Assessing archaism in Philippine Indigenous languages: the case of Kankanaey as spoken in Mankayan, Benguet, Philippines

Abstract

Once considered safe, the Kankanaey (a Northern Philippine language) language now faces risks due to code-switching, linguistic discrimination, and language dominance. These issues lead to the replacement of traditional words with borrowed terms, resulting in archaism. This study investigated archaism in the Kankanaey language within Barangay Suyoc, in Mankayan, Benguet, Philippines. Using a mixed-method sequential explanatory design, a group elicitation method and survey were employed for the quantitative phase, while a focus group discussion was conducted for the qualitative phase. Of the 100 words surveyed, 51 were non-archaic, 43 were semi-archaic, and 6 were archaic. The prevalence of archaism in the language among the people of Barangay Suyoc can be attributed to ongoing changes in the community, which manifest through various processes. Hence, it was concluded that despite the language being stable, archaism is inevitable. However, continuous language documentation is highly recommended.

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