Rinconada Bikol Language

Rinconada Bikol Language

Rinconada Bikol, spoken in Camarines Sur Province, Philippines, is one of several languages that compose the Inland Bikol group of the Bikol languages. It belongs to the Austronesian language family that also includes Māori, Hawaiian, Malagasy, Tagalog, Indonesian and Malay. The closest relatives to this language outside Bicol are Aklanon, Waray and, to a lesser extent, Tagalog.

This is also the language adopted by the aboriginal or indigenous population of Agta/Aeta (the Negrito) in the surrounding mountainous areas. Rinconada was brought to the Negritos by the Austronesian people when they engaged in commerce and trade with them. The original language of the aboriginal people is unknown, but it is believed that it contributed to Rinconada's accent, vocabulary and lexicon.

Rinconada is considered by most Bicolanos to be one of the most difficult varieties of Bikol. The name of the language is derived from the name of the place where it originated, developed and is largely spoken: Rinconada District (in Camarines Sur province) which was formerly called "Sumagang". It is erroneously said to be from the Spanish word arrinconada which means cornered. There is a place in Spain that bears the same name (La Rinconada), adding credence to the suggestion that Rinconada is truly a Spanish word. It could have been the name that was given by the Spaniards to the then newly explored and colonized part of Bicol. Same logic can be attributed from the La Rinconada of Chile, which was also a Spanish colony. However, the origin of the word "Rinconada" is still a matter of debate.