Wiki: Bisayan languages

The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages, page 16. are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog language and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Most Bisayan languages are spoken in the whole Visayas section of the country, but they are also spoken in the southern part of the Bicol Region (particularly in Masbate and Sorsogon where several dialects of Waray language are spoken), islands south of Luzon, such as those that make up Romblon, most of the areas of Mindanao and the province of Sulu Province located southwest of Mindanao. Some residents of Metro Manila also speak one of the Bisayan languages.

Over 30 languages constitute the Bisayan language family. The Bisayan language with the most speakers is Cebuano language, spoken by 20 million people as a native language in Central Visayas, parts of Eastern Visayas, and most of Mindanao. Two other well-known and widespread Bisayan languages are Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), spoken by 9 million in most of Western Visayas and Soccsksargen; and Waray-Waray, spoken by 6 million in Eastern Visayas region. Prior to colonization, the script and calligraphy of most of the Visayan peoples was the badlit, closely related to the Tagalog baybayin.

Nomenclature

Native speakers of most Bisayan languages, especially Cebuano language, Hiligaynon and Waray language, not only refer to their language by their local name, but also by Bisaya or Binisaya, meaning Bisayan language. This is misleading or may lead to confusion as different languages may be called Bisaya by their respective speakers despite their languages being mutually unintelligible.

However, languages that are classified within the Bisayan language family but spoken natively in places outside of the Visayas do not use the self-reference Bisaya or Binisaya. To speakers of Cuyonon language, Surigaonon, Butuanon and Tausug language, the term Visayans usually refers to either Cebuano or Hiligaynon.

There have been no proven accounts to verify the origins of Bisaya. However, there is an ethnic group in Malaysia and Brunei who call themselves with the same name. However, these ethnic groups in the Philippines must not be confused with those in Borneo.

Evidence

David Zorc lists the following innovations as features defining the Bisayan languages as a group (Zorc 1977:241). Tausug is noted to have diverged early from the group and may have avoided some sound changes that affected the others.

*lC, *Cl > *Cl (where C is any consonant not *h, *q, or *l)
*qC, *Cq > *Cq (MOST) *qC, *Cq > *qC (Tausug language, and most Bikol languages)

+Reflexes of PCPh and PPh ! !qaldaw !qalsəm !qitlug !baqguh
Tagalic	*qaːdaw (Tagalog language: ˈʔaː.raw)	*qaːsəm (Tag: ˈʔaː.sim)	*qitlug (Tag: ʔit.ˈlog)	*baːguh (Tag: ˈbaː.go)
Bikol	*qaldaw (Central Bikol: ˈʔal.daw)	*qalsəm (Naga: ˈʔal.som)	*qitlug (Iriga: ʔit.ˈlog)	*baqguh (Naga: ˈbaʔ.go)
Bisayan	*qa dlaw (ALL: ˈʔad.law)	*qa sləm (Kin: ˈʔas.ləm, Cebuano language: ˈʔas.lum)	*qi tlug (MOST: ˈʔit.log)	*ba gquh (Ceb: ˈbag.ʔo)

Internal classification

David Zorc gives the following internal classification for the Bisayan languages (Zorc 1977:32).

David Paul Zorc (1977). 9780858831575, Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. . ISBN 9780858831575

The five primary branches are South, Cebuan, Central, Banton, and West. However, Zorc notes that the Bisayan language family is more like a dialect continuum rather than a set of readily distinguishable languages.

The South Bisayan languages are considered to have diverged first, followed by Cebuan and then the rest of the three branches. Also, in the Visayas section, the province of Romblon has the most linguistic diversity, as languages from three primary Bisayan branches are spoken there: Romblomanon from Central Bisayan, Onhan language from Western Bisayan and Banton language (which has an independent Bisayan branch).

Notably, Baybay language and Porohanon have Waray language substrata, indicating a more widespread distribution of Waray before Cebuano speakers started to expand considerably starting from the mid-1800s.

A total of 36 varieties are listed below. Individual languages are marked by italics.

Bisayan

1. South (spoken on the northeastern coast of Mindanao)

Butuan-Tausug

Tausug language
Butuanon

Surigao

Surigaonon
Tandaganon

2. Cebuan (spoken in Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Eastern Negros, western Leyte and northern, southeastern and northwestern parts of Mindanao)

Cebuan

Cebuano language

Boholano

3. Central (spoken across most of the Visayan region)

Warayan (spoken in eastern Leyte, Biliran and Samar)

Waray language
Baybayanon
Kabalian
Southern Sorsogon (Gubat)

Peripheral

Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) (spoken in eastern Panay and Guimaras, Western Negros and south-central Mindanao)
Capiznon
Bantayanon
Porohanon
Masbate-Sorsogon

Masbateño
Central Sorsogon (Masbate)

Romblon (also the name of the Romblon)

Romblomanon

4. Asi (spoken in northwestern Romblon Province)

Asi language

5. West

Aklan (spoken in northwestern Panay)

Aklanon language
Malaynon

Karayan

Karay-a language (spoken in western and inland Panay)

North-Central (spoken on Tablas Island and the southern tip of Mindoro)

Onhan language (language related to Karayan)

Kuyan (spoken in the archipelagos west of Panay and Romblon as well as the southern tip of Mindoro)

Ratagnon
Cuyonon language

Caluyanon

Caluyanon

The auxiliary language of Eskayan language is grammatically Bisayan, but has essentially no Bisayan (or Philippine) vocabulary.

Magahat language and Karolanos, both spoken in Negros, are unclassified within Bisayan.Lobel, Jason William. 2013. Philippine and North Bornean languages: issues in description, subgrouping, and reconstruction. Ph.D. dissertation. Manoa: University of Hawai'i at Manoa.

Names and locations

Zorc (1977: 14–15) lists the following names and locations of Bisayan languages. The recently documented languages Karolanos, Magahat language, and Kabalian are not listed in Zorc (1977).

Banton Island, Romblon

Sibale (Maestre de Campo) Island, Romblon

Odiongan area, Tablas Island, Romblon

Alcantara, Tablas Island, Romblon

San Andres (Despujols), Tablas Island

Look and Santa Fe, Tablas Island

Ilin Island and Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro

Barrio Santa Teresa of Magsaysay, Occidental Mindoro

Bulalacao (San Pedro), southern Oriental Mindoro

Semirara Island Group

Cuyo Island, except Agutaya; coastal area around Puerto Princesa, Palawan; Culion and Busuanga Islands

Aklan and northern Capiz, Panay Island

Pandan area, Antique, including the Buruanga, Aklan area of Panay

most of Antique, Panay Island; most inland areas of Iloilo and Capiz; southern Guimaras Island off of Iloilo

Guimaras Island, Iloilo

Romblon and Sibuyan Island; San Agustin area, Tablas Island

Bantayan Island Island

Capiz and northeastern Iloilo, Panay Island

most of Iloilo, Panay Island; western Guimaras and Negros Occidental

Cauayan, Negros Occidental

Masbate and Ticao Island

Camotes Island, between Cebu and Leyte

northern Samar

central Samar; northern half of Leyte

southern Samar Island, Eastern Samar

northern Sorsogon, Bicol Region

southern Sorsogon, Bikol (including Gubat)

Cebu Island; Negros Oriental; eastern Visayas and the coastal areas of northern and eastern Mindanao

Bohol Island

central western Leyte; immigrants to Dinagat Island

Butuan, Agusan del Norte area

Surigao del Norte

Siargao Island, Surigao del Norte

Cantilan and Madrid, Surigao del Sur

Tandag and Tago, Surigao del Sur

Jolo Island; southern and western Palawan

Comparisons

The following comparisons are from data gathered by Zorc (1997).

Personal-noun case markers

Banton	si	ni	kang	sa	na	kaná
Sibale	si	ni	kang	sína	nína	kína
Odionganon	si	ni	kang	sa	na	kaná
Alcantaranon
Dispoholnon	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Onhan language	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Datagnon	si	ni	ki	sánda	nánda	kanánda
Santa Teresa	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Bulalakawnon	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Semirara	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Cuyonon language	si	ni	ki	sanda	nanda	kanda
Aklanon language	si	ni	kay	sánda(y)	nánda(y)	kánda(y)
Pandan	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Kinaray-a	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Gimaras
Romblomanon	si	ni	kay	siná	niná	kiná
Bantayan
Capiznon	si	ni	kay	sánday	nánday	kánday
Hiligaynon	si	ni	kay	silá ni	níla ni	sa íla ni
Kawayan
Masbate	si	ni	kan	sinda	ninda	kanda
Camotes
Northern Samar	si	ni	kan	sirá	nirá	kánda
Samar-Leyte	si	ni	kan	sirá	níra	kánda
Waray language	hi	ni	kan	hirá	níra	kánda
Sorsogon (Central Sorsoganon)	si	ni	kan	sirá	nirá	kánda
Gubat (South Sorsoganon)	si	ni	kan	sirá	nirá	kánda
Cebuano language	si	ni	kang	silá si siláng	níla ni níang	sa íla ni, sa ílang
Boholano	si	ni	kang	síla	níla	kaníla
Baybay language				silang	nilang	sa ilang
Butuanon	si	ni	kang	sinda	ninda	kanda
Surigaonon	si	ni	kay	síla	níla	kaníla
Southern, Surigaonon	Jaun-Jaun	si	ni	kan	síla si	níla ni	díla ni
Southern, Surigaonon	Kantilan
Southern, Tandaganon	Naturalis
Tausug language	hi	hi	kan	hinda	hinda	kanda

Common-name case markers

Banton	-y	kag		it	ittong		sa
Sibale	-y	kag		it	itkag		sa
Odionganon	-y	kag		it	ittong		sa
Alcantaranon		ang		it	tang		sa
Dispoholnon		ang		it	kang		sa
Onhan language		ang		it	tang		sa
Datagnon		ang		#	ang		sa
Santa Teresa		ang			kang		sa
Bulalakawnon		ang		it	tang		sa
Semirara		ang			kang		sa
Cuyonon language		ang		i	i-ang		sa
Aklanon language	-y	ro~do		it	ku		sa
Pandan		ang		it	kang		sa
Kinaray-a		ang		ti	kang		sa
Gimaras		ang		ti	kang		sa
Romblomanon		ang		ning	nang		sa
Bantayan		ang		sing	sang		sa
Capiznon		ang		sing	sang		sa
Hiligaynon		ang		sing	sang		sa
Kawayan		ang		sing	sang		sa
Masbate		an		sin	san		sa
Camotes	in	an		sin	san		sa
Northern Samar	in	an		si(n)	sa(n)		sa
Samar-Leyte	in	an	it	sin	san	sit	sa
Waray language	in	an	it	hin	han	hit	ha
Sorsogon (Central Sorsoganon)		an		sin	san		sa
Gubat (South Sorsoganon)		an		sin	san		sa
Cebuano language	-y	ang		ug	sa		sa
Boholano		ang		ug	sa		sa
Baybay language		ang		ug	sa		sa
Butuanon		ang			hong		sa
Surigaonon		ang			nang		sa
Southern, Surigaonon	Jaun-Jaun		an			nan		sa
Southern, Surigaonon	Kantilan		ang			nang		sa
Southern, Tandaganon	Naturalis		ang			nang		sa
Tausug language	in			sin			ha

Reconstruction

David Zorc's reconstruction of Proto-Bisayan had 15 and 4 (Zorc 1977:201). Vowel length, primary stress (penultimate and ultimate), and secondary stress (pre-penultimate) are also reconstructed by Zorc.

Proto-Bisayan Consonants

Proto-Bisayan Vowels ! colspan="2"	Height ! colspan="2"	Front vowel ! colspan="2"	Central vowel ! colspan="2"	Back vowel
Close vowel		i			u
Mid vowel				ə
Open vowel				a

Bisayan languages

( Central Philippine Languages )

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Bisayan languages

( Central Philippine Languages )