Ivatan, Batanes Oral History

with Mr Pablo Valientes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4OgTBOei0c

B.  Next is  about the Itbayat people, the Initbayat and Ivatan languages, a perspective, according to Mr. Pablo Valientes.
This part is from point 3min, 56 sec of  a 7min;50secs youtube video.

Break………………………………..

4:05sec
Mr. Valientes:
These Itbayat people (some), in the early days they were drifted, those, they were fishing but they were drifted northward to that place in Taiwan.

4:22 So time to time the people there are growing, more people were staying there in Orchid Island.

4:37 At a original according to the story of the Japanese who came here it is in the early days they are/were from Itbayat.
4:50 That is why they speak similar dialect  to those people in Itbayat.

4:58sec
And Itbayat is somewhat different because ah ah they have – they pronounce it different. 5:08 But (laugh) we could not understand the rest because of different
pronunciation. 5:20 Then our dialect here from (from) mainland to Sabtang is almost the same Ivatan. 5:30 Wespeak here Ivatan, Tagalog and English. Because most of the old people here especially here in Batanes when (during) the American came here they taught us all English 5:50 until the war was over when we were already independent. 6:03 Most of our dialect at that time we speak English. So most of the old people here know how to speak English because of the teachings of the Americans before.

6:23sec
DAVID: “Now how would you compare if you want to give an example of the language here and in Itbayat? Can you give some examples of some words?”
6:33
Ivatan Helper: “Icompare mo kono o language da d’Itbayat (as) kan no language ta dya ya do dji’Vana (Ivana) ya. Ango saw mahaw mo paytadkan/paytarekan kan payalitan? 

6:41 Mr. Valientes & others:  Ay di dj’Itbayat…
Mrs. Valientes: …tono na pa am machitarek… do pamneknek.
6:48 Mr. Valientes: Na chapatak… (Ivana).

(What do you think makes the two differ, as well as their similarities?).

6:53sec
Mr. Valientes: The difference between the dialect there in Itbayat is, ah (is commonly used as a connective word, or for the speaker to pause and think), very different from our dialect here.
7:04:  Mr. Valientes: Well, I can not speak their dialect there because I am not accustome of their dialect, but it is little bit different from the Batanes - Batan dialect. 7:19 But ah, time to time when those Itbayat came to our place here we learn, we learn, we learn. 7:32 Some of the people learn how to speak their dialect, and it is very hard to understand their dialect there in Itbayat. 7:41 Maybe when you went there, very different, hearing of their dialect.

7:50sec
The END……………..

Break………………………………..

4:05sec.
Mr. Valientes: In the early days of long ago some of the Itbayat people that were fishing drifted Northward to that place in Taiwan.

4:22  As time went by the population in this new place called Orchid Island (While I was a very young child the very old people I listened to called that place Yami/Irala- where people live farther north of Itbayat) increased as they stayed there (on Orchid Island).
4:37 That was the origin of the Orchid people, according to the story as related by the Japanese that came to Batanes.
4:50 That is why they speak similar dialect to those people in Itbayat.

4:58sec.
Itbayat is somewhat different because the people (there) have their own way to pronounce words. 5:08 We could not understand some (many) because of the (different) pronunciation. 5:20 Our Ivatan dialect (language) here on the mainland (Vatan or Batan) and in Sabtang is almost the same.  5:30 We all speak Ivatan, Tagalog (Pilipino) and English. 5:38 When the Americans came they taught us English until after the war when we gained independence. 6:03 During the American time we mainly communicated in English.  Even now many of the older Ivatan can communicate in English.

6:23sec
DAVID: “Now, how would you compare if you want to give an example of the language here and in Itbayat? Can you give some examples of some words?”

6:33
Ivatan Helper: “He would like you to compare the language in Itbayat and our language here in Vana (Ivana). What do you think makes them differ and similar or the same?

6:41 Mr. Valientes & others: Oh, in Itbayat…
Mrs. Valientes:  … its tone/diction is different… in the pronunciation.
Pablo and others: And in Itbayat… intonation/diction are different… the way/manner it is pronounced

6:53
Mr. Valientes: What differs the Itbayat (Initbayat –what we Ivatans calls it. Ini- means by the…) from the rest of the Ivatan is that it is different in some words, some word meaning, tone, and expression.
7:04: Well, I can not speak their dialect there because I am not accustome to it. But, it is a little bit different from the Batanes (rest of the Batanes/Ivatan).
7:19 But from time to time the interaction among the people of Itbayat and the rest of the Ivatan made it possible for some to learn and understand each other. Although some people still find it hard to understand the Itbayat. 7:41  Maybe when you went there, you noticed how much different the Itbayat dialect was.

7:50sec
The END……………..