Bontoc language


Bontoc is a macrolanguage native to the indigenous Bontoc people of the Mountain Province, in the northern part of the Philippines.

Specific languages

Ethnologue reports the following locations for each of the five Bontok languages. Speaker populations from the 2007 census, as quoted in Ethnologue.
LanguageLocation of speakersDialectsNo. of speakersRef
Central Bontok
Bontoc
  • Khinina-ang
  • Finontok
  • Sinamoki
  • Jinallik
  • Minaligkhong
  • Tinokukan
19,600
Eastern Bontok
Barlig
  • Finallig
  • Kinajakran
  • Liniyas
    		• 6,170
    Northern Bontok
    		Sadanga ;
    Southern Kalinga    		9,700
    Southern BontokBontoc
  • Tinoveng
  • Kanan-ew
    		• 2,760
    Southwestern BontokBontoc
  • Ina-ab
  • Binalili
  • Ginonogon
    		• 2,470

    Phonology

  • The archiphoneme has,, and as its allophones. The allophone occurs word-initially, adjacent to, as the second member of a consonant cluster consisting of a coronal consonant and, and as the second member of any consonant cluster preceded by. occurs in free variation with word-initially, but otherwise occurs in complementary distribution with it. occurs in free variation with and word-initially, and with elsewhere. These /r/ sounds are even applied to loanwords from Ilokano and Tagalog, and Spanish loanwords from the 2 languages.
  • The plosives,,, and have, respectively, ,,, and as their syllable-initial allophones.
  • The voiced stop also has and as its allophones. Both of these allophones occur as the first member of a geminate cluster. They are in free variation.
  • The approximant has one allophone:. occurs after.
    • becomes a slightly centralized when in a syllable whose coda is. When in the nucleus, and are slightly raised and is lowered.
    There are two degrees of stress in Bontoc: primary and secondary. Primary stress is phonemic and secondary stress is predictable. Both types are right-oriented and occur on one of the last three syllables. Stress's effects include higher pitch, louder volume, and lengthening of the syllable nucleus, though these are all subject to certain rules pertaining to word prosody.

    Example text

    The Lord's Prayer