Ilocano language
Ilocano (also Ilokano; /iːloʊˈkɑːnoʊ/; Ilocano: Pagsasao nga Ilokano) is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines, primarily by Ilocano people and as a lingua franca by the Igorot people and also by the native settlers of Cagayan Valley. It is the third most-spoken native language in the country.
| Ilocano | |
|---|---|
| Ilokano | |
| Iloko, Iluko, Iloco, Pagsasao nga Ilokano, Samtoy, Sao mi ditoy | |
| Native to | Philippines |
| Region | Northern Luzon, many parts of Central Luzon and a few parts of the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao |
| Ethnicity | Ilocano |
Native speakers | 6,370,000 (2005) 2 million L2 speakers (2000) Third most spoken native language in the Philippines |
| Latin (Ilocano alphabet), Ilokano Braille Historically Kur-itan | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | La Union |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Regulated by | Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | ilo |
| ISO 639-3 | ilo |
| Glottolog | ilok1237 |
| Linguasphere | 31-CBA-a |
As an Austronesian language, it is related to Malay (Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Māori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan, and Malagasy. It is closely related to some of the other Austronesian languages of Northern Luzon, and has slight mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and the eastern dialects of the Bontoc language.
The Ilokano people had their indigenous writing system and script known as kur-itan. There have been proposals to revive the kur-itan script by teaching it in Ilokano-majority public and private schools in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.