Baybayin or Alibata

As you may have noticed by now Ilokano uses the standard roman alphabet. So you may be wondering what those symbols up in the clouds of our header image are, or the little icon next to our site address. That is the old Filipino script called baybayin or alibata. The particular ones I put there spell out Ilokano, and simply the symbol for "I" respectively.

Baybayin is a relativly easy script to learn. Each symbol represents either just a vowel or a consonant plus a vowel combination. The base vowel for each consonant pairing is "a" adding a dot above changes it to "e/i" and a dot below changes it to "o/u."

If you are a serious student of language or simply want to get a feel for how things used to be I suggest learning the script. It is rewarding and can benefit you learning. Also, it is a great way to encrypt your notes and messages as few people would actually be able to read them.

For more information check out the sites Baybayin.com as well as Sarisari . Also, click Read more to see a video from Baybayin.com on writing.

Read More

If video doesn't load click HERE.

In the future we will include more on writing, simply as a way to take your Ilokano to a new level.

Until next time. Ditakayon.