| Central Bikol | |
|---|---|
| Bikol Sentral | |
| Native to | Philippines |
| Region | Bicol |
| Ethnicity | Bicolano |
Native speakers | (2.5 million cited 1990 census [needs update])[1] 6th most spoken native language in the Philippines[2] |
| Latin (Bikol alphabet) Bikol Braille Historically Basahan | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Regional language in the Philippines |
| Regulated by | Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | bcl |
| Glottolog | cent2087 |
 Areas where Central Bicolano is spoken in the Philippines | |
Central Bikol, commonly called Bikol Naga[3] or simply as Bikol, is an Austronesian language spoken by the Bicolanos, primarily in the Bicol Region of southern Luzon, Philippines. It is spoken in the northern and western part of Camarines Sur, second congressional district of Camarines Norte, eastern part of Albay, northeastern part of Sorsogon, San Pascual town in Masbate, and southwestern part of Catanduanes. Central Bikol speakers can be found in all provinces of Bicol and it is a majority language in Camarines Sur. The standard sprachraum form is based on the Canaman dialect.
Central Bikol features some vocabulary not found in other Bikol languages nor in other members of the Central Philippine language family like Tagalog and Cebuano. Examples are the words matua and bitis, which are the same as the Kapampangan words meaning 'older' and 'foot, feet', respectively. The word banggi ('night') is another example of this as it is different from the usual Bikol word gab-i but closer to the word bengi of Kapampangan. There is no formal study on the relationship of the Central Luzon languages to Central Bikol but the latter has several words that are also found in the archaic form of Tagalog spoken in the Rizal and Quezon provinces that are believed to be the home of Central Luzon languages such as Kapampangan in Pampanga and southern Tarlac, and Sambalic languages in Zambales province.
- ^ Central Bikol at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Philippine Census, 2000. Table 11. Household Population by Ethnicity, Sex and Region: 2000
- ^ Lobel, Jason William (2000). An Satuyang Tataramon / A study of the Bikol Language. Tria, Wilmer Joseph S., Carpio, Jose Maria Z. Naga City: Lobel & Tria Partnership. ISBN 971-92226-0-3. OCLC 45883453.