Ivatan language
The Ivatan (Ibatan) language, also known as Chirin nu Ibatan ("language of the Ivatan people"), is an Austronesian language spoken in the Batanes Islands.

Although the islands are closer to Taiwan than to Luzon, it is not one of the Formosan languages. Ivatan is one of the Batanic languages, which are perhaps a primary branch of the Malayo-Polynesian family of Austronesian languages.

The language of Babuyan Island is a dialect. Babuyan was depopulated by the Spanish and only repopulated at the end of the Spanish era with families from Batan Island.

Introduction 
Ivatan is especially characterized by its words, which mostly have the letter v, as in vakul, Ivatan, and valuga. The letter e is pronounced as the schwa oun, or uh, as in Dios Mamajes, 'di-yos-ma-ma-huhs', and palek 'pa-luhk'. While related to the Northern Philippine group of languages, Ivatan, having been isolated, is most close to the two other members of the Bashiic sub-group of languages, Yami (Tao) and Itbayat, neither of which is indigenous to Luzon. Ibatan, spoken on the nearby Babuyan group of islands, is so similar to Ivatan that it is not entirely clear whether it should be classified as a dialect of Ivatan or a separate language, though each does receive its own code in ISO taxonomy.

Supporting separate listings is that Ibatan is 31% mutual intelligible with Basco Ivatan, the standard form of the language. With Basco Ivatan, more commonly known as Ivasayen, an adjective denoting the Ivasayen people who inhabit the main island of Batan, and Itbayaten, derived from Itbayat, the name for the northernmost of the three islands, is a third dialect, Isamurongen, a dialect with a vocabulary identical to Ivasayen spoken on the southern half of Batan and on the most southern island, Sabtang.

Variations in language

In the capital of Basco and the surrounding northern half of Batan, the area encompassed by Ivasayen, t is prominent, whereas in the Isamurongen zone to the south (Mahatao, Ivana, Uyugan and Sabtang) that phoneme becomes a ch. 

Examples of the more visible variations of the Ivasayen and Isamurongen words and pronunciations are:
 tiban (to look) in Basco is chiban in the southern towns
 antiyaw (later) in Basco is anchiyaw in the southern towns
 kabatiti (patola) in Basco is kabachichi in the southern towns
 timoy (rain) in Basco is chimoy in the southern towns

Itbayaten is sometimes also considered a dialect.  2% of the total vocabulary does not occur in Ivatan dialects.  Examples of different Ivasayen, Isamurongen and Itbayaten words that have the same English translation:
 adkan (to kiss) in Basco and the southern towns is umahan in Itbayat.
 arava (none) in Basco and the southern towns is aralih in Itbayat.
 bago (pig) in Basco and the southern towns is kuyis in Itbayat.
 otioyan (nest) in Basco, is ochoyan in the southern towns and hangtay in Itbayat.
 ipos (tail) in Basco is vochivot in the southern towns and also ipos in Itbayat.

The Ivatan language is basically a spoken language. Until lately, little effort was made to record the language in written form. What the young generation know about it is largely through hearing it spoken and speaking it.

Some tend to mix the Ivatan words to Filipino or vice versa in sentences, much worset is the combining or compounding of the Filipino words to the Ivatan words. One common example of this is – mapatak. This is derived from marunong (Filipino) and chapatak (Ivatan) which literally means "someone who knows" which were then compounded to form the word mapatak. This is actually the result of the influence of non-Ivatans who tend to speak the language and were then eventually adopted.

Another common mistakes that are often heard, is the mispronunciation of the Ivatan word like iskarayla – the correct is iskalayra – which means "stairs", and tumaraya – the correct is tumayara – which means "going up".

One unique characteristic of the language is its enormous street language. It is called street language because it emanated from the streets. Examples of these are: tanchew, coined from mirwa ta anchiyaw – literally means "we’ll meet again later", and nganmu, coined from jinu ngayan mu, literally means "where are you going". These are results of shortening the Ivatan phrases or sentences into one or two words depending on its usage.

Common Ivatan expressions have various origin such as:
 Dios mamajes or Dios Mamajes nu mapiaLiterally: "God reward you with goodness" or "God bless you"Usage: Used to show gratitude to someone
 Dios mavidinLiterally: "May God remain with you"Usage: Used by the person who is leaving
 Dios machivanLiterally: "May God go with you"Usage: Used by the person who is staying behind

The Ivatan language is characterized with its pidgin Spanish, spoken with the musicality of southern Chinese accent.

Similarities to other languages in the Philippines includes the presence of the glottal stop in the pronunciation of words.

Phonology

The Ivatan language consists of five vowels, 21 consonants and five diphthongs.
 Vowels: a, e, i, o, u
 Diphthongs: aw, iw, ay, ey, oy
 Consonants: b, ch, d, f, g, h, hh, j, k, l, m, n, ng, ny, p, r, s, t, v, w, y

Grammar

Cultural terms of the Ivatan people
 uve, ubi, sudi – yam; staple crop
 sudi – taro
 wakay – sweet potato
 bulyas – onions
 baka – cow
 kaddin – goat
 kayvayvanan – friendship; cooperative work by a community which starts at the blow of a shell horn called a vodiadong
 payohoan – helping one another; work club of teenagers who alternate their shifts
 paluwa; chinarem; tataya – three boats used for fishing
 kabbata – legends
 laji- – lyric folk songs
 kalusan – working songs
 sisyavak – humorous anecdotes and tales
 kabbuni – riddles
 pananahan – proverbs
 vachi – song leader
 mais – corn
 palay – rice plant
 dukay – sprouted mung beans
 rakarakanen- vegetables
 hagsa – an extinct wild deer
 vulaw a bagu – wild boar
 tatus – coconut crabs
 lakasan – tops of wooden trunks used for storing cloth and other valuables serve as benches
 dulang – low dining table
 bangku – low bench
 rahaung, camarin – a storeroom for larger farm equipment such as plows, harrows, sleds, card, and the ox-drawn pole used for clearing off sweet potatoes and other vines from fields being prepared for re-cultivation
 vuyavuy –  Phoenix loureiroi, a small palm growing usually on Batanes coastal hills
 talugung – a kind of conical hat woven from strips made from the stalk of a local plant called nini
 pasikin – small bamboo or rattan baskets worn on the back
 lukoy – bolo knife
 suhut – sheath of a bolo knife
 suut, vakul – a head-and-back covering woven from the stripped leaves of banana or the vuyavuy
 alat – baskets
 batulinaw – a necklace made of hollow globules (1½ cm. in diameter) interspersed with smaller pieces of gold in floral patterns and held together by a string made of fiber
 tamburin – an all-gold necklace whose beads are smaller and more ornate than the batulinaw, and lockets
 seseng, pamaaw, chingkakawayan, liyano, de pelo, dima s'bato, pitu s'bato, de perlas, bumbolya, karakol, pinatapatan- traditional earrings that come from the Spanish period
 angang – jars
 dibang – flying fish
 payi – lobster
 arayu – dorado
 mataw – dorado fisherman
 tipuho – breadfruit
 uhango – pandan
 tamidok – fern
 chayi – tree
 soot – generic term referring to the Ivatan rain cape made from the finely stripped leaves of the vuyavuy palm.
 vakul – woman's soot, worn on the head.
 kanayi – man's soot, worn on the shoulders.
 falowa – Ivatan boat, now usually motorized, for 10–20 passengers.
 tataya – Ivatan dory with twin oars, for 2–4 passengers.
 timban – church
  vanuwa – port
 avayat – a broad directional term used to indicate the west, a western direction or the western side.
 valugan – a broad directional term sued to indicate the east, an eastern direction or the eastern side.
 palek – sugar cane wine
 malisto – fast
 mawadi – slow
 mavid – beautiful
 kuman – eat
 minem- drink
 bapor, tataya- boat
 taw – sea
 ranum – water
 salawsaw – wind
 kayvan – friend
 mahakay – man
 mavakes – woman
 masalawsaw - windy
 makuhat - hot
 matimuy/machimuy - raindrops

Literature

Legends
 Datu Tayong and Batbatan Otang
 Orayen and Pudalan
 The Origin of the "Nato"
 The Origin of the People of Sabtang
 The Legend of Layin
 The Two Fishermen

Songs
 Laganitan
 An Domana ‘O’ Vohan
 Taao Di Valogan
 Hapnit
 Ladji No Minasbang
 Didiwen 
 Asa kahep

Poems
 I Wanted Wings
 Meetings
 Alone
 Guide Me, My Guardian Angel
An kalilyak mu

Proverbs
 Ipangudidi mu u mapya nanawu.
Carry with you good teaching, always bear in mind sound advice.
 Arava u mayet an namaes u ryes.
There is no strong man when the sea is at its worst.
 Arava u ryes an abu su vinyedi.
There is no current that does not bounce back.
 Tumuhutuhud makaysed a tachi.
The feces that is dropped is sure comfort.
 Ulungen mu ava u kakedkeran mu.
Do not gore the peg where you are tied.
 Matakaw ava dimu u kasulivan.
Nobody can steal your knowledge.
 Nyeng mu a hukbiten ta isek ni tatumuk.
Grasp the opportunity because the bed bugs will carry and hide them inside the floor.
 Kanen mu ava u kakamay mu.
Do not eat your fingers.
 Arava u susuhan da su vahay a mapsek.
No one burns the house of a good man.

Selected idioms
 Mahmahma u vatu kan uhu naw.
Stones are softer than his head.
 Umsi ava su vahusa u kamates.
Tomatoes do not bear eggplant.
 Tud da payramun u vinata naw.
They washed their face with what he said.
 Inulay mu ta tya naydited u uhu na.
Leave him alone for his head is tangled.
 Machitbatbay ka avan asa ka kaban amed.
Do not speak of a cavan for a measuring lime unit.

Phrases
 Hello – Kapian capa nu dios
 How are you? – Ara ca mangu?
 I am fine – Taytu aco a mapia
 I am not fine – Ara coava mapia
 Thank you – Dios mamajes
 Where are you going? – Ngayan mo?
 I am going to... – Mangay aco du...
 Where is ___? – Ara dino si ___?
 Straight ahead – Direcho
 How much? – Manyi Pira?
 How many? – Pira?
 Good – Mapia
 No good – Mapia/Mavid ava
 Yes – Oon
 I want ___ – Makey ako no ___
 I don't want – Makey aco ava
 I have a problem – Mian problema ko
 No problem – Arava o problema
 Good luck – Mapia palak
 What's your name? – Angu ngaran mo?
 Where is the house of ___? – Jino vahay da ___?
 There – Du nguya, du daw, dawr
 Here – Diaya
 Hungry – Mapteng
 Thirsty – Ma-waw
 Tired – Mavanah, chinagagan (south), navanax
 Happy – Masuyot, masaray
 Whistling – Mamito, mihiñoxay (Itbayat)
 Soft – mahma, maxma & mayuxma (Itbayat)
 Sea – Taw, hawa (Itbayat)
 Bird – manumanok, kangkang (Itbayat)
 Perpendicular – maybatbat, mipatinu-nong (Itbayat)
 Mud – hetek, xetek (Itbayat)
 Sea – Taw, hawa (Itbayat)
 Yesterday – Kakuyab
 Afternoon – Makuyab
 When are we going? – Antin mangu ta mangay?
  When are you going to cut your hair? – Antin mangu ka mapagugud?

Ivatan words

Etymology
Coined words are two words combined to form one new word.

Loanwords are words in the language that have been borrowed from other languages.

Similarities with other Philippine languages

Similarities with the Tao language

Similarities with other Austronesian languages

Accommodation

Approval and disapproval

Bank, telephone and post office

Colors

Days of the week

Direction

Cardinal numbers

Ordinal numbers

Notes

External links

 Official Site of the Batanes Province
 BatanesOnline.com
 Ivatan Language Packet
 The Ivatan
 Affiliation with the Yami of Taiwan
 Bansa.org Ivatan Dictionary
 Ivatan-English Dictionary from Webster's Dictionary
 IVATAN LANGUAGE: AN ANALYSIS – BatanesOnline.com
 Ivatan Language  of the Batales Islands
 Batanes: Ivatan Songs composed and / or collected by Manuel Fajardo
 Batanes: Ivatan Legends
 I Wanted Wings: Poems
 
 Batanes, Philippines at 2005–2011  Philippine Travel Destinations Guide
 Uyugan, Batanes! On the Web! Batanes
 Batanes
 
 Orthography developed for the purpose of the Deped's Mother Tongue policy