Kinaray-a[in romanced version as Hiniraya, sometimes
known as Hamtiknon and Karay-a]
--derived from "iraya"
meaning 'upstream'; "ka," meaning 'companion,' and an infixation
[gitlapi in Tagalog] "in," meaning 'to have undergo something.'
It refers to the language spoken in Antique, parts of Iloilo,
Capiz and trace in Cotabato region. It is the mother of the
mellifluous West Visayan lingua franca, Hiligaynon and Aklanon.
It is the major contribution to the mixed languages of Romblon,
Palawan, Cuyo Islands, some parts of Mindoro, Masbate and the
southern towns of Negros Island. Around one million speaks this
vernacular.
SOURCE: CCP Encyclopedia
Top 10 Languages in the Philippines [based on the number of speakers as of 2005]:
01. Tagalog [Filipino]
02. Cebuano
03. Ilocano
04. Hiligaynon
05. Bikol
06. Waray/Samar-Leyte
07. Kapampangan
08. Panggalatok
09. Kinaray-a
10. Maranao
It's K!
