Blaan language
Blaan is an Austronesian language of the southern Philippines, similar to Tboli.
There are two major varieties of Blaan.
- Koronadal Blaan
- Sarangani Blaan
Distribution
According to the Ethnologue, Koronadal Blaan is spoken in:
Sarangani Blaan is spoken in:
Blaan belongs to the Bilic microgroup of the Philippine language subgroup, along with Giangan Manobo, Tiruray, and Tboli.Phonology
Blaan has fifteen consonant and seven vowel phonemes. Unlike most other Philippine languages and Austronesian languages in general, Blaan, but is rarely seen outside of the Bilic group within the Philippines.
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| Plosive | b | | t d | | k g | ʔ |
| Nasal | m | | n | | ŋ | |
| Fricative | | f | s | | | h |
| Lateral | | | l | | | |
| Approximant | w | | | j | | |
Syntax
Blaan uses word order to indicate the thematic roles of nominal elements in the sentence.Similar to other Philippine-type Austronesian languages, Blaan uses verbal morphology to indicate voice. Here are some examples of voice/focus types in Blaan:
Agent voice/focus Patient voice/focusVocabulary
