Ifugao
RegionIfugao, Luzon
StatesPhilippines
Speakers130,000
Date1987–2007
Refe18
FamilycolorAustronesian
Fam 2Malayo-Polynesian
Fam 3Philippine
Fam 4Northern Luzon
Fam 5Meso-Cordilleran
Fam 6Central Cordilleran
Fam 7Nuclear Cordilleran
Lc 1ifb
Ld 1Batad Ifugao
Lc 2ifa
Ld 2Amganad Ifugao
Lc 3ifu
Ld 3Mayoyao Ifugao
Lc 4ifk
Ld 4Tuwali language
Glottoifug1247
GlottorefnameIfugaw

Ifugao is a Malayo-Polynesian language[1] spoken in the northern valleys of Ifugao, Philippines. It is a member of the Northern Luzon subfamily and is closely related to the Bontoc, Balangaw, and Kankanaey languages.[2] It is a dialect continuum, and its four main varieties—such as Tuwali—are sometimes considered separate languages.[3][4]

Loanwords from other languages, such as Ilokano, are replacing some older terminology.[5]

Dialects

Ethnologue reports the following locations for each of the four Ifugao languages.

  • Amganad Ifugao: spoken in Hungduan and Banaue municipalities of Ifugao Province, and into southwestern Mountain Province. 27,100 speakers as of 2000. Dialects are Burnay Ifugao and Banaue Ifugao.
  • Batad Ifugao (Ayangan Ifugao): spoken in central Ifugao Province. There are also some speakers in Isabela Province, on the eastern shore of the Magat reservoir. 10,100 speakers as of 2002. Dialects include Ducligan Ifugao.
  • Mayoyao Ifugao (Mayaoyaw): spoken in Ifugao Province, (northern Mayoyao, Aguinaldo, and Alfonso Lista municipalities) and Mountain Province (2 small border areas). 30,000 speakers as of 2007.
  • Tuwali Ifugao (Gilipanes, Ifugaw, Kiangan Ifugao, Quiangan, Tuwali): spoken in southern Ifugao Province. 30,000 speakers as of 2000. Dialects are Hapao Ifugao, Hungduan Ifugao, and Lagawe Ifugao.

Phonology

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosivevoicelessptkʔ
voicedbdɡ
Nasalmnŋ
Fricativeh
Laterall
Approximantwj
  • Other sounds such as /s/ and /r/ occur in loanwords.

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closeiʊ ~ u
Midɛəɔ
Opena
  • /ʊ/ can also be heard as close-back [u].
  • /ə/ does not exist in the Tuwali dialect.[6]
  • /i/ can also be heard as [ɪ].[7]

Orthography

The unified Ifugao alphabet is as follows: A, B, D, E, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Ng, O, P, T, U, W, Y. The letters are pronounced differently depending on the dialect of the speaker.[8]

References

  1. ^
  2. ^ (Lebar, 1975: 78)
  3. ^ (Newell and Poligon, 1993)
  4. ^ Reid, Lawrence A. (1974). "The Central Cordilleran Subgroup of Philippine Languages". Oceanic Linguistics. 13 (1/2): 511–560. doi:10.2307/3622752. hdl:10125/32979. JSTOR 3622752
  5. ^ Kinnud, Richard (2013-08-21). "Language Change in the Cordillera". Sun.Star. Archived from the original on 2020-01-23. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
  6. ^ Taleon, Kristine (2020). A Phonological Sketch of Tuwali Ifugao. University of the Philippines Diliman.
  7. ^ Newell, Leonard E. & Poligon, Francis (1993). Batad Ifugao dictionary, with ethnographic notes. Manila: Linguistic Society of the Philippines. pp. 3–10.
  8. ^ Hay Mahun an Bahaon, A Pre-Primer in Ayangan Ifugao. Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1984.