People and Language: Maintenance And Sustainability of Ibanag in Makati City

Abstract

Urbanization intensifies the pressure on minority languages because dominant languages often regulate schooling, work, mobility, and public interaction. This qualitative case study examined how a 10-member multigenerational Ibanag-speaking family in Makati City maintains and sustains the Ibanag language amid the strong presence of Filipino and English in an urban setting. Guided by sociocultural theory, ethnolinguistic vitality theory, and family language policy, the study drew on semi-structured interviews, small-group conversations, participant observation, field notes, and family-based narrative reflections. Thematic analysis generated four major findings: parents and elders function as primary agents of intergenerational language transmission through home conversations, correction, reminders, and storytelling; daily routines such as meals, household activities, religious practices, and family gatherings provide natural spaces for Ibanag use; urban pressures from schooling, peer interaction, public communication, and language stigma restrict Ibanag use outside the home; and family members respond through deliberate home-domain language practice, community participation, cultural memory work, and positive identity affirmation. The study shows that language sustainability in an urban environment depends on the interaction of family commitment, community networks, and institutional support. Prior accounts often frame urbanization as uniformly eroding minority languages; this study shows instead that urbanization produces domain-specific shift, with the home and family functioning as a resilient high-vitality domain that buffers Ibanag from decline. This understanding adds a Philippine perspective to global scholarship on language maintenance, while providing actionable guidance for families, educators, local government units, and cultural organizations working to safeguard urban linguistic heritage