Ga'dang language

Not to be confused with Gaddang language.

Ga'dang or Gâdang is an Austronesian language spoken in Northern Luzon, Philippines particularly in Paracelis, Mountain Province, Luzon; Alfonso Lista, Ifugao; and Tabuk, Kalinga. There are some residents of speakers in Aurora and Nueva Vizcaya. Many Ga'dang speakers speak Ilocano as their second language.

Ga'dang
Gaddang, Gâdang
Native to	Philippines
Region	Luzon
Ethnicity	Gaddang people
Native speakers	6,000 (2002)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian Philippine Northern Luzon Northern Cordilleran Ga'dang
Language codes
ISO 639-3	gdg
Glottolog	gada1258
Area where Gaʼdang language is spoken according to Ethnologue maps

Phonology

The Ga'dang language is related to Ibanag, Itawis, Malaueg and others. It is distinct in that it features phonemes not present in many neighboring Philippine languages. As an example, the "f", "v", "z" and "j" sounds appear in Ga'dang. There are notable differences from other languages in the distinction between "r" and "l" (and between "r" and "d"), and the "f" sound is a voiceless bilabial fricative somewhat distinct from the fortified "p" sound common in many Philippine languages (but not much closer to the English voiceless labiodental fricative). Finally, the (Spanish) minimally-voiced "J" sound has evolved to a plosive (so the name Joseph sounds to the American ear as Kosip).

Vowels

Most Ga'dang speakers use six vowel sounds: /a/, /i/, /u/, /ɛ/, /o/, /ɯ/

Consonants

Ga'dang features doubled consonants, so the language may sound guttural to Tagalog, Ilokano, and even Pangasinan speakers. The uniqueness of this circumstance is often expressed by saying Ga'dang speakers have "a hard tongue".

For example: tudda (tood-duh). which means rice.

Ga'dang is also one of the Philippine languages which is excluded from [ɾ]-[d] allophony.

Samples