top of page

​

 

     Itbayaten is a language spoken in the province of Itbayat,  Batanes. The distinguishing factor Itbayaten has from other Batanic languages is the occurance of a weird sound, which they represent as /x/ in orthography. This weird sound is like [g] but you gargle coming from the epiglottis.

​

       The dominant activity in the area is preparation for work or school and chit-chatting with neighbors. The place where Itbayaten is spoken can be described by their Flaura nad Fauna. They have Arius, Golden rosary, Lilit, Chawi and Pawali. For Fauna, they have Tatus, Payi, Libang, White Snake, Cow, horse and Sting ray.

​

         There are no other groups inhabiting the area. They use Itbayaten for daily interaction with family, Tagalog/ Filipino when speaking with people from other provinces, and English for academic purposes and for communication. They use the Filipino alphabet.

​

         According to the informant, Itbayaten is said to be similar with the language used by the Taiwanese . It is also believed that the people who speak Itbayaten came from Taiwan.

​

       The informant is Mr. Joseph Holden, 18 years old, student, and speaks Itbayaten, Ivatan, Tagalog, and English.

ITBAYATEN: THE LANGUAGE AND ITS SPEAKERS

Phonetic Inventory of Itbayaten 

70-Word Swadesh List

Click me to access some of the sound files from the 200 Swadesh Word List!

bottom of page