Specifically, it is spoken on the following islands within Romblon:
Tablas: the municipalities of Odiongan, San Andres and Calatrava, situated respectively on the western and northern parts of the island. The Odiongan dialect has more outside influences and is more widely used in literature.[2]
Banton, encompassing the whole municipality of Banton
Simara, encompassing the whole municipality of Corcuera
Maestre de Campo, also known as Sibale, encompassing the whole municipality of Concepcion
Linguist David Zorc notes that Bantoanon speakers may have been the first Bisayan speakers in the Romblon region. He also suggests that Asi may have a Cebuan substratum and that many of its words may have been influenced by the later influx of other languages such as Romblomanon.[3]
Nomenclature
While Bantoanon is the original and most common name of the language, the name Asi, meaning 'why', is also commonly used especially in formal and academic papers. The Commission on the Filipino Language or KWF prescribes the use of Ási[4] with the acute accent on the Á, although the native pronunciation is closer to Ásì with the acute Á and a grave accent on the ì. Considering that the language has four other dialects other than Bantoanon: Odionganon, Calatravanhon, Sibalenhon, and Simaranhon, Asi is occasionally used instead of Bantoanon to distinguish between the language and the dialect of it spoken in Banton. Speakers of dialects that have evolved through the Bantoanon diaspora prefer Asi, or just their dialect's name. In casual speech, however, native speakers often refer to the language as Bisaya, not to be confused with other Bisayan languages.
Sounds
Bantoanon has sixteen consonant phonemes: /p, t, k, ʔ, b, d, ɡ, s, h, m, n, ŋ, l, ɾ~r, w, j/. There are three vowel phonemes: /i, a, u/. The three vowels each have allophones of [ɪ, e, ɛ, ə], [ʌ], [o]. /i/ is always used as [i] when it is in the beginning and middle syllables, [e, ɛ] is always used when it is in final syllables, [ɪ] when in open-prestressed syllables, and as [ə] in word-final post-stressed syllables before /ɾ~r/. [ʌ] is heard as an allophone of /a/ when in closed syllables. The vowel [o] is an allophone of /u/, and is always heard when it is in final syllables.[5] This is one of the Philippine languages that do not exhibit [ɾ]-[d] allophony.
Grammar
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Pronouns
Absolutive
Ergative
Oblique
1st person
singular
akó
nako, ko
akò
plural
exclusive
kami
namo
amo
inclusive
kita
nato
ato
2nd person
singular
ikaw, ka
nimo, mo
imo
plural
kamo
ninro
inro
3rd person
singular
sida
nida
ida
plural
sinra
ninra
inra
Cardinal Numbers
One-digit
English
Tagalog
Bantoanon
Spanish-derived
one
isa
usá
uno, una
two
dalawa
ruhá
dos
three
tatlo
tatló
tres
four
apat
ap-át
kuwatro
five
lima
limá
singko
six
anim
án-om
sais
seven
pito
pitó
siyete
eight
walo
wayó
otso
nine
siyam
sidám
nuwebe
Bantoanon speakers prefer using Spanish-derived or English numbers for financial situations.
Two-digit
English
Tagalog
Bantoanon
Spanish-derived
ten
sampu
sampúyò
diyes
eleven
labing-isa
sampúyò ag usá
onse
twelve
labindalawa
sampúyò ag ruhá
dose
thirteen
labintatlo
sampúyò ag tatló
trese
fourteen
labing-apat
sampúyò ag ap-át
katorse
fifteen
labinlima
sampúyò ag limá
kinse
sixteen
labing-anim
sampúyò ag án-om
disisais
seventeen
labimpito
sampúyò ag pitó
disisiyete
eighteen
labingwalo
sampúyò ag wayó
disiotso
nineteen
labinsiyam
sampúyò ag sidám
disinuwebe
twenty
dalawampu
ruhámpúyò
baynte
twenty-one
dalawampu't isa
ruhámpúyò ag usá
baynte uno
twenty-two
dalawampu't dalawa
ruhámpúyò ag ruhá
baynte dos
twenty-three
dalawampu't tatlo
ruhámpúyò ag tatló
baynte tres
thirty
tatlumpu
tatlómpúyò
treynta
forty
apatnapu
ap-át nak púyò,ap-átampúyò
kuwarenta
fifty
limampu
limámpúyò
singkuwenta
sixty
animnapu
án-om nak púyò,an-omnapúyò
sesenta
seventy
pitumpu
pitómpúyò
sesenta
eighty
walumpu
wayómpúyò
otsenta
ninety
siyamnapu
sidámnapúyò
nobenta
For numbers 11 to 90, Bantoanon speakers rarely use Bantoanon numbers, but instead their Spanish-derived counterparts even in contexts not related to finances.
Three-digit
English
Tagalog
Bantoanon
Spanish-derived
one-hundred
isang daan
usáng gatós
(un) siyento
two-hundred
dalawang daan
ruháng gatós
dos siyentos
three-hundred
tatlong daan
tatlóng gatós
tres siyentos
four-hundred
apat na raan
ap-át nak gatós
kuwatro siyentos
five-hundred
limang daan
limáng gatós
kinyentos
six-hundred
anim na raan
án-om nak gatós
sais siyentos
seven-hundred
pitong daan
pitóng gatós
siyete siyentos
eight-hundred
walong daan
wayóng gatós
otso siyentos
nine-hundred
siyam na raan
sidám nak gatós
nuwebe siyentos
one-hundred-twenty-three
isang daan at dalawampu't tatlo
usáng gatós ag ruhampúyò ag tatlo
siyento baynte'y tres
Four-digit and above
Number
Tagalog
Bantoanon
Spanish-derived
1,000
isang libo
usáng líbo
(un) mil
2,000
dalawang libo
ruháng líbo
dos mil
10,000
sampung libo
sampúyòng líbo
diyes mil
100,000
isang daang libo
usáng gatós nak líbo
siyen mil
1,000,000
isang milyon
usáng milyón
(un) milyon
1,234,567
isang milyon dalawang daan at tatlumpu't apat na libo limang daan at animnapu't pito
usáng milyón ruhámpúyòng gatós ag tatlómpúyòng ap-át nak líbo limáng gatós ag an-óm nak púyò ag pitó
(un) milyon dos siyentos treynta'y kuwatro mil kinyentos sesenta'y siyete
Ordinal Numbers
English
Tagalog
Bantoanon
Spanish-derived
first
una
primero
primero
second
pangalawa,
ikalawa
pangaruhá, ikaruhá
segundo
third
pangatlo, ikatlo
pangatló, ikatatlo
tersero
fourth
pang-apat, ika-apat
pang ap-át, ikaap-át
kuwarto
fifth
panlima, ikalima
panlima, ika-limá
kinto
sixth
pang-anim, ikaanim
pang-an-óm, ika-an-óm
seksto
seventh
pampito, ikapito
pampito, ikapitó
septimo
eighth
pangwalo, ikawalo
pangwayó, ikawayó
oktabo
ninth
pangsiyam, ikasiyam
pangsidám, ikasidám
nobeno
tenth
pangsampu, ikasampu
pangsampúyò
desimo
Legend
In Italics = rarely used and/or reconstructed based on existing vocabulary and grammar.
^Zorc, David Paul (1977). The Bisayan Dialects of the Philippines: Subgrouping and Reconstruction. Pacific Linguistics, Series C, No. 44. Canberra: Australian National University. doi:10.15144/PL-C44. hdl:1885/146594. ISBN0-85883-157-0.