Itneg languages
Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Itneg is a South-Central Cordilleran dialect continuum found in the island of Luzon, Philippines. This language and Ilocano are spoken by the Itneg people (sometimes also referred to as the "Tingguian people") in Abra.
| Itneg | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Philippines |
| Region | Luzon |
| Ethnicity | Igorot (Itneg) |
Native speakers | 17,000 (2003)[1] |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Regional language in the Philippines |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:itb – Binongan Itnegiti – Inlaod Itnegitt – Maeng Itnegtis – Masadiit Itnegity – Moyadan Itneg |
| Glottolog | itne1252 |
Areas where the various Itneg dialects (including Kalinga Itneg) are spoken according to Ethnologue | |
Several ethnic-Itneg dialects are taxonomically part of the neighboring Kalinga language.
Locations and dialects
Ethnologue reports the following locations for each of the five Itneg languages.
- Binongan Itneg: Licuan-Baay, Abra. 7,500 speakers.
- Inlaod Itneg: a few villages in Peñarrubia, Lagangilang, Danglas, and Langiden municipalities, Abra. 9,000 speakers.
- Maeng Itneg: Luba, Tubo, and Villaviciosa municipalities, Abra. 18,000 speakers.
- Masadiit Itneg: Sallapadan, Bucloc, and Boliney municipalities, Abra; also in the western border strip of Kalinga Province. 7,500 speakers. Dialects are Masadiit Boliney and Masadiit Sallapadan.
- Moyadan Itneg: Abra. 12,000 speakers.
However, Ronald Himes (1997)[2] recognizes two dialects for Itneg, namely Binongan (eastern) and Inlaod (western).
Phonology
Itneg languages almost sound the same with Ilocano, Pangasinan, and other Igorot languages.
Vowels
Itneg speakers use 5 vowel sounds: /a/, /i/, /u/, /ɛ ~ e/, /o/.
Consonants
Itneg features doubled consonants, so the language may sound guttural to Tagalog, Ilokano, and even Pangasinan speakers. The uniqueness of this circumstance is often expressed by saying Itneg speakers have "a hard tongue".
Itneg is also one of the Philippine languages which is excluded from [ɾ]-[d] allophony.
