Onhan language
Onhan is a regional Western Bisayan language spoken, along with the Romblomanon and Asi languages, in the province of Romblon, Philippines. The language is also known as Inunhan and Loocnon.
- The Onhan language has three variants – those spoken in the municipalities of Santa Maria and Alcantara use /l/ instead of /r/. Example: kararaw is kalalaw, and other speakers change /r/ or /l/ to /d/ as in run or lun to dun.
| Onhan | |
|---|---|
| Loocnon, Inonhan | |
| Native to | Philippines |
| Region | Romblon |
Native speakers | 86,000 (2000) |
Austronesian
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | loc |
| Glottolog | inon1237 |
Inonhan language map based on Ethnologue | |
Specifically, Onhan is spoken on the following islands within Romblon:
- Tablas: the municipalities of San Andres, Santa Maria, Alcantara, Ferrol, Looc, and Santa Fe and some upland sitios in Odiongan,.
- Carabao: the sole municipality of San Jose.
As a variant of the Kinaray-a language, some speakers are found on the island of Boracay in Aklan province as well as parts of the island of Panay, specifically in the following municipalities: Malay, Nabas and Buruanga. In the provinces of Oriental and Occidental Mindoro, migrant Onhan speakers from Tablas Island brought the language to the following municipalities: San Jose, Magsaysay, Bulalacao, Mansalay, Roxas, and some parts of Bongabong. As such, it is very much related to Kinaray-a and Kuyonon.