Exploring the Indigenous Language Utilization Among Ayangan Youths: Basis for Ifugao Languages’ Maintenance Programs

ABSTRACT

Literature establishes the urgent need for initiatives on language revitalization; however, there are still limited related studies especially among the youths. This study, hence, surfaced the status of the indigenous language use among the Ifugao youths as a basis for programs towards indigenous language maintenance. Workshops on the utilization of their languages were facilitated among the Ayangan youths using the “Guide for Planning the Future of our Language” of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). The guide is a tool for the local community to use in helping their members talk together about the future of their languages without distractions from outsiders (SIL, 2016). Thematization was used in analyzing and surfacing themes, which show that the informants use their languages increasingly in most knowledge related to agriculture and social activities, education, religion and technology along with other languages like Ilocano, Filipino and English. The study proves that the status of an indigenous language is affected by the status of knowledge or practices of the speakers for when a knowledge diminishes in practice, the use of the language also decreases.

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