The Ayta people of sitio Villar, Botolan, and sitio Kakilingan, Santa Fe, Cabangan also speak a Botolan dialect with some unique lexical items.[3]
Ethnologue reports Ayta Hambali (Hambali Botolan), Sambali Botolan as dialects of Sambal Botolan. Among themselves, Ayta Hambali reportedly use some words that are similar to Ayta, Mag-Anchi. [2]
Phonology
Botolan has 20 phonemes: 16 consonants and four vowels. Syllable structure is relatively simple. Each syllable contains at least a consonant and a vowel.[citation needed]
Note: Consonants /d/ and /ɾ/ can sometimes interchange as they were once allophones.
Stress
Stress is phonemic in Botolan. Word stress is very important; it differentiates homonyms, e.g. hikó ('I') and híko ('elbow').
Historical sound changes
Many words pronounced with /s/ and /ɡ/ in Tagalog have /h/ and /j/, respectively, in their cognates in Botolan. Compare hiko and bayo with the Tagalog siko and bago.
Sample texts
The Lord's Prayer
Version from Matthew
Tatay nawen ya anti ha katatag-ayan,
Hay ngalan mo ay igalang dayi nin kaganawan.
Andawaten nawen ya tampol kayna dayin mag-arí.
Mangyari dayi ya kalabayan mo bayri ha babon lotá
Bilang ombayro ha katatag-ayan.
Hapa-eg ay biyan mo kayin pamamangan ya
angka-ilanganen nawen.
Patawaren mo kayi ha kawkasalanan
nawen bilang pamatawad nawen ha nakapagkasalanan konnawen.
Agmo kayi biyan ma-irap ya pagsobok boy
ipakarayó mo kayi koni Satanas.[4]
Philippine national proverb
Below is a translation in Botolan of the Philippine national proverb[5] "He who does not acknowledge his beginnings will not reach his destination," followed by the original in Tagalog.
Botolan: Hay ahe tanda nin nanlek ha pinangibatan, ay ahe makalateng ha lalakwen.
Tagalog: Ang hindi marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan ay hindi makararating sa paroroonan.
