Batanic languages


The Batanic languages are a dialect cluster of the Austronesian language family. They are spoken on Babuyan Island, just north of Luzon; three of the Batanes Islands, between the Philippines and Taiwan; and on Orchid Island of southern Taiwan.
The varieties in the Philippines are called Ivatan, or are named Babuyan, Batan, or Itbayat after their islands, while the variety of Taiwan is called Yami or Tao.
Proto-Batanic has been reconstructed by Yang.

Classification

Ross and Blench list four languages:
Moriguchi classifies the Batanic languages as follows.
According to Paul Jen-kuei Li, Yami is most closely related to Itbayat. Among the Batanic languages, Iraralay is the most conservative.
The Batanic languages are frequently included with the Philippine languages. However, there is no full consensus on this, and some consider them a primary branch of the Malayo-Polynesian languages. Blench concludes that Batanic languages have been splitting from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian for a long time and contain many roots which are not standard Austronesian. The relationship between Batanic and Northern Luzon languages is still uncertain.