Ibanag language

The Ibanag language (also written as Ybanag or Ibanak) is an Austronesian language spoken by up to 463,390 speakers, mostly comprising the Ibanag people, in the northeastern provinces of Isabela and Cagayan in the Philippines.

It is spoken widely in the communities of Abulug, Buguey, Camalaniugan, Lal-lo, Solana, and Tuguegarao, all in the province of Cagayan. Also in the communities of Cabagan, Ilagan, San Pablo, Santo Tomas, Santa Maria, and Tumauini, all in the province of Isabela, as well as in the area around the Cagayan River. The language is also spoken in barangay San Agustin East, in Agoo, in the province of La Union.

Ibanag is also spoken by Filipinos in the Middle East, United Kingdom, and the United States. Most speakers of Ibanag can also speak Ilocano, the lingua franca of northern Luzon island. The name Ibanag comes from the prefix I- which means 'people of', and bannag, meaning 'river'. Ibanag is closely related to Gaddang, Itawis, Agta, Atta, Yogad, Isneg and Malaweg.