Hiligaynon language

Hiligaynon
Ilonggo
Hiniligaynon, Inilonggo
Pronunciation	/hɪlɪˈɡaɪnən/
Native to	Philippines
Region	Western Visayas, Soccsksargen, western Negros Oriental, southwestern portion of Masbate, coastal Palawan, some parts of southern Mindoro, some parts of Romblon and a few parts of Northern Mindanao
Ethnicity	Hiligaynon
Native speakers	7.8 million (2010) 9.1 million speakers
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Greater Central Philippine Central Philippine Visayan Central Visayan Hiligaynon
Dialects	Standard Hiligaynon (Iloilo province dialect); Urban Hiligaynon (Metro Iloilo dialect); Guimarasnon Hiligaynon; Bacolodnon Hiligaynon (Metro Bacolod dialect); Negrense Hiligaynon (Negros Occidental dialect); Mindanao Hiligaynon
Writing system	Latin (Hiligaynon alphabet) Hiligaynon Braille Historically Baybayin (c. 13th–19th centuries)
Official status
Recognised minority language in	Philippines
Regulated by	Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
Language codes
ISO 639-2	hil
ISO 639-3	hil
Glottolog	hili1240
Areas where Hiligaynon is spoken in the Philippines

Hiligaynon (also referred to as Ilonggo) is a spoken language in the Philippines with more than 9.1 million speakers. It is part of the Visayan language family in the Central Philippines. Hiligaynon is most common in the Western Visayas and Soccsksargen regions.

It is the third most common native language in the Philippines, after Tagalog and Cebuano.

Name

The name of Hiligaynon comes from the Hiligaynon people from Iloilo province. They usually call it "Ilonggo" (Iloilo). The language was spread when the Hiligaynon people moved into Soccsksargen.