jaw harp, bikkuŋ

Jaw harp system of the Ifugao people of the Philippines, mentioned in Blench & Campos (2010): “Ifugao men formerly used the Jews’ harp, bikkuŋ, as a courting instrument to utter stereotyped praises of the girl they were wooing. If the girl also knew how to understand this language and replay, the courting couple could perform clandestine duets” (8). The language is not tonal (7).

Blench, R., & Campos, F. (2010). Recording Oral Literature In A Literate Society: A Case Study From The Northern Philippines. 16.