// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Abaknon a hard language? No, it's non-aback-ward.

Abaknon
Capul Sinama
Inabaknon
Region	Capul, Northern Samar, Eastern Visayas
Native speakers	26,000 (2010)
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Sama–Bajaw Abaknon
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	abx
Glottolog	inab1237

The Inabaknon language, also known as Abaknon, Abaknon Sama, Capuleño, Kapul, or Capul Sinama, is an Austronesian language primarily spoken in the Island Municipality of Capul of Northern Samar, in the Eastern Visayas Region of the Philippines.

Unlike the other indigenous languages of the Eastern Visayas, namely Waray, Cebuano and Boholano, Inabaknon is not classified as part of the Visayan language family, but is rather grouped with the Sama–Bajaw languages.

Background

Inabaknon is spoken on the island of Capul in the province of Northern Samar. According to oral folk history, due to their not liking the religion of the Moros who ruled over them, a group of people and their leader Abak fled Balabac. They sailed until reaching the island. The language is notable as being the only Sama language to not have had major Arabic influence via Islam.

Phonology

Consonants

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive/Affricate	p b	t d	(tʃ) dʒ	k g	ʔ
Fricative		s	(ʃ)		h
Nasal	m	n	(ɲ)	ŋ
Approximant	w	l, r	j

• The consonants in parentheses are only used in loanwords.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
High	i		u
Mid	(e)		(o)
Low		a

• The mid vowels /e o/ are only found in loanwords.

Vocabulary

Inabaknon wordlist (Jacobson, personal communication, 2007)

English	Inabaknon	Notes
hand	kambag / tamburo'	kambag: arm up to the forearm; tamburo': hand
left	kawiri
right	kawanan
leg/foot	kitid
to walk	langngan
road/path	lalan / tinampo	lalan: roadway; tinampo: feeder road
to come	da'ito / pada-	"come here"
to turn	arop	to veer
to swim	rangi
dirty	rigsok
dust	alpog
skin	anit / panit	anit: animal skin; panit: vegetable skin
back	taludtod
belly	battong	abdomen
bone	ta'ulang
liver	atay
breast	darakan
shoulder	sugbong
to know, be knowledgeable	alimagmag? / urup-urupan?
to think	huna'-huna'	loanword; "to think, to ponder"
to fear	kuba-kuba / kulba	kuba-kuba: to palpitate; kulba: fear with worry
blood	laha'
head	takulok
neck	kallong
hair	barahibo
nose	urong
to breathe	hingasong
to sniff, smell	hingos / singo / baho
mouth	bawa'
tooth	impon
tongue	dalla'
to laugh	patatawa / turakhak	turakhak: belly laugh
to cry	bikho' / ngalngal	bikho': to sob; ngalngal: to cry loudly with tears
to vomit	uta'
to spit	tupra / rukda'	tupra: vulgar; rukda': to expectorate
to eat	kabos / kakan	kabos: to eat voraciously; kakan: to dine
to chew	samsam	general term
to cook	sugna'
to drink	tal'ok / inom	tal'ok: to drink alcohol
to bite	pang'it / pa'pa' / kibkib	kibkib: loanword
to suck	supsop
ear	talinga
to hear	kali / pakali
eye	mata
to see	kulaw? / bataw-bataw	kulaw: to check; bataw-bataw: to look randomly
to yawn	huyam
to sleep	turi
to lie down	libbak
to dream	upi

References

Sources

• I Capul, siray patiʼ inaʼanto / Capul, noon at ngayon: Ang kasaysayan ng palo ng Capul / Capul, before and now: a history of Capul Island. Manila: Summer Institute of Linguistics. 1983.
• Jacobson, Marc R.; Jacobson, Suzanne M. (1980). "Sama Abaknon phonology". Philippine Journal of Linguistics. 11 (1): 32–44.

External links

• Literature and articles in Literature and articles in Abaknon.