Aklanon language

Aklanon, also called Akeanon or Inakeanon, is a language spoken by the Aklanon people in the province of Aklan on the island of Panay in the Philippines. It is part of a large language family called Austronesian, specifically in the Bisayan subgroup.

One special sound in Aklanon is written with the letter ⟨Ee⟩ in words like Akean and Akeanon. This sound is also found in a few other languages in the Philippines.

There is also a dialect called Malaynon that is very similar to Aklanon. It keeps the "l" sounds, which in many other places are said as "r". This makes the Malaynon dialect interesting to learn about.

Phonology

Aklanon has 21 sounds in its words. There are 17 consonants, including letters like p, t, k, and m, and special sounds like the glottal stop and the voiced velar fricative. There are six vowels: i, a, and u, plus e and o used in borrowed words. There is also a special vowel sound called a close-mid back unrounded vowel [ɤ].

The sounds /t͡ʃ/ and /d͡ʒ/ from borrowed words can sometimes sound like palatal stops [c, ɟ]. The sound /l/ can change and sometimes sound like [ɫ] or switch with [d].

Common phrases

Philippine national proverb

Here is the Philippine national proverb in different 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 padulugan.
• English: He who does not look back where he came from, will never reach his destination.

Numbers

Literature

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