Kankanaey Language Fundamentals.

When studying any language for the first time, one may have to use as framework what had been established as Parts of speech.

1. Noun: Nouns are names-Every name is a noun so they say. A person's name, a name assigned to a place or a name given to a pet are proper nouns. Some names are called common nouns. Then, the following are examples of nouns in the Kankanaey language(or  may be a dialect).

ipugaw=people/person

bosa-ang=pig

makan=food

be-ey(or ba-ey)=house

ba'do=clothes

2. Pronouns: Pronouns are substitute words for nouns. The following are examples of pronouns in a Kankana-ey dialect.

sik-a =singular you

dakayo = plural you

sak-en = I/me

da'kami = we

sisya=he/she

daida=they

3. Adjective: Adjectives are words that describe a noun. The following are examples of adjectives in a Kankanaey Dialect.

daan(stress in da)=da'an = old

nabanol = expensive

mapmapteng = nice/beautiful

law'lawa = ugly

ando = long

aptik = short

nagaget = industrious

mabikas = strong

4. Verb: Verbs are action words. The following are examples of verbs in a Kankanaey dialect.

mangan = to eat

mandan (mandad-an) = to walk/ to pass by

man-obla = to work

man-ames' = to take a bath

manla'ko = to buy

mankali' = to talk

tumokdo = to sit down

pumika = to stand up

5. Adverbs: Adverbs describe a verb. The following phrases demonstrate how adverbs in a Kankanaey dialect are used.

mangan AY DAGOS = to eat IMMEDIATELY

KAKAkakan = eat fast

KAdad-a-dad-an = walk hurriedly

KAlako = bought immediately

PASPAS ay mankali = talk FASTLY

KA-kali' = talked suddenly/talked immediately

KAtokdo = sit immediately

KApika = stand up immediately

6. Preposition: Prepositions show relation of words. For examples,

SIN NGWAB di  be-ey = BELOW the house.

SIN NA-UNGDOn di kalsada = ABOVE the road

ED ili mi = IN our place/ IN our hometown

ED BAS-IL( ED NABAS-IL)= On the other side

7. Conjunction: Conjunctions join words. For example.

Sik-a YA sak-en = You AND I

Mangan ka ONO man-ames ka nin?  = Are you eating OR you will take a bath first?

Nabbay da TAN nan-obla da. = They are tired BECAUSE they worked.

8. Interjection: Interjections are expressions that express surprise or pain. For example,

Annay! = Ouch!