Rinconada Bikol Language - Features and Geographic Distribution

Features and Geographic Distribution

The Nabua-Balatan variant features high pitch intonation. It covers the entire municipality of Nabua up to the jungles and shores of Balatan. It is the direct descendant of Rinconada Bikol.

However, the Iriga variant has the most speakers. The speakers are concentrated in the populous city of Iriga, some of the important barangays of Buhi (West and East Sta. Justina and De Los Angeles) and the urban barangay of Matacon located in Polangui, Albay. The Iriga variant has a flat intonation and is spoken rapidly.

The Bato variant, on the other hand, has a distinctive mellow intonation. It is said that regardless of their mood, the Bato speaker always sounds sleepy and as if they are chanting. The Bato variant is primarily being used in Bato, Camarines Sur and also spoken in Agos, Polangui, Albay.

The Agta variant is the smallest in the group. The speakers are exclusively the indigenous population of Agta/Aeta, the aboriginal people of different tribes surrounding Mount Iriga. Like Iriga, the Agta variant also has a flat intonation.

The variants of Baao and Bula-Pili are considered sisters. They have the same accent and only slight differences in vocabulary. Of the two variants, Baao often uses rising intonation, while Bula-Pili is moderately flat. Both use high pitch when reasoning. The latter variant is used entirely in Bula and in the southern half of the provincial capital town of Pili. It also has significant speakers in Ocampo and Minalabac. These two variants have borrowed some vocabulary from the Coastal Bikol language but at the same time, Bikol-Partido (a dialect of Coastal Bikol) has borrowed vocabulary from these two variants.

List of phrases and expressions that are unique to each variant:

Baao variant: "Gaorag na!"
Nabua – Balatan variant: "Labinā kan."
Agta variant: "Mayaŋ na ŋod."
Bato variant: "Ay tarā?"
Bula – Pili variant: "Paiŋōrag.."
Iriga variant: "Labinā man nâ!"