Cebuano language
From Halbeeg, the open encyclopedia · Af-Soomaali
98 languages
Cebuano (also known as Bisaya or Binisaya) is a language of the Austronesian family, spoken in central and parts of southern Philippines. It is most widely used in the eastern and central Visayan islands, particularly Cebu, Bohol, eastern Negros, and parts of Leyte, as well as much of Mindanao.
Cebuano is one of the most widely spoken mother languages in the Philippines, second only to Tagalog. It has millions of native speakers, but the official language of government and education is Filipino (based on Tagalog) and English, which affects the domains in which Cebuano is used.
Classification and related languages
Cebuano belongs to the Visayan branch of Philippine languages within the Austronesian family. It is closely related to Hiligaynon, Waray, and Surigaonon. Cebuano has several dialects; those of Cebu city, Bohol (often called Boholano), Mindanao, and Negros differ in pronunciation and some vocabulary.
Language structure
Cebuano has a small vowel system—originally three main vowels (a, i, u) now commonly written as five (a, e, i, o, u) due to Spanish influence. Verbs use a focus system marking the role of participants (actor-focus, patient-focus, locative-focus, instrument-focus). Nouns are preceded by markers such as 'ang', 'sa', and 'ug' that indicate the grammatical role of the noun phrase. Like other Philippine languages, word roots are modified by prefixes, infixes, and suffixes.
Vocabulary
Cebuano has borrowed a large number of words from Spanish, a result of centuries of Spanish colonization, particularly terms for numbers, time, religion, and tools. There are also newer English loanwords, especially in technology and administration. Earlier, there were Sanskrit and Arabic borrowings that came through Malay languages.
Writing and use
Today Cebuano is written in the Latin script. There is written literature, local journalism, and radio broadcasts in Cebuano, as well as music and film. Primary school native-language education programmes have given Cebuano official recognition, though the scope varies according to educational policy.