Page Type: languageYakan | Ethnologue

YKA ISO 639-3

Yakan

Yakan Autonym

A language of Philippines

ISO 639
yka
Alternate Names
Yacan
Autonym
Yakan
Population
130,000 (2005 UNSD), increasing. 86,900 in Basilan Province. 35,000 monolinguals (1990). Ethnic population: 202,000 (2010 census).
Location:
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan and Sulu provinces and small surrounding islands, Sakol island; Zamboanga Peninsula region: Zamboanga east coast, concentrated inland.
Language Status
4 (Educational). De facto language of provincial identity in Basilan province.
Classification
Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Greater Barito, Sama-Bajaw
Typology
VOS, VSO; prepositions; genitives after noun heads; articles before noun heads, adjectives after noun heads, numerals before and after noun heads; question word in sentence-initial position; 2 prefixes, 1 suffix; word order distinguishes subjects, objects and indirect objects, given and new information, topic and comment; affixes do not indicate case of noun phrase; non-obligatory verb affixes indicate number; passives; causatives; comparatives; ergativity; CV, CCV, CVC; nontonal.
Language Use
Vigorous. All domains. Local administration, commerce, religion, oral traditional literature. Positive attitudes. Also use Chavacano [cbk]. Also use English [eng]. Also use Filipino [fil]. Also use Tausug [tsg].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 35%. Literacy rate in L2: 25%. Taught in primary schools, in Basilan. Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. NT: 1984.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Yakan
Writing
Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments
Land division in families and increasing population pushes young people to seek employment in cities or other countries. Muslim.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Basilan and Sulu provinces and small surrounding islands, Sakol island; Zamboanga Peninsula region: Zamboanga east coast, concentrated inland.