Ilonggo vs. Hiligaynon
Hiligaynon is the official name of the language spoken in much of Panay, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental. It is commonly referred to as Ilonggo, because that is the name of the people who speak it. The two terms can be used interchangeably.
Over time, all languages change. Traditional and formal words are often lost, and new ones are introduced. Hiligaynon can be used to refer to the traditional language, whereas Ilonggo can be used to refer to the more modern form of it. It's similar to saying that people in the U.S. now speak American.
The name Ilonggo comes from the name "Ilong Ilong," which is what the city of Iloilo was once called.
Writing Hiligaynon
Traditionally, Filipino languages used a set of characters known as Baybayin (also later referred to as Alibata). There are many variations of this that were used in different regions. Here is a sample of the most prevalent version: ᜀ ᜁ ᜂ ᜃ ᜄ ᜅ ᜆ ᜇ ᜈ ᜉ ᜐ ᜊ ᜋ ᜌ ᜍ ᜎ ᜏ
Modern writing uses standard Latin characters, like most languages. Spelling, however, is not standardized. You will see a lot of variation in how each person chooses to write words. For example, you may see the letter "u" written when the word is actually pronounced with an "o." (Dog is "ido," but you may see it written as "idu.") You may even see "i" and "e" used interchangeably. Knowing about this variation makes it easier to use dictionaries. (IlonggoDictionary.com tries to use spelling that most closely matches pronunciation.)
Learning Hiligaynon
There are a few concepts in Hiligaynon that are quite foreign to English speakers. This makes for a significant learning curve at the beginning. Try not to get discouraged. It will eventually make more sense if you just keep trying.
The first obstacle you will face when learning Hiligaynon is the concept of focus. Every sentence must have a focus, and that determines how the sentence is arranged. This will feel awkward at first. You won't be sure how to choose a focus. Everyone goes through this, so you're not alone. Don't stress out about it. Just try to get the basic idea for now. Later on, as you talk with native Hiligaynon speakers, you can hear how they do this.
You can learn Hiligaynon, bit by bit, layer by layer. It won't come as quickly as languages that are closely related to English, but it will come.
For Missionaries
If you have been called to the Philippines Iloilo Mission or Philippines Bacolod mission, you should start learning the language right away. It takes a significant amount of time to get comfortable with it. The more you can start to digest now, the less you have to learn later. If you have any questions about the language, you can ask here. (This isn't an official Church resource. We're just offering free language help.)
Deep Words & Borrowed Words
As civilizations move around, languages are influenced. Hiligaynon has many borrowed Spanish words. The grammar remains uniquely Filipino, and the borrowed words are adapted to Filipino pronunciation. For example, there are no V's in Filipino languages, so they are replaced with B's. Also, F's are replaced with P's. You will also see borrowed English words that are adapted to Filipino spelling and pronunciation. For example, "nurse" is "nars." "Jeep" is "dyip."
There are also some shared words from nearby countries. The Hiligaynon words tiyan (stomach) and tsa (tea) are the same in Cantonese. Indonesia also shares many of the same (or very similar) words.
You will also come across what is sometimes called "Ilonggish," which intermixes English phrases into Hiligaynon. You may hear something like, "Nakahimo sila sang plea bargaining agreement."
There are many traditional, formal words that are being lost each year, just like in any language. These beautiful, often long words, are known as "deep Hiligaynon." As an example, the word "opportunity" will often be translated as "opportinidad," but the "deep" word is "kahigayunan." Each year, the younger generations understand fewer of these words. With help, IlonggoDictionary.com can help preserve some of them.