Introduction

The Calamian Tagbanwa language group of the Philippines has an approximate population of about 25,000 people. They reside in the MIMAROPA region: north Palawan province, Busuanga, Coron, Culion, and Linapacan municipalities (Calamian and Linapacan groups); Palawan Island northeast coast, where there are three Tagbanwa communities.

Calamian Tagbanwa is classified as Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Kalamian. The ISO code is [tbk]. The autonym is Tinagbanwa. An alternate name is Kalamianon.

There are several dialects: Baras, Kinalamiananen (Kinaramiananen), Binuswanganen, Tinalaanen, Inawanwaanen, Lininipaknen, Binatuanen. The Baras dialect on Palawan Island has 94% intelligibility with Calamian Tagbanwa. The lexical similarity with Calamian and Baras dialects is 80%. There is typologically unusual phenomenon with regard to pronoun ordering and marking.

The Tagbanwas highly value their language, using it in the home, neighborhood, work and church settings. There is some inter-marriage with non-Tagbanwas which decreases mother tongue use among children. Some Tagbanwas also speak Tagalog [tgl]. Some Cuyonons speak Tagbanwa as their second language.

Literature has been produced in Tagbanwa and the there is a significant literacy rate in the mother tongue.