Ilocano

Or I·lo·ka·no

[ee-loh-kah-noh]

noun

plural

Ilocanos ,

plural

Ilocano .

1. a member of a people of Luzon in the Philippines.

2. the Austronesian language of the Ilocano.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ilocano¹

1830–40; < Spanish, equivalent to Ilok ( o ) the Ilocano name for themselves + -ano -an

Example Sentences

Talania is not fluent in English or Tagalog, but speaks Ilocano, the third-most spoken language in the Philipinnes.

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During his visa interviews with embassy officials, Talania was not provided an Ilocano interpreter.

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At his embassy interview, Talania was provided an interpreter who spoke Tagalog, not Ilocano, Alice Yu said, which wasn’t ideal for making his case.

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Winfred Damo, who immigrated to Honolulu from Marcos’ province of Ilocos Norte in 1999, said being Ilocano means “we always support the Marcoses.”

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“No, anak ko!” she shrieked, using an Ilocano term meaning “my child.”

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