Isinai language

Isinai (also spelled Isinay) is a Northern Luzon language primarily spoken in Nueva Vizcaya province in the northern Philippines. By linguistic classification, it is more divergent from other Central Cordilleran languages, such as Kalinga, Itneg or Ifugao and Kankanaey.

Isinai
Isinay
Native to	Philippines
Region	Luzon
Native speakers	5,000 (2010 census)
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Northern Luzon Meso-Cordilleran Central Cordilleran Nuclear Cordilleran Bontok–Balangao Isinai
Language codes
ISO 639-3	inn
Glottolog	isin1239
ELP	Isinay
Area where Isinai is spoken

According to the Ethnologue, Isinai is spoken in Bambang, Dupax del Sur, and Aritao municipalities, alongside Ilocano.

Dialects

Ethnologue reports Dupax del Sur, Aritao and Bambang as dialects of Isinai. However, Ethnologue also reports that the Aritao dialect is moribund.

Phonology

Vowel phonemes

	Front	Back
High	i
Mid	e	o
Close	a

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Plosive/ Affricate	voiceless	p	t	tʃ	k	ʔ
	voiced	b	d	dʒ	ɡ
Fricative		f v	s ʃ			h
Approximant			l	j	w
Tap			ɾ

Isinai is also one of the Philippine languages which is excluded from [ɾ]-[d] allophone.

Grammar

Isinai contains a definite article with three different forms that vary depending on the relation of the noun. The forms of the definite article are: ar, ardari, and war.

References

• Perlawan, Sarah Eve. 2015. Grammatical Sketch of Isinay Dupax. m.s. University of the Philippines, Diliman.
• Reid, Lawrence A., and Analyn Salvador-Amores (2016). Guide to Isinay Orthography. Baguio: Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines, Baguio.