A Grammar of Itneg Inlaud

Itneg Inlaud is an Austronesian language spoken in Abra, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur in northern Philippines. Facing rapid language loss and remaining largely undocumented, this study provides the first comprehensive grammatical description, situating the language within its social and linguistic context. Drawing primarily on natural texts from the Itneg Inlaud Language Documentation Project and supplemented by elicited materials, the study documents the sound system, core morphosyntax, and clause structures, including serial verb constructions (SVCs), subordination, and coordination, while placing these features within a wider typological comparison of related Philippine languages.

Adopting a functional-typological approach, the study links structural features to communicative functions and frames them within cross-linguistic comparison using typologically transparent descriptive categories. Findings are presented across ten chapters, covering Itneg Inlaud’s agglutinative morphology, ergative–absolutive syntax, and predicate-initial word order.

Its phonology is conservative, with 14 consonants, four vowels, phonemic stress, and common morphophonemic processes. Referential phrases and pronouns show rich case and number marking, while modifiers (adjectives, quantifiers, and adverbs) display intricate inflectional and syntactic behavior.

The grammar describes four non-verbal clause types (nominal, modificational, existential, and prepositional) and verbal clauses marked for modality and transitivity, alongside derived and pragmatically marked constructions such as inverse, negative, imperative, and interrogative clauses. Valency-changing operations (e.g., detransitives and causatives) and clause-combining strategies, including motion-directional SVCs, complement and relative clauses, and varied coordination, are also examined.

Beyond description, the study advances typological and comparative research on Philippine languages. Itneg Inlaud’s conservative phonology, distinctive pronoun system, and SVC patterns reveal both shared and unique traits within the Kalinga-Itneg group and the wider Cordilleran area. This grammar provides a vital foundation for future research, language teaching, and language revitalization—ensuring Itneg Inlaud’s voice endures within the rich tapestry of Philippine languages.