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The Ivatan language, also known as Chirin nu Ivatan ("language of the Ivatan people"), is an Austronesian language spoken in the Batanes Islands of the Philippines.
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 (Ibatan) is sometimes classified as a dialect of the Ivatan language. Most of the Babuyan population moved to Batan Island and to Luzon mainland during the Spanish colonial period. The island became repopulated at the end of the 19th century with families from Batan, most of them speakers of one of the Ivatan dialects.
Ivatan speakers are found outside their homeland, many of them settled in mainland Luzon particularly in nearby Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mindoro and Palawan and also settled as far as Mindanao. In Mindanao, a significant Ivatan-speaking minority exist mainly in Bukidnon, Lanao and Cotabato where they settled since the 1950s in search of economic opportunities settled down in government homesteads in these areas. Nowadays, however, their language has becoming endangered among Ivatan settlers' descendants especially newer generations born in Mindanao, due to being accustomed into a society of Cebuano-speaking majority. Like elsewhere, intermarriage between Ivatans and Mindanaoans of various ethnicities are not uncommon. Most of these Ivatans in Mindanao today speak the majority language of Cebuano language, Hiligaynon, Tagalog language and other Mindanao indigenous languages more than their ancestors' native language in varying fluency or none at all.
Ivatan has two dialects; Basco Ivatan, more commonly known as Ivasay, spoken on the main island of Batan, and Southern Ivatan or Isamurung, spoken on the southern half of Batan and on the most southern island, Sabtang.
Examples of the more visible variations of the Ivasayen and Isamurongen words and pronunciations are:
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:
Ivatan and Filipino words are sometimes combined, as in the Ivatan word mapatak. It is derived from marunong (Filipino) and chapatak (Ivatan), literally 'someone who knows', which were then compounded to form the word mapatak. This is the result of the influence of non-Ivatans who tend to speak the language and were then eventually adopted.
Examples of metathesis in Ivatan include iskarayla for iskalayra ('stairs') and tumaraya for tumayara ('going up').
Ivatan slang includes examples such as tanchew, coined from mirwa ta anchiyaw – literally 'we’ll meet again later', and nganmu, coined from jinu ngayan mu, literally 'where are you going'. These are results of shortening Ivatan phrases or sentences into one or two words, depending on usage.
Common Ivatan expressions have various origins such as:
| + Vowels of Ivatan ! ! Front vowel ! Central vowel ! colspan="2" | Back vowel |
| + Consonants of Ivatan |
/h/ can also be heard as a velar fricative . Ivatan is one of the Philippine languages that do not exhibit -d allophony.
| Mirwa ta anchiya w | Tanchew | We'll meet again later. | Street language |
| Jinu ngaya n mu | Nganmu | Where are you going? | Street language |
| Ivatan | Tawu | Vahay | Chitu | Niyuy | Araw | Va-yu |
| Tagalog language | Tao | Bahay | Aso | Niyog | Araw | Bago |
| Bikol language | Tawo | Harong | Ayam | Niyog | Aldaw | Ba-go |
| Cebuano language | Tawo | Balay | Iro | Lubi | Adlaw | Bag-o |
| Tausug language | Tau | Bay | Iru' | Niyug | Adlaw | Ba-gu |
| Kinaray-a | Taho | Balay | Ayam | Niyog | Adlaw | Bag-o |
| Kapampangan | Tau | Bale | Asu | Ngungut | Aldo | Bayu |
| Pangasinan | Too | Abong | Aso | Niyog | Agew | Balo |
| Ilocano language | Tao | Balay | Aso | Niog | Aldaw | Baro |
| Gaddang language | Tolay | Balay | Atu | Ayog | Aw | Bawu |
| Tboli language | Tau | Gunu | Ohu | Lefo | Kdaw | Lomi |
| Ivatan | Araw | Vahay | Cayvan | Kuman | Minom |
| Yami language 雅美/達悟 |
| Ivasayen | Cuarto | Tulas | Danum | Oras |
| Itbayaten | Cuarto | Turas | Ranum | Uras |
| + ! !Good !Of course !Ok !Pretty !Yes !No !Nothing !Perhaps | ||||||||
| Ivasayen | Mapia | Siyempre | Okay | Mavid | Oon | Omba | Arava | Siguro |
| Itbayaten | Map'pia | Siyempri | Na uh | Mavij / Mavig | Uwen | Engga | Aralih / Aral | Siguru |
| + ! !Black !Blue !Brown !Dark !Gray !Green !Light !Red !White !Yellow | ||||||||||
| Ivasayen | Mavajeng | Maanil | Chocolati | Masari | Mavuavo | Berde | Marial | Mavaya | Maydac | Mañujama |
| Itbayaten | Mavaweng | Um'anianil | Um'yutana | Masarih | Um'avu-avo | Marèm | Marengang | Mavayah | Mahilak | Mayuxama / Umyuxama |
| + ! !Sunday !Monday !Tuesday !Wednesday !Thursday !Friday !Saturday | |||||||
| Ivasayen | Domingo | Lunis | Martis | Miyirkolis | Juibis | Biyernis | Sabado |
| Itbayaten | Lumingu | Lunis | Martis | Mirkulis | Juybis | Birnis | Sabalu |
| + ! !Left !Right !Straight ahead | |||
| Ivasayen | Huli | Wanan | Diricho |
| Itbayaten | Guri | Wanan | Diricho |
| + ! !Zero !One !Two !Three !Four !Five !Six !Seven !Eight !Nine !Ten | |||||||||||
| Ivayasen | Siro, abu | Asa | Dadua | Tatdu | Apat | Dadima | Anem | Papito | Wawajo | Sasyam | Sapujo |
| Itbayaten | Siro, a'bu | A'sa | Daduha | Atlu | A'pat | Lalima | A'nem | Pito | Waxo | Sasyam | Sapuxu |
The schwa sound, or uh, is normally represented by the letter e as in Dios Mamajes, 'di-yos-ma-ma-huhs', and palek 'pa-luhk'.
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