Ilocano language

Not to be confused with Alekano language.

Ilocano
Ilokano
Iloko, Iluko, Iloco, Pagsasao nga Ilokano, Samtoy, Sao mi datoy
Native toPhilippines
RegionNorthern Luzon, many parts of Central Luzon and a few parts of Mindanao
EthnicityIlocano
Native speakers
8,746,169 (2020)[1]
2 million L2 speakers (2000)[2]
Third most spoken native language in the Philippines[3]
Latin (Ilocano alphabet),
Ilokano Braille
Historically Kur-itan
Official status
Official language in
La Union[4]
Recognised minority
language in
Regulated byKomisyon sa Wikang Filipino
Language codes
ISO 639-2ilo
ISO 639-3ilo
Glottologilok1237
Linguasphere31-CBA-a
Area where Ilokano is spoken according to Ethnologue[5]
Striped areas are Itneg-Ilokano bilingual communities in Abra
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
An Ilocano speaker, recorded in the United States.

Iloco (also Ilokano; /iːloʊˈkɑːnoʊ/;[6] Ilocano: Pagsasao nga Iloko) is an Austronesian language predominantly spoken in the Philippines by the Ilocano people. It ranks as the third most widely spoken native language in the country and serves as a lingua franca in Northern Luzon, particularly among the Igorot people and the indigenous settlers of Cagayan Valley.

As an Austronesian language, Ilocano shares linguistic roots with other Philippine languages and is related to Malay (both Indonesian and Malaysian), Tetum, Chamorro, Fijian, Māori, Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Paiwan, and Malagasy. It exhibits close ties with several Austronesian languages in Northern Luzon and has some degree of mutual intelligibility with the Balangao language and certain eastern dialects of Bontoc.[7]

The Ilocano people historically utilized an indigenous writing system known as kur-itan. There have been proposals to revive this script by incorporating its instruction in public and private schools within Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur, where Ilocano is predominantly spoken.[8]

  1. ^ Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing) https://psa.gov.ph/content/ethnicity-philippines-2020-census-population-and-housing Ethnicity in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing). {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rubino 2000 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Philippine Census, 2000. Table 11. Household Population by Ethnicity, Sex and Region: 2000
  4. ^ Elias, Jun (19 September 2012). "Iloko La Union's official language". Philippine Star. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  5. ^ Ethnologue. "Language Map of Northern Philippines". ethnologue.com. Ethnologue. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  6. ^ Bauer, Laurie (2007). The Linguistics Student's Handbook. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  7. ^ Lewis (2013). Ethnologue Languages of the World. Retrieved from:http://www.ethnologue.com/language/ebk
  8. ^ Orejas, Tonette. "Protect all PH writing systems, heritage advocates urge Congress". newsinfo.inquirer.net.