The Caluyanun Alphabet

Q: What is the Caluyanun alphabet?

The Caluyanun alphabet is a Latin-based writing system with 21 letters : 5 vowels and 14 consonants, plus the digraph Ng and the glottal stop [3] . Native spelling excludes c, f, j, q, v, x, and z, which appear only in loanwords and proper names.

Q: Is Caluyanun the same as Caluyanon?

Yes. Caluyanon and Caluyanhon are alternate spellings of the same language, referred to as Caluyanun in its official ISO 639-3 registration [3] . All three names describe the same speech community of the Semirara Island Group .

Q: Where is Caluyanun spoken?

Caluyanun is spoken across the Semirara Island Group — Semirara, Caluya, and Sibay islands — part of Caluya municipality in Antique province, Philippines [1] . The municipality recorded a population of 38,908 at the 2020 census [1] .

Q: How many letters are in the Caluyanun alphabet?

The Caluyanun alphabet has 21 letters : five vowels, fourteen consonants, the digraph Ng , and the glottal stop [3] . This is more compact than English, since native Caluyanun writing excludes c, f, j, q, v, x, and z.

Q: How does the glottal stop work in Caluyanun spelling?

The glottal stop , written as an apostrophe, is treated as a full letter of the Caluyanun alphabet, marking a short catch in the voice. It can appear mid-word or word-finally after a vowel, a feature shared with many neighbouring Bisayan languages.

Q: Does Caluyanun use letters like C, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z?

These letters are excluded from native Caluyanun spelling , appearing only in loanwords and proper names borrowed from Spanish or English. This pattern is common across Philippine languages that adopted the Latin alphabet under Spanish colonial influence.

Q: What is the status of Caluyanun today?

Caluyanun remains a stable indigenous language , used as a first language by the Caluyanon community across the Semirara Island Group. Fishing, farming, and seaweed farming remain central to daily life in the communities where the language is spoken.

Q: What does the ISO 639-3 code "clu" mean?

The code clu is the official ISO 639-3 identifier assigned to Caluyanun by the international standards registration authority [3] . This code distinguishes Caluyanun from other Bisayan languages in international language databases and library catalogues.

Caluyanun Alphabet at a Glance

21 letters: 5 vowels and 14 consonants, plus the Ng digraph and the glottal stop
Caluyanun, also spelled Caluyanon or Caluyanhon, is spoken across the Semirara Island Group, part of Caluya municipality, a coastal community of 38,908 people at the 2020 census ^[1]
Caluyanun belongs to the West Bisayan branch of the Central Philippine languages ^[2]
Caluyanun carries the ISO 639-3 code clu ^[3]
Most Caluyanun speakers also use Kinaray-a or Hiligaynon as a second language, reflecting the island group's trade links with mainland Panay
Native Caluyanun spelling excludes the letters c, f, j, q, v, x, and z, which appear only in loanwords and proper names
The glottal stop is treated as a distinct letter, written with an apostrophe, alongside the digraph Ng

[AH]

[EH]

[EE]

[OH]

[OO]

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[BEE]

[DEE]

[GEE]

[HUH]

[KAY]

[EL]

[EM]

[EN]

[PEE]

[AR]

[ESS]

[TEE]

[WUH]

[YUH]

[BEE]

Uppercase B, a voiced bilabial stop, similar to "b" in "boy".

[DEE]

Uppercase D, a voiced alveolar stop, similar to "d" in "dog".

[GEE]

Uppercase G, a voiced velar stop, similar to "g" in "go".

[HUH]

Uppercase H, a voiceless glottal fricative, similar to "h" in "hat".

[KAY]

Uppercase K, a voiceless velar stop, similar to "k" in "key".

[EL]

Uppercase L, an alveolar lateral approximant, similar to "l" in "lamp".

[EM]

Uppercase M, a bilabial nasal, similar to "m" in "man".

[EN]

Uppercase N, an alveolar nasal, similar to "n" in "nose".

[PEE]

Uppercase P, a voiceless bilabial stop, similar to "p" in "pen".

[AR]

Uppercase R, a tapped or trilled rhotic consonant, similar to the rolled "r" in Spanish.

[ESS]

Uppercase S, a voiceless alveolar fricative, similar to "s" in "sun".

[TEE]

Uppercase T, a voiceless alveolar stop, similar to "t" in "top".

[WUH]

Uppercase W, a labial-velar approximant, similar to "w" in "water".

[YUH]

Uppercase Y, a palatal approximant, similar to "y" in "yes".

[bee]

[dee]

[gee]

[huh]

[kay]

[el]

[em]

[en]

[pee]

[ar]

[ess]

[tee]

[wuh]

[yuh]

[bee]

Voiced bilabial stop, similar to "b" in English "boy".

[dee]

Voiced alveolar stop, similar to "d" in English "dog".

[gee]

Voiced velar stop, similar to "g" in English "go".

[huh]

Voiceless glottal fricative, similar to "h" in English "hat".

[kay]

Voiceless velar stop, similar to "k" in English "key".

[el]

Alveolar lateral approximant, similar to "l" in English "lamp".

[em]

Bilabial nasal, similar to "m" in English "man".

[en]

Alveolar nasal, similar to "n" in English "nose".

[pee]

Voiceless bilabial stop, similar to "p" in English "pen".

[ar]

Tapped or trilled rhotic consonant, similar to the rolled "r" in Spanish.

[ess]

Voiceless alveolar fricative, similar to "s" in English "sun".

[tee]

Voiceless alveolar stop, similar to "t" in English "top".

[wuh]

Labial-velar approximant, similar to "w" in English "water".

[yuh]

Palatal approximant, similar to "y" in English "yes".

[ENG]

[eng]

[glottal stop]

A a

B b

D d

E e

G g

H h

I i

K k

L l

M m

N n

Ng ng

O o

P p

R r

S s

T t

U u

W w

Y y

A a

Vowel A, similar to the "a" in English "father".

B b

Consonant B, a voiced bilabial stop.

D d

Consonant D, a voiced alveolar stop.

E e

Vowel E, similar to the "e" in English "bed".

G g

Consonant G, a voiced velar stop.

H h

Consonant H, a voiceless glottal fricative.

I i

Vowel I, similar to the "ee" in English "see".

K k

Consonant K, a voiceless velar stop.

L l

Consonant L, an alveolar lateral approximant.

M m

Consonant M, a bilabial nasal.

N n

Consonant N, an alveolar nasal.

Ng ng

Digraph Ng, the velar nasal.

O o

Vowel O, similar to the "o" in English "go".

P p

Consonant P, a voiceless bilabial stop.

R r

Consonant R, a tapped or trilled rhotic.

S s

Consonant S, a voiceless alveolar fricative.

T t

Consonant T, a voiceless alveolar stop.

U u

Vowel U, similar to the "oo" in English "food".

W w

Consonant W, a labial-velar approximant.

Y y

Consonant Y, a palatal approximant.

The glottal stop, marking a short catch in the voice.

;

(

)

Period (full stop)

Comma

;

Semicolon

Colon

Question mark

Exclamation mark

Apostrophe, used to mark the glottal stop in Caluyanun words

Quotation mark

Hyphen

(

Left parenthesis

)

Right parenthesis

Expand All Collapse All

What is the Caluyanun alphabet?

Is Caluyanun the same as Caluyanon?

Where is Caluyanun spoken?

What language family does Caluyanun belong to?

Why do Caluyanun speakers also use Kinaray-a or Hiligaynon?

How many letters are in the Caluyanun alphabet?

How does the glottal stop work in Caluyanun spelling?

Does Caluyanun use letters like C, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z?

What is the status of Caluyanun today?

What does the ISO 639-3 code "clu" mean?

References:

[1] Philippine Statistics Authority. "Caluya, Antique" — 2020 Census of Population and Housing, recording a municipal population of 38,908. Retrieved from Philippine Statistics Authority: Caluya, Antique
[2] Glottolog 5.x. "Caluyanun [calu1238]" — Austronesian > Malayo-Polynesian > Greater Central Philippine > Central Philippine > Bisayan > West Bisayan classification. Retrieved from Glottolog: Caluyanun
[3] SIL International. "ISO 639-3 Registration Authority: Caluyanun [clu]". Retrieved from SIL ISO 639-3: Caluyanun