Molbog is an Austronesian language spoken in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. The majority of speakers are concentrated at the southernmost tip of the Philippine province of

Palawan Palawan (), officially the Province of Palawan ( cyo, Probinsya i'ang Palawan; tl, Lalawigan ng Palawan), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in ...

, specifically the municipalities of

Bataraza Bataraza, officially the Municipality of Bataraza ( tgl, Bayan ng Bataraza), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Palawan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,439 people. The municipality was named aft ...

and

Balabac Balabac Island is the southernmost island of the Palawan province, and therefore the westernmost undisputed island in the Philippines, only about north from Sabah, Malaysia, across the Balabac Strait. Administratively, the island forms the main ...

. Both municipalities are considered as bastions for environmental conservation in the province. The majority of Molbog speakers are Muslims. The classification of Molbog is controversial. Thiessen (1981) groups Molbog with the

Palawanic languages The Palawanic languages are a subgroup in the Greater Central Philippine-family spoken on the island of Palawan and nearby islets. Languages The Palawanic languages are: * Palawano (a dialect cluster) * Aborlan Tagbanwa * Central Tagbanwa (n ...

, based on shared phonological and lexical innovations. This classification is supported by Smith (2017). An alternative view is taken by Lobel (2013), who puts Molbog together with

Bonggi Bonggi (Banggi) is an Austronesian language spoken primarily by the Bonggi people of Banggi Island, off the northern tip of Sabah, Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy co ...

in a Molbog-Bonggi subgroup.

Phonology

Consonants

* The sounds occur as a result of loanwords from Spanish, Malay or dialects of the

Sama language The Sama language, ''Sinama'' (''Sama'' + the infix ''-in-''; also known as Bahasa Bajau), is the language of Sama-Bajau people of the Sulu Archipelago, Philippines; Sabah, Malaysia and parts of Indonesia. The Sama are one of the most wide ...

. * only occurs marginally. While it was generally lost in inherited words, it is retained in some words e.g. 'tears', probably through re-borrowing.

Vowels

References

Palawanic languages Languages of Palawan Languages of Malaysia Languages of the Philippines {{GCPhilippine-lang-stub