Isnag (also called ''Isneg'' a term used by the Ilocanos) is a language spoken by around 50,101

Isnag people The Isnag people (also referred to as Isneg, Yapayao and Apayao) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to Apayao province in the Philippines' Cordillera Administrative Region, though they are also found in parts of Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and ...

of Apayao Province in the

Cordillera Administrative Region The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR; ; ), also known as the Cordillera Region and Cordillera (), is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, situated within the island of Luzon. It is the only Landlocked co ...

in the northern

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

, who are also found in parts of

Cagayan Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan (; ; ; isnag language, Isnag: ''Provinsia nga Cagayan''; ivatan language, Ivatan: ''Provinsiya nu Cagayan''; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Cag ...

and

Ilocos Norte Ilocos Norte (), officially the Province of Ilocos Norte (; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province of the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region. It is located in the northwest corner of Luzon island, bordering Cagayan and Apayao to t ...

. Their populations are distributed across the municipalities of Calanasan,

Kabugao Kabugao, officially the Municipality of Kabugao (; Itawis: ''Babalay yo Kabugao''; ), is a municipality and ''de jure'' capital of the province of Apayao, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 16,215 people. Hist ...

, Pudtol,

Flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

Luna Luna commonly refers to: * Earth's Moon, named "Luna" in Latin, Spanish and other languages * Luna (goddess) In Sabine and ancient Roman religion and myth, Luna is the divine embodiment of the Moon (Latin ''Lūna'' ). She is often presented as t ...

Santa Marcela Marcella (325–410) is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church. She was a Christian ascetic in the Byzantine era. ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church'' reports, "She suffered bodily ill-treatment at the hands of ...

, and

Conner Conner or Conners may refer to: People * Conner (surname) * Conner (given name) * Conners (surname) Places * La Conner, a town in the state of Washington, United States * Mount Conner, Northern Territory, Australia * Conner, Apayao, a municip ...

in Apayao; the eastern part of Ilocos Norte, specifically Adams,

Carasi Carasi, officially the Municipality of Carasi (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,607 people, making it the least populated municipality in the province and ...

Dumalneg Dumalneg, officially the Municipality of Dumalneg (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 3,087 people. Dumalneg was composed of only a single barangay of the sam ...

Vintar Vintar, officially the Municipality of Vintar (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 33,339 people. Vintar is the largest municipality in Ilocos Norte by land a ...

Marcos Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) * Marcos family Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Né ...

Dingras Dingras, officially the Municipality of Dingras (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 40,127 people distributed over 31 barangays. Etymology The Legend of Ding ...

, Solsona,

Bangui Bangui (; or Bangî in Sango language, Sango, formerly written Bangi in English) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in the Central African Republic, largest city of the Central African Republic. It was established as a Fren ...

, and

Pagudpud Pagudpud, officially the Municipality of Pagudpud (; ), is a municipality in the province of Ilocos Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 25,098 people. It is the northernmost settlement on Luzon Island and a p ...

; the northwestern part of Cagayan, particularly

Santa Praxedes Saint Praxedes (d. 165), called "a Roman maiden", was a saint and virgin who lived in the Roman Empire during the 2nd century. Along with her sister, Saint Pudentiana, she provided for the poor and gave care and comfort to persecuted Christian ...

, Claveria,

Sanchez Mira Sanchez Mira, officially the Municipality of Sanchez Mira (; ; ), is a municipality of the Philippines, municipality in the Philippine Province, province of Cagayan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,164 people. ...

, and

Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...

; and the northern part of Abra, particularly

Tineg Tineg, officially the Municipality of Tineg (; ), is a municipality in the province of Abra, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 4,977 people. History On October 29, 2002, Mayor Clarence Benwaren was assassinated ...

. Around 85% of Isnag are capable of reading the Isnag language. Many Isnag speakers also speak Ilocano.

Dialects

Ethnologue ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensive catalogue of languages. It w ...

'' lists the following dialects of Isnag. Imandaya : Predominantly found in Calanasan, Apayao; Carasi, Ilocos Norte; Solsona, Ilocos Norte; Barangay Cacafean, Marcos, Ilocos Norte; Barangay San Marcelino, Dingras, Ilocos Norte; Barangay Marag in Luna, Apayao; Barangay Kittag in Sanchez Mira, Cagayan; and Barangay Masi in Pamplona, Cagayan. Imallod: Populations are spread across Kabugao, Pudtol, Flora, Santa Marcela, and Luna in Apayao. Itawit: A sub-tribe of the Isnag people, populations are distributed in the municipality of Pudtol, Apayao and some parts of Flora, Apayao. Ingahan: A sub-tribe of the Isnag people, primarily inhabiting areas along the Nagan River in Pudtol, Apayao. Isnag (Isneg) of Katablangan, Conner: Often spelled as Isneg due to the tribe's pronunciation, found primarily in Conner, Apayao part. Iyapayao (Ehapayao/Yapayao): Populations are distributed in Adams, Dumalneg, Bangui, and Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte, as well as Sta. Praxedes in Cagayan. Imalawa: An Isnag subtribe located in the outskirts of Barangay Canaam and Sitio Dasar, Barangay Isic-isic, Vintar, Ilocos Norte. The Malawa live in the village of Isic Isic, a peaceful and charming area in the Surong Valley, known for its natural beauty and friendly inhabitants.

Sounds

Isnag is one of the Philippine languages that do not exhibit - allophony.

Language sample

*Isnag: **Approximate English translation: Friends, let us love each other, because love comes from God. –

1 John The First Epistle of John is the first of the Johannine epistles of the New Testament, and the fourth of the catholic epistles. There is no scholarly consensus as to the authorship of the Johannine works. The author of the First Epistle is so ...

4:7 *Isnag: **Approximate English Translation: Praise God, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. –

1 Peter The First Epistle of Peter is a book of the New Testament. The author presents himself as Peter the Apostle. The ending of the letter includes a statement that implies that it was written from "Babylon", which may be a reference to Rome. The ...

1:3

Historical sound changes

The

Proto-Malayo-Polynesian Proto-Malayo-Polynesian (PMP) is the reconstructed ancestor of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, which is by far the largest branch (by current speakers) of the Austronesian language family. Proto-Malayo-Polynesian is ancestral to all Austronesia ...

schwa ə has merged to /a/ such as > ('roof') similar to

Kapampangan Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to: *Kapampangan people, of the Philippines *Kapampangan language Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. ...

, in Tagalog and in

Visayan Visayans ( Cebuano: ''mga Bisayà'' ) are a Philippine ethnolinguistic family group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, to the southernmost islands south of Luzon, and to a significant portion of Mindanao. They are composed of numerous di ...

References

External links

Listen to a sample of Adasen from Global Recordings Network
{{Philippine languages Cagayan Valley languages Languages of Apayao Languages of Abra (province)