Kabalian language

Kabalian
Cabalianon, Kinabalianon
Kinabalian
Native to	Philippines
Region	Leyte
Native speakers	14,000 (2009)
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Central Philippine Visayan Central Visayan Warayan Kabalian
Language codes
ISO 639-3	cbw
Glottolog	kina1252

The Kabalian (Cabalian) language, Kinabalian, is spoken on the southeastern tip of the island of Leyte in the Philippines. It is closely related to Waray.

Native speakers refer to the language as Cabalianon or Kinabalianon. This language shares certain characteristics with Cebuano, Boholano, and Surigaonon mainly because of the seafaring livelihood of pre-Hispanic inhabitants of Cabalian, documented by Spanish explorers. Waray did not make inroads into the southern portion of Leyte because of the mountains separating the north and south portions of the island. This is coherent under the principle of mountains divide; seas unite in the spread of Philippine languages.

The heaviest influence on Cabalianon is Surigaonon, owing to the contact between Cabalian and Surigao in the early Spanish period. Cabalianons, as well as the natives of Sogod, regularly travelled to Surigao and Butuan to obtain gold, a fact recorded by the Augustinian Fray Agustín María de Castro in the Osario venerable.

Kabalian Cabalian#Sermo is spoken in 6 villages in San Juan (Cabalian) town, Southern Leyte Province. These barangays are located in the eastern portion of the town. The predominance of Cabalianon in this side of the town is due to the fact that migrants from Cebu and Bohol settled in the western portion of the town, particularly Pong-oy, as well as in Himatagon, the business hub of Saint Bernard, formerly a part of Cabalian, resulting in the gradual disappearance of the language in these parts.

Although Kabalian is a Warayan language, it has mixed elements of Cebuano and Surigaonon, a similar pattern which is also found in Baybayanon. However, Kabalian is not mutually intelligible with either Waray-Waray, Cebuano, or Surigaonon. Kabalian speakers do not ethnically identify themselves with speakers of these other languages.