This grand volume has been in the making for almost fifty years. It began when Lee Ballard, his wife, and his two-month old baby arrived in Kabayan in 1961 to learn the language under the auspices of the Summer Institute of Linguistics. He worked closely with his main collaborators, Chimcas Ameda (1888-1979) of  Kabayan, and later with Gonzalo Tigo and Vicente Mesa of Atok and Bokod respectively. “The result of those years was over 5,000 typed definitions on cards. The box containing these cards was taken from place to place with the compiler over the next 30 years.” (From the Project History.)

Dr. Ryan Guinaran was instrumental to starting the final phase of the project of publishing this dictionary. He had heard that such a dictionary existed and he emailed Lee Ballard in 2006, asking if it was published and stating that there is a need for an Ibaloy Dictionary. And the result of this compilation, Dr. Guinaran’s email, the contributions of countless Ibaloys, and the work of many, is now available in Mt Cloud Bookshop!

Aside from phonology, grammar, and morphophonemics of the Ibaloy language, it also includes a valuable introduction to the Ibaloy people, in Notes on Ibaloy Cultural History, by Patricia Afable.

The Dicitonary is published by DITENG, Inc. (Doctors for Indigenous Health and Culturally Competent Training, Education, Networking and Goverance), and the Cordillera Studies Center, University of the Philippines Baguio. It will be launched on February 23, 2012, at 4:00 PM in the Bulwagang Juan Luna, University of the Philippines, Baguio.