It also has one of the largest native language-speaking populations of the Philippines, despite it not being taught and studied formally in schools and universities until 2012.

Hiligaynon is mainly concentrated in the regions of Western Visayas (Iloilo, Capiz, and Guimaras), Negros Island Region (Negros Occidental), and Soccsksargen (South Cotabato including General Santos, Sultan Kudarat, and North Cotabato).

[6] There are approximately 9,300,000 people in and out of the Philippines who are native speakers of Hiligaynon and an additional 5,000,000 capable of speaking it with a substantial degree of proficiency.

[8] Historical evidence from observations of early Spanish explorers in the Archipelago shows that the nomenclature used to refer to this language had its origin among the people of the coasts or people of the Ilawod ("los [naturales] de la playa") in Iloilo, Panay, whom Spanish explorer Miguel de Loarca called Yligueynes[9] (or the more popular term Hiligaynon, also referred to by the Karay-a people as Siná).

The term Hiligaynon came from the root word ilig ('to go downstream'), referring to a flowing river in Iloilo.

[11] Some native speakers also consider Kinaray-a (also known as Hiniraya or Antiqueño) and Capiznon dialects of Hiligaynon.

[12][13] Consonants [d] and [ɾ] were once allophones but cannot interchange as in other Philippine languages: patawaron ('to forgive') [from patawad, 'forgiveness'] but not patawadon, and tagadiín ('from where') [from diín, 'where'] but not tagariín.

Until the second half of the 20th century, Hiligaynon was widely written largely following Spanish orthographic conventions.

Nowadays there is no officially recognized standard orthography for the language and different writers may follow different conventions.

It is common for the newer generation, however, to write the language based on the current orthographic rules of Filipino.

The core alphabet consists of 20 letters used for expressing consonants and vowels in Hiligaynon, each of which comes in an uppercase and lowercase variety.

Again, this is an example of a case marker that has fallen largely into disuse, but is still occasionally used when speaking a more traditional form of Hiligaynon, using fewer Spanish loan words.

Instead sentences in SV form (Filipino: Di karaniwang anyo) are written without any marker or copula.

Example: MayEXISTidôdog(a)ko1SGMay idô (a)koEXIST dog 1SGI have a dog.When an adjective modifies a noun, the linker nga links the two.

Example: Ido nga itom'black dog' Sometimes, if the linker is preceded by a word that ends in a vowel, glottal stop or the letter N, it becomes acceptable to contract it into -ng, as in Filipino.

A derivative of pila, ikapila, asks the numerical order of the person, as in, "What place were you born in your family?

As it is essential for sentence structure and meaning, focus is a key concept in Hiligaynon and other Philippine languages.

balay-bálayhouse-housebalay-bálayhouse-housetoy-house, playhousemaestra-maestrateacher-teachermaestra-maestrateacher-teachermake-believe teacherReduplication of verbal roots suggests a process lacking a focus or decisive goal.

The following examples describe events which have no apparent end, in the sense of lacking purpose or completion.

[18] Nag-a-NAG-IMP-hìbî-híbîcry-cryangFOCbátâ.childNag-a- hìbî-híbî ang bátâ.NAG-IMP- cry-cry FOC childThe child has been crying and crying.Nag-a-NAG-IMP-tinlò-tinlòclean-cleanakó1SG.FOCsangUNFOClamésatableNag-a- tinlò-tinlò akó sang lamésaNAG-IMP- clean-clean 1SG.FOC UNFOC tableI'm just cleaning off the table (casually).Nag-a-NAG-IMP-kàon-káoneat-eatlangjustsilá3PL.FOCsangUNFOCnag-abótNAG-arriveangFOCíla3PL.UNFOCbisíta.visitorNag-a- kàon-káon lang silá sang nag-abót ang íla bisíta.NAG-IMP- eat-eat just 3PL.FOC UNFOC NAG-arrive FOC 3PL.UNFOC visitorThey were just eating when their visitor arrived.When used with adjectival roots, non-telicity may suggest a gradualness of the quality, such as the comparison in (6).

If the stress of the second occurrence is shifted to the first syllable, then the reduplicated root suggests a superlative degree, as in (7).

[19] Iníthis.FOCngaLINKkwártoroomma-dulùm-dulúmMA-dark-darksangUNFOCsaOBLsinâthat.UNFOCIní nga kwárto ma-dulùm-dulúm sang sa sinâthis.FOC LINK room MA-dark-dark UNFOC OBL that.UNFOCThis room is darker than that one.dakô-dakôbig-bigdakô-dakôbig-bigbiggerdakô-dákôbig-big(gid)(really)dakô-dákô (gid)big-big (really)biggest Ma-áyoMA-goodangFOCreló.watchMa-áyo ang reló.MA-good FOC watchThe watch is good/functional.Ma-àyo-áyoMA-good-goodnanowangFOCreló.watchMa-àyo-áyo na ang reló.MA-good-good now FOC watchThe watch is semi-fixed.

Nouns denoting material items and abstract concepts invented or introduced during the early modern era include barko (barco, 'ship'), sapatos (zapatos, 'shoes'), kutsilyo (cuchillo, 'knife'), kutsara (cuchara, 'spoon'), tenedor ('fork'), plato ('plate'), kamiseta (camiseta, 'shirt'), and kambiyo (cambio, 'change', as in money).

Spanish verbs are incorporated into Hiligaynon in their infinitive forms: edukar, kantar, mandar, pasar.

In contrast, incorporations of Spanish verbs into Tagalog for the most part resemble, though are not necessarily derived from, the vos forms in the imperative: eduká, kantá, mandá, pasá.

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