The Ilocano language is the third largest in the Philippines according to the number of native speakers. Approximately 10 million people speak it around the world.
Like other Philippine languages, it is predominantly Malayo-Polynesian significantly mixed with large Spanish words. Some Chinese and English words were also mixed to which is now the modern Ilocano language.
Ilocano is the lingua franca in the Northern Philippines. Other ethno-linguistic groups in the area like the Igorots, Itnegs, Ibanags etc. can speak the language more than the national language Tagalog.
The migrated Ilocanos in other places preserved their native tongue.It is so widely used that in Hawaii and California, there are schools who teach the language. This is due to the Ilocanos who live in these places in large number.
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