Ibanag
Magibanak ittam! Mag-Ibanag tayo! Let's speak in Ibanag!
In 2015, I did a Buwan ng Wika Challenge with my newly-acquired ~toy then–poetry magnets. I did finish it, kahit so-so and pilit na. It's the start of August today, and I'm thinking of doing another challenge, just to give my brain a break from all the work stuff.
When I started taking classes in Spanish language last month, I had this idea of sharing on my blog what I was learning from my classes. And then it spawned the idea of also sharing basic Ibanag words/phrases, which is probably among the least known languages in the Philippines since it is only spoken mostly by Cagayanos and the people of Isabela. I think now is the perfect time to do that. Let's give it a try, shall we?
The Ibanag language (also Ybanag or Ibanak) is spoken most particularly by the Ibanag people in the northeastern provinces of Isabela and Cagayan, Philippines. The name Ibanag comes from the prefix "I" which means "people of", and "bannag", meaning river. It is closely related to Gaddang, Itawis, Agta, Atta, Yogad, Isneg, and Malaweg. (Wikipedia)
Disclaimer: Although Ibanag is my mother tongue, my knowledge is limited only in what I have learned from growing up in the town of Camalaniugan, Cagayan. There are already a lot of foreign words mixed into the language, thus the Ibanag that I know is no longer in its purest form. Add also the fact that I am no longer aware of the old words that are no longer used. Cagayan is among the provinces that were conquered by the Spanish colonizers. The Spaniards stayed there for a long time, which explains the many Spanish words mixed with the native languages. Most of the Ibanag people can also speak Ilocano, the lingua franca of northern Luzon. So some Ilocano words have also been adapted by Ibanag speakers. In other words, hindi na puro o perpekto ang aking Ibanag, pero susubukan pa rin natin.
I will post per topic. I will be using Filipino, English and Ibanag for the directions/instructions.
Click the links to get to each topic.
Kunnasi mappakaammu ta Ibanag (Introducing yourself in Ibanag)
Pronouns
Familia (Family in Ibanag)
Numero ta Ibanag (Numbers in Ibanag)
