Ocampo, Cam. Sur and Minalabac, Cam. Sur. These two variants have borrowed some vocabularies of Coastal Bikol but at the same time, Bikol-Partido (a dialect of Coastal Bikol) can be heard with borrowed vocabularies from these two variants.

List of phrases and expressions that are unique to each variant:

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!"

Like other Visayan and Bikol languages, Rinconada Bikol has a short form for the imperative.

e.g.:
The phrase "iyəwən mo" (grill it) is often shortened to "iyəwā" and the command phrase "punāsan mo a salmiŋ" (wipe the mirror) can be shortened to "punāsa a salmiŋ".

A special form is used when talking to elderly people in a polite manner. Instead of putting the letters "ā/a" after the root word of the verb, it has to be replaced by the letters "e/ē" if the statement will be politely delivered. The letter "e" or "ē" stands for "tābî" which means "please" in English, or "po" in Tagalog.

Example 1:
"iyəw" is a root word that means "grill".
"iyəwən" means "grill it".
"iyəwən mo" roughly means "you, grill it".
"iyəwā" is the shortcut of the command "iyəwən mo".
"iyəwē" is the shortened polite form for "iyəwən mo tābî" (grill it please).

Example 2:
"punas" is a root word that means "wipe".
"punasan" means "wipe it".
"punasan mo" roughly means "you, wipe it".
"punāsa" is the shortcut of the command "punāsan mo".
"punāse" is the shortened polite form for "punāsan mo tābî" (wipe it please).

Example 3:
"īmo" is a root word that means "prepare".
"imōɣon" means "prepare it".
"imōɣon mo" means "you, prepare it".
"imōɣa" is the shortcut of the command "imōɣon mo".
"imōɣe" is the shortened polite form for "imōɣon mo tābî" (please prepare it).

Sentences:
What is your name? - Onō a ŋaran mo?
My name is Joseph. - Usē a ŋaran ko. (Usē is a rinconadized name of Spanish Jose)
Where do you come from? - Tagasārî ikā?
I'm from Pili, Camarines Sur. - Taga-Pili, Camarines Sur akō.
I love you so much. - Payabâ takā sa igô./Payabâ ko ikā sa igô.
Do you like me? - Bəət mo 'kō?
What are you doing? - Onō a ginigībo mo?
I will go home. - Migpaulî na 'kō.
John is my brother - Ŋod ko si Uwan. (Uwan is a rinconadized name of Spanish Juan)
Do you want to eat breakfast? - Bəət mo na'ŋ mamaɣəw?
I'm already eating - Nagkākaən na 'kō.
What time is it?/May I know what time is it? - Onōŋ ōras na?/Onōŋ ōras na tābî?
I will go out - Migluwas akō.
I can't sleep. - Dirî akō makatorog.
Are you afraid of the dark? - Nakatātakot ikā sa maŋitŋit?
He said he will pick me up/fetch me. - Sabi niyā susuŋkātən konō 'kō.
How old are you? - Gaamnō na ikā (naykā) kaguraŋ?
When will you be back? - Kūnu ikā migbalik?

Family titles:
Amâ - Father
Inâ - Mother
Itay - Dad
Inay - Mom
Mānoy - older brother
Mānay - older sister
Tāta - Uncle
Nāna - Auntie

Basic question words:
Onō - What
Isay - Who
Kūnu - When
Ŋātâ - Why
Sārî - Where
Paōno - How
Arî - Which
Pirā - How many
Mamirā - How much
Gaamnō - (Indefinite question) Used to describe the degree or extent to which something is covered such as period or age, vastness or immensity, etc.

Rinconada Bikol vocabulary is rich in words with 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 since there are several words that have stressed /ī/, especially loanwords, e.g. sīli (chili). Native words (root word) with stressed /ī/ are seldom or rare.

The language retains the proto-Philippine schwa vowel /ə/ that have disappeared in most Philippine languages like Cebuano, Tagalog and even the neighboring Coastal Bikol language. In Nabua, Camarines Sur (where the language is believed to be originated), the vowel also disappeared through the normal development and evolution. However, it was preserved by those who moved and migrated to the highland part of Rinconada around Mount Iriga (formerly Mount Asog) due to severe flooding on lowland, particularly in Nabua and Bula. Thus, preserving the vowel and has survived until this day in Sinabukid dialect.

People who are new to the highland accent may find the Sinabukid dialect sounds like Ilokano, Pangasinense, or Karay-a of Antique province. The vowel can also be heard from the population in towns and cities speaking the Albay Bikol group of languages. The native word for this vowel in Rinconada is "gəpə", and this has divided the language into two dialects – Sinabukid or Highland (with /ə/) and Sinaranəw or Lakeside (without /ə/).

Aside from the vowel /ə/, the other interesting thing in Rinconada 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 also uses this sound - a clear evidence of close ties between the two languages.[3] Unfortunately, this phoneme neither has a corresponding letter in Philippine alphabet nor an equivalent character on Philippine standard keyboard. Thus, Rinconada Bikol speakers have no option but to use "h" as an alternative letter. However, in the spoken Sinaranəw dialect, the consonant /ɣ/ and the vowel /ə/ are often replaced by the letters "w" and "o" respectively.

Examples of letter ⟨ɣ⟩

1. Mimaɣəw – will eat breakfast. (Mudtū na, mimaɣəw pa sanā ikā?)

2. Baɣəw – cold cooked rice. (Naŋagnəw na man na kānən na adī, malākabaɣəw!)

3. Taɣəp – a process of separating rice from its outside layer after milling. "Tahip" in Filipino/Tagalog. (A pagtaɣəp, əsad na gīboŋ dirî dāpat pinagdə̄dəlagan.)

4. Daɣun – plant leaf. (Kadakəl ka daɣun ka tanəm ni Tāta Isko.)

5. Taɣob – cover, protect, or conceal. (Pakarāyən mo a pagkātaɣob ka bobon ta mauŋkaŋ ikā sīton!)

• The special consonant phoneme /ɣ/ can easily be distinguished from the sound of letters "h,w and y" if it is placed before the vowel phoneme /ə/. It can be compared to the letter "j" of the Spanish word "Dios Mamajes".

An election campaign sticker in Rinconada Bikol written in simplified alphabet. (Note the use of umlaut (ü) instead of the schwa vowel ⟨ə⟩ to aid the sinaranəw speakers in reading the message.)

For centuries under Spanish rules, Rinconada has adopted many words from Spanish language. There is a considerable number of Latin loans (sometimes obscured by being subject to Rinconada phonology and grammar for centuries), for example: estar ("address or dwelling place", from estar that means "stay"), soltēro ("single" but only applicable to male, from soltero), ɣūben ("young" from joven), ilyābe ("key", from llave).

Older generations tend to use Spanish loanwords more often but younger generations tend to use Tagalog words and rinconadized words from English language especially the modern terminologies with no counterpart in native Rinconada Bikol vocabulary.

Example:

Bawas-bawāsan mo man ŋanî a pagkātiŋ mo lalô na kin arāni na a eksam. (Limit your habit of escaping class sessions especially when examination is approaching near).

The Tagalog word "bawas-bawāsan" is "inâ-ināan" in Rinconada and the word "lalô" is used in favor of the native word "orog". The word "kātiŋ" and "eksam" are rinconadized words of the English "cutting" (cutting classes or leaving the room during school hours with no permission), and "exam" (examination) respectively. However, the native word for cutting classes is "ləəm".

The angry register is unique to Bicol languages as it cannot be found in other Austronesian languages inside and outside the Philippines. It is generally used only among same-age speakers or by older speakers to younger listeners, as usage by younger speakers in addressing their elders would constitute great disrespect. On occasion, the angry register is used in sarcasm or humor, but the majority of its usage is in anger.[4]

Rinconada Bikol has contributed much to this unique feature of spoken languages of Bicolanos.

Examples:

Sainigin is a group of selected words for babies and newly born. It is being used by parents to communicate with their babies easily and to train them how to talk, hence, an introductory language. It is often described as language for babies and commonly called as "sainigin" or "baby talk". Words are limited to two syllables and features basic command. Several letters are absent such as "r, g, s, j, and h". Sainigin literally means "talking or acting like a baby".

Numbers and words (in native alphabet) are as follow:

There are no written records to indicate that Rinconada has native words for two-digit numbers (11 - 99). On the other hand, there is also no proof that the language has no indigenous words for those numbers. It is intriguing that Rinconada has native words for three-digit numbers (e.g. "sanggatos" for 100) but not for two digit numbers. Utilization and adaptation of foreign terminologies during the three hundred and thirty three (333) years of Spanish colonization could be one of the reasons why the native terminologies may not have been passed to the new generations. Noting that an established language needs a complete numbering system in words, thus the reconstruction of words for 11 to 99 is necessary but needs to follow and retain the indigenous or original structural form of Rinconada's orthography.

Coverage of Rinconada Bikol language (purple)
Coverage of Albay Bikol languages:
Buhinon Bikol (dark blue)
Libon Bikol (violet)
West Miraya Bikol (light blue)
East Miraya Bikol (blue-gray)

Although properly considered separate languages, speakers of Rinconada Bikol or Rinconada 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 Rinconada (any variant) and can be understood by Rinconada speakers as well. The same thing will happen if a local tourist from Rinconada visits the Cagsawa Ruins in Albay or visits Donsol, Sorsogon (East Miraya speaker) for the annual whale shark sightings. The difference between Rinconada and Albay Bikol (both are included in Inland Bikol group) is comparable to German and Yiddish or Portuguese and Galician, while the differences between variants are comparable to those between English US, English British and English Australian. The mutual intelligibility of Rinconada and Albay Bikol is 80% to 85%, while intelligibility between variants is 95% to 98%.

Rinconada Bikol is a minority language in the Bicol region despite having hundreds of thousands of speakers. It is currently not used in commercial media (print, radio, television) despite the fact that there are numerous prominent Rinconada speakers in the music and entertainment industry, media, and Philippine politics. It is not among the recognized regional languages in the Philippines and remains unknown to many Filipinos as it is poorly documented, researched and promoted.

Currently, the major obstacle to the diffusion of the usage and teaching of Rinconada is the lack of written material in Rinconada Bikol language, namely books, newspapers, software, magazines, etc. Thus, Rinconada, along with other Inland Bikol languages and the minor indigenous languages of Bicol region, remains essentially a spoken language.

Due to everyday exposure of younger generations to Filipino/Tagalog and English languages in mass media and social networking sites, native words that are rarely used are now disappearing and being replaced by their counterparts from other languages. If cannot be salvaged by any means, this trend is more likely to continue and might endanger the language in the near future.

In Bicol region, the language and its speakers earned the moniker: Pa-sādi pa-san, pa-sīni pa-sīton, that literally means 'will go here will go there, will go here will go there' (two different Rinconada words with the same meaning, which is a form of humor if said repeatedly). The moniker is the result of the prominence of Rinconada speakers in the region. This is due to the fact that a native speaker travelling in the region can easily be distinguished and identified because his language is different from the vast majority of Bicolanos, and to the fact that several prominent Bicolanos in the Philippines are of Rinconada heritage, gives the language and the speakers a "familiarity" to others. That makes one throwing a humorous line (the moniker) to a person telling him that he is a Rinconada speaker.

Rinconada is spoken by majority in Bula, Baao, Nabua, Balatan, Iriga and Bato in Camarines Sur (politically the 5th district of Camarines Sur province except the municipality of Buhi, where the majority speaks Buhinon). The language is dominant and the lingua franca in the southern half of the provincial capital town of Pili, the west barangays of Ocampo, and the far west barangays of Buhi; it can also be heard in neighboring places such as the northern barangays of Polangui and Libon in Albay.

Figure:

Based from the population of towns and city with a concentration of Rinconada Bikol speakers, the total number is 479,208 or almost half a million. This number is based from the population of the fifth district of Camarines Sur (Rinconada) and neighboring towns of Polangui and Pili, in which, Rinconada Bikol is their de facto daily language. Moreover, the total number does not include speakers outside Rinconada area. Some linguists place the native speaker population at 600,000 (estimate) because there are many speakers of this language outside the region who left in search for better job opportunities. Example of this are the Filipinos enlisted in US Navy that comes from Nabua, Camarines Sur which comprised the 10% of all Filipino US Servicemen. Most of these Rinconada speakers are now residing mostly in San Diego, California.[21]