A brief survey of Iloko literature from the beginnings to its present development, with a bibliography of works pertaining to the Iloko people and their language, by Leopoldo Y. Yabes.

INTRODUCTION

5

together like glue.... This clannish feeling may partly explain their
phenomenal success in building settlements in wild territory in the Cagayan
Valley, in Central Luzon, and in the Moro country...."
In other words, like the Nipponese, who remains always
a Nipponese wherever he is, the Iloko is always an Iloko wherever he goes. He always brings with him his Iloko character
and culture-his simplicity of life, heart, and taste, his humility,
his religiousness, and his industry and thrift; and now, thanks
to him, the Iloko character and culture are firmly implanted in
the Mountain Province, the Cagayan Valley, in Zambales, in
the north of Central Luzon. The Ibanags, the Pangasinans,
the Zambals, and the Cordillera peoples have been gradually
assimilated into the Iloko culture, and it would not be a wonder
if, within a generation or two, these peoples will have become
thoroughly Ilokanized.
B. LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
The Iloko12 language belongs to the Indonesian division of
the Austronesian family. It is the leading and most highly
developed member of the northern group of Philippine languages
and "the most distinctive of those found among the Philippine
Christian groups. It differs from Tagalog and Bisayan to
about the same extent as French does from German".13 "It is
uniform on the whole though there are a number of local
dialectic differences. There is some intonation in speaking, but
not nearly so marked as in the case of the Ibanag and Gaddang
grcoups. '14
Following is an observation which, though made by one
who has not specialized in linguistic studies, he being primarily
a literary amateur, should nevertheless be of interest to the
layman:15
12-"Samtoy" is used by many writers in place of "Iloko". In many
Iloko periodicals, the literary page is usually called "Kurditan Sawrtoy
(Samtoy Literature)", not "Kurditan Iloko". Some people believe that
"Samtoy" was the original name of the people and therefore of the language.
Fray Andres Carro says: "Cuando conquisto el famoso Juan de Salcedo.
por los anos de 1572, esta provincia de Ilocos, entre dos idiomas y gentes
que en ella habia tan diferentes como se v6 aun hoy en esa cordillera de
montes, era el idioma Samtoy 6 mas bien Sa6 mi toy, el mas general.
Viene este nombre, como quieren unos de las dos veces Sao toy; 6 como
quieren otros, de un pueblo antiguo asi llamado y el mas famoso de todos
ellos; por lo cual nuestros primeros antecesores, que acompafiaban al ya
mencionado conquistador Salcedo, se aplicaron a este; y mediante su aplicacion, y el trafico y conercio de los naturales, que no tenian antes, se logro
el hacerlo comun y vulgar en toda esta provincia que encerraba en si todos
los pueblos desde Bangi hasta Agoo inclusive, los mismos que hablan hasta
hoy dia el idioma Samtoy." See Vocabulario iloco-espaiol. Manila, Est.
tipo-lit. de M. Perez, hijo, 1888, p. II.
13-Paintings of Twelve Philippine Women.
14-Beyer, H. 0., op. cit., p. 47.
15-Leaio, Fernando op. cit., p. 96.