Cebuano language
Austronesian language spoken in the Philippines / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cebuano (/sɛˈbwɑːnoʊ/ se-BWAH-noh)[2][3][4] is an Austronesian language spoken in the southern Philippines. It is natively, though informally, called by its generic term Bisayâ ([bisaˈjaʔ]) or Binisayâ ([biniːsaˈjaʔ]) (both terms are translated into English as Visayan, though this should not be confused with other Bisayan languages)[lower-alpha 1] and sometimes referred to in English sources as Cebuan (/sɛˈbuːən/ seb-OO-ən). It is spoken by the Visayan ethnolinguistic groups native to the islands of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, the eastern half of Negros, the western half of Leyte, and the northern coastal areas of Northern Mindanao and the eastern part of Zamboanga del Norte due to Spanish settlements during 18th century. In modern times, it has also spread to the Davao Region, Cotabato, Camiguin, parts of the Dinagat Islands, and the lowland regions of Caraga, often displacing native languages in those areas (most of which are closely related to the language).[5][6]
| Cebuano | |
|---|---|
| Cebuan | |
| Bisayâ, Binisayâ, Sinugbuanong Binisayâ, Sebwano/Sinebwano | |
| Native to | Philippines |
| Region | Central Visayas, eastern Negros, western parts of Eastern Visayas, and most parts of Mindanao |
| Ethnicity | Visayans (Cebuano, Boholano, Eskaya, etc.) |
Native speakers | 20 million (2023 estimate)[1] |
Early form | Classical Cebuano (late 18th century)
|
| Dialects |
|
| Latin (Filipino alphabet) Philippine Braille Historically Badlit | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Regional language in the Philippines |
| Regulated by | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | ceb |
| ISO 639-3 | ceb |
| Glottolog | cebu1242 |
 Cebuano-speaking area in the Philippines | |
| This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. | |
While Tagalog has the largest number of native speakers among the languages of the Philippines today, Cebuano had the largest native-language-speaking population in the Philippines from the 1950s until about the 1980s.[7][failed verification] It is by far the most widely spoken of the Bisayan languages.[8]
Cebuano is the lingua franca of Central Visayas, the western parts of Eastern Visayas, some western parts of Palawan and most parts of Mindanao. The name Cebuano is derived from the island of Cebu, which is the source of Standard Cebuano.[5] Cebuano is also the primary language in Western Leyte—noticeably in Ormoc. Cebuano is assigned the ISO 639-2 three-letter code ceb, but not a ISO 639-1 two-letter code.
The Commission on the Filipino Language, the Philippine government body charged with developing and promoting the national and regional languages of the country, spells the name of the language in Filipino as Sebwano.