Cebuano language

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"Cebuano" redirects here. For the inhabitants of Cebu, see Cebuano people
Cebuano
Sugbuanon
Spoken in: Philippines 
Region: Central Visayas and most of Mindanao
Total speakers: first language: 20 million (ethnologue)

second language: 11 million (est.) 
Ranking: 47
Language family: Austronesian
 Malayo-Polynesian
  Borneo-Philippines
   Central Philippine
    Bisayan
     Cebuan
      Cebuano 
Writing system: Latin (Filipino variant);
Historically written in Baybayin 
Official status
Official language in: none
Regulated by: Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
(Commission on the Filipino Language)
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: ceb
ISO 639-3: ceb
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.

Cebuano (Cebuano: Sinugbuanon, "language of the Cebuanos") is an Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines by about 20,000,000 people (according to Ethnologue). It is a subgroup or member of the Visayan languages, and is thus also commonly referred to as Visayan (Cebuano: Binisaya, "language of the Visayans"). The name came from the Philippine island of Cebu, the site of the second-largest metropolitan area in the country. Cebuano is given the ISO 639-2 three letter code ceb, but has no ISO 639-1 two letter code.

Cebuano is a member of the Visayan language family.

Contents

[edit] Geographic distribution

Cebuano is spoken natively by the inhabitants of Cebu, Bohol, eastern part of Negros island, western parts of Leyte and Biliran islands, southern third of Masbate island and throughout the most of Mindanao. It is also spoken in a few towns and islands in Samar. Until 1975, Cebuano surpassed Tagalog in terms of total number of speakers, but Cebuano has still the most number of native speakers than Tagalog. Migrations from Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental mostly to Mindanao and vice versa increase the Cebuano-speaking population of the Philippines. Some dialects of Cebuano give different names to the language. Residents of Bohol may refer to Cebuano as Bol-anon while Cebuano-speakers in Leyte may call their dialect Kana.

It is also spoken by Warays in Samar and Leyte, Porohanon in Poro, Ilonggos in Negros Oriental, Eskaya in Bohol, and by native (like Atas, Bagobos, Butuanons, Maranaos, and Tausugs) and migrant Filipino ethnic groups (like Ilocanos and Ilonggos), foreign ethnic groups (like Spaniards, Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans), and other peoples in Mindanao as second language. Cebuano is a language with the Verb Subject Object sentence order, in which the first term in the sentence is the term given emphasis. Nouns and adjectives are joined by the nga connector with their order arbitrary as long as the nga connector in between them.

Predominantly Cebuano-speaking regions in the Philippines.
Predominantly Cebuano-speaking regions in the Philippines.

[edit] Sounds

Cebuano has seventeen consonants: p, t, k, ʔ (the glottal stop), b, d, g, m, n, ng, s, h, w, l, r, y, and j (also spelled gy or dy). There are four vowels: i, e, a, and u/o. The vowels u and o are allophones, with u always being used when it is the beginning of a syllable, and o always used when it ends a syllable. But there are some exceptions, like kamatuoran (truth) and hangtúd (until). "E" originally appears only in few words such as "babaye" (girl/woman), "dayeg" (praise, complement), "gane" (he said, she said, they said, it was said, allegedly, reportedly, supposedly), "parayeg" (loving), and "pangadye" (prayer) and only in last syllables as "E" was mostly an allophone of "I" in final syllables. When Spanish arrived, more words with e has been added with the introduction of loanwords. Accent is also a distinguisher of words, so that dápit means "to invite", while dapít means "near" or "nearby place". Consonants [d] and [ɾ] were once allophones, but cannot interchange, like kabungturan (uplands) [from bungtód, mountain] is correct but not *kabungtudan and tagadihá (from there) [from dihá, there] is correct but not *tagarihá.

[edit] Grammar

[edit] Pronouns

Pronouns are inflected in person, number, and case.

The four cases are nominative, preposed genitive, postposed genitive, and oblique.

  Absolutive Ergative₁
(Postposed)		 Ergative₂
(Preposed)		 Oblique
1st person singular ako, ko, (ta only when the object is ka/mo=you) nako, ko ako, akoa kanako, nako
2nd person singular ikaw, ka nimo, mo imo, imoha kanimo, nimo
3rd person singular siya niya iya, iyaha kaniya, niya
1st person plural inclusive kita, ta nato ato, atoa kanato, nato
1st person plural exclusive kami, mi namo amo, amoa kanamo, namo
2nd person plural kamo, mo ninyo inyo, inyoha kaninyo, ninyo
3rd person plural sila nila ila, ilaha kanila, nila

Cebuano, like most other Austronesian languages, makes use of the inclusive and exclusive we. This distinction, not found in most European languages, signifies whether or not the addressee is included in the pronoun "we."

Examples:

Moadto kami sa sinehan.
"We (someone else and I, but not you) will go to the movies."

Moadto kita sa sinehan.
"We (you and I, and perhaps someone else) will go to the movies."

[edit] Demonstrative Pronouns

kiri = (English : this, these) for things that are near or touching distance to the speaker but not necessarily near the listener

kini = (English : this, these) for things that are near or touching distance to both the speaker and the listener

kana = (pronounced kanaq, English : that, those) for things that are not of touching distance to the speaker but is near the listener

kadto = (English : that, those) for things that are not of touching distance to the speaker nor near the listener

[edit] 10 Types of Sentences

1) equational ( topic = predicate )

  a) "Mao kini ang Kabisaya-an".             = This is the Visayas.
  b) "Siya si Oscar."                        = He is Oscar.
  c) "Mao na ang amoang balay"               = That is our house.

2) non-equational ( topic < predicate )

  a) "Pilipino ang mga Bisaya."              = Visayans are Filipinos.
  b) "Pula ang iyang gisul-ob."              = The one he wears is red. (He is wearing red.)
  c) "Gipalitan ka niya og balay."           = (He buys a house for you.)

3) existential sentence of presence

  a) "Adunay Diyos sa langit."                = (There is) God in heaven.
  b) "Didtoy halas sa kahoy."                = (There was) a snake in the tree.

4) existential sentence of possession

  a) "Ang mga anghel sa langit adunay Dios." = (The angels in heaven have a God.)
  b) "Aduna koy imnon sa balay."           = (I had wine at home.)

5) locative sentence

  a) "Ania ang kuwarta."                       = Here is the money.
  b) "Toa siya sa bukid."                    = He/She is in the mountain.

6) meteorologic sentence

  a) "Tugnaw dinhi sa Baguio."                = (It is) cold here in Baguio.
  b) "Hilom kaganiha sa plaza."                = (It was) calm in the plaza.

7) exclamatory remark

  a) "Kadaghan man nimo og sakyanan!"        = (Wow! You have a lot of cars.)
  b) "Gwapaha nimo oy!"                      = (You are pretty!)
  c) "Kasaba ba ninyo!"                      = (You are so noisy!)

8) imperatives

  a) "Isugba kanang isda."                 = (Grill that fish.)
  b) "Umari ka."                             = Come here.

9) question

  a) "Kinsa ka?"                             = Who are you?
  b) "Unsa'y imong ngalan?"                = What is your name?

10) confirmation

  a) "Kini ba ang Kabisay-an?"               = Is this the Visayas?
  b) "Pula ba ang iyang gisul-ob?"           = (Does he wear red?)
  c) "Aduna bay Diyos?"                       = (Does God exist?)
  d) "Isugba ba kining isda?"                =  Shall this fish be grilled?

[edit] Enclitic Particles

  1. ba: used for yes-and-no questions and optionally for other types of questions.
  2. gane: hearsay word, expresses the information in the sentence is second-hand; he said, she said, they said, it was said, allegedly, reportedly, supposedly.
  3. gid: politeness word
  4. kay: because.
  5. lang: limiting particle; just, only.
  6. man: even, even if, even though, although.
  7. na: now, already (past positive tense), anymore (past negative tense).
  8. pa: still, else.
  9. ug: and.
  10. sad, pud: also.

Na and pa are not used in the same sentence.

The word gane, which means, “he said/she said/they said”, is sometimes joined to real translations of “he said/she said”, which is matud niya, and “they said”, which is matud nila. It is also joined to the Cebuano of “you said”, which is matud nimo. But this time, gane means “supposedly, reportedly, or allegedly.”

Matud niya gane.
He/she supposedly said.

Matud nila gane.
They supposedly said.

Matud nimo gane.
You supposedly said.

[edit] Interrogative Words

Unsa? What?

Asa? Where?(for a place or person)

Diin? , Dis-a? Where?

Hain? , Sa-a? Where?(for an object)

Kinsa? Who?

Ngano? Why?

Kang-kinsa? To whom?

Gi-unsa? How?

Kanus-a? When?

Pila ka buok? , Pila? How many?

Tag-pila? How much?

Diay ba? Really?

[edit] Vocabulary and borrowed words

Cebuano has long borrowed words from Spanish, such as krus [cruz] (cross), swerte [suerte] (luck), guapa (beautiful), merkado [mercado] (market), and brilyante [brillante] (brilliant). It has several hundred loan words from English as well, which are altered to conform to the limited phonemic inventory of Cebuano: brislit (bracelet), hayskul (high school), syapin (shopping), and drayber (driver). There are also words from other languages like Arabic like salamat (thanks) and Islamic words used in Mindanao like imam, sharif, jihad, and Islam, and Sanskrit mahárlika [mahardikka] (nobility) and karma.

The use of asa and hain

Asa and hain - both mean where - have distinct uses in formal Cebuano writing.

Asa is used when asking about a place. Asa ka padulong? (Where are you going?) Asa ta molarga? (Where are we travelling to?)

Hain is used when asking about a person or thing. Hain na ang gunting? (Where is the pair of scissors?) Hain na si Arsenia? (Where is Arsenia?)

In modern spoken Cebuano, however, asa is commonly used to replace hain. You can rarely hear hain being used (and it is usually spoken by old native Cebuanos).

[edit] Words and phrases

[edit] Numbers

Cardinal Ordinal
1 usà úna
2 duhà ika-duhà
3 tulò ika-tulò
4 upàt ika-upàt
5 limà ika-limà
6 unòm ika-unòm
7 pitò ika-pitò
8 walò ika-walò
9 siyàm ika-siyàm
10 napú'ô/napulo ika-napú'ô/ika-napulo
11 napú'ô'g usá/napulo'g/napulo ug usá/onse (Spanish words are used for numbers greater than 10) ika-napú'ô'g usá/ika-napulo'g usá/ika-napulo ug usá/ika-onse
20 kawhaan/bente
30 katlo-an/trenta
100 usa ka gatos/syento
1000 usa ka libo/mil
100,000 usa ka gatos ka libo/syento-mil
500,000 lima ka gatos ka libo/tunga sa milyon/singko-syento-mil
1000000 usa ka milyon

Note: Shorter terms are the one mostly used.

[edit] Common expressions

  • I am Miguel de Guia. Ako si Miguel de Guia.
  • May I ask a question? Mahimo bang mangutana? or Puwede ko mangutana?
  • How are you? Kumusta ka?
  • Good. (I am well.) Maayo.
  • How old are you? Unsay edad nimo?
  • How much? Pila? or Tag-pila?
  • How many? Pila?
  • I don't know. Wala ko kahibalo. or Ambut.
  • Good day! Maayong adlaw!
  • Good Morning! Maayong buntag!
  • Good Noon! Maayong udto!
  • Good Afternoon! Maayong hapon! or Maayong Palis!
  • Good Evening! Maayong gabii!
  • Who are you? Kinsa ka (Informal)
  • When is Kanus-â ang
  • Where do you live? Asa ka nagpuyô?
  • Where are you from? Taga-asa ka?
  • Where are you going? Asa ka paingon?
  • Where are they going? "Asa sila paingon?"
  • Where is Asa ang
  • Where is the bathroom? Asa man ang banyo?
  • Where is the toilet? Asa man ang kasilyas? or Asa man ang CR? (CR = English "Comfort Room")
  • Where is the market? Asa man ang merkado?
  • What Unsa
  • What's this? Unsa ni?
  • What's that? Unsa nâ?
  • What should we do? Unsay among buhaton? or Unsay atong buhaton? or Unsay angay namong buhaton? or Unsay angay natong buhaton
  • What is your name? Unsay ngalan nimo? Unsay imong ngalan?, or colloquially, Kinsa'y ngalan nimo?
  • What number of child are you in your family? Ikapila ka sa imong pamilya? (Firstborn, secondborn, etc.; common expression in Cebuano, not English)
  • I would like to buy that. Gusto ko mopalit anâ.
  • I would like two of those. Gusto ko ug duha anâ.
  • Hello, my name is Miguel. Kumusta, Miguel akong ngalan., or colloquially, Ako si Miguel.
  • Shut up Hilom! or Saba! although "saba" means loud and sometimes people ridicule this word by being louder instead of being silent.
  • Help Me! Tabangi ko!
  • Help! Tabang!
  • Please, help me! "Palihug tabangi ko!" or "Palihug tabangi ako!"
  • Wait a minute Kadiyot lang or Huwat sâ
  • What time is it? Unsa nang (namang) orasa?
  • It's five o'clock Alas singko na
  • I love you. Gihigugma ko ikaw. or Nahigugma ko nimo. or Gihigugma tika. or Gimahal ko ikaw
  • Take care. Pag-ayo-ayo! or Pag-amping
  • Take that! (slang) Usapa 'na! (literally "Chew it!")
  • Ouch! Agay!
  • Don't! Ayaw!
  • Yes Oo
  • No Dili

[edit] Clamor for recognition

The use of Tagalog as a basis for Filipino drew criticism from other Philippine linguistic groups. To some extent, there was active resistance shown against its usage. For instance, the Philippine national anthem is sometimes sung in Cebuano and not in Pilipino in the island province of Cebu}. This resistance did not threaten the country's national sovereignty. On the part of the Cebuanos, this may be a mere clamor for linguistic recognition. Their clamor for recognition might be based on the following arguments:

  1. Historically, Cebu is the first and oldest City in the Philippines. Long before Manila fell into the hands of the Spanish Conquerors in the 16th century, Cebu was already an established trading and military post for the Spaniards.
  2. Linguistically, Cebuano is recently, the country's second most widely used language. During the independence, it was the first largest linguistic group. Cebuano, though originally spoken only in the island of Cebu, is now being spoken in many parts of Mindanao, the eastern part of Negros island, and Bohol.
  3. Strategically, due to its geographical location, Cebu is the alternate gateway to Manila adding significance to its language. Cebuano is the native language of more regions than Tagalog, being the language with the most native speakers in Region VII (Central Visayas), Region IX (Western Mindanao), Region X (Northern Mindanao), Region XI (Davao Region), Caraga Region, and Region XII (Southern Mindanao), and lingua franca speakers in latter 5 regions and even Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). There are also significant number of speakers in Region VI (Western Visayas, mostly in San Carlos City and neighboring areas) and Region VIII (Eastern Visayas, mostly in western Leyte and Southern Leyte). By comparison, Tagalog is the language of the majority in the NCR, Region IV-A, Region IV-B, and Region III (Central Luzon, where Kapampangan and Ilocano also dominate some areas).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikipedia
Cebuano language edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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