Tagbanwa, Calamian

TBK

developing

Alternate Names: “Unggoy” (pej.)

Dialects: Baras, Binatuanen, Binuswanganen, Inawanwaanen, Kinalamiananen (Kinaramiananen), Lininipaknen, Tinalaanen. Baras dialect on Palawan Island 94% intelligibility with Calamian Tagbanwa. Lexical similarity: 80% with Calamian and Baras dialects; typologically unusual phenomenon with regard to pronoun ordering and marking.

Genealogy:

Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Philippine
Kalamian

Demographics: 10,000 (2007 SIL), increasing. Ethnic population: 10,000.

Language Use: Vigorous, except with inter-marriage with non-Tagbanwas. Home, church, neighborhood, work sites. All ages. Positive attitudes among themselves; negative attitudes around others. Also use Tagalog [tgl]. Used as L2 by Cuyonon [cyo].

Language Development: Literacy rate in L1: 40%–50%. Literacy rate in L2: 40% in Tagalog [tgl]. Fluency training much needed (2007 SIL). NT: 2009.

Typology: VSO; 3 tense-aspects: past, future, and timeless. 16 consonants, 4 vowels; unusual pronoun ordering and marking (Ruch and Quakenbush 2006).

Writing System: Latin

Nation of Origin: Philippines

Other Comments: Christian.