Appendix:Cebuano–Waray-Waray relations

Cebuano and Waray-Waray are two major Bisayan languages of the Philippines with the most native speakers, both descended from a last common ancestor called Proto-Bisayan. Cebuano is spoken in Cebu, eastern Negros island, Bohol, western & southern Leyte and most of Mindanao. Waray-Waray (also called Waray, Winaray or Samareño) is a Central Bisayan language spoken in Samar and Eastern Leyte. Cebuano and Waray-Waray are closely related, both being Bisayan languages, and shares many cognates, but they are not mutually intelligible, and there are also many false friends and false cognates speakers of both languages can encounter.

Unless otherwise indicated, Cebuano terms listed here usually refer to General Cebuano words, that is, those from the de facto prestige dialect of Cebuano spoken around Carcar in Cebu. For Waray-Waray, terms used in the standard dialect spoken in Tacloban is used. Where no accent is provided, the word is pronounced with second-to-final (penultimate) stress.

Cognates and shared vocabulary edit

Cebuano and Waray-Waray have striking similarities in core, inherited vocabulary.

Below is a list of terms shared between Cebuano and Waray-Waray, as well as cognates. Also included is a English translation or gloss, and a Proto-Bisayan reconstruction (following Zorc 1977). Some of the terms are inherited directly from Proto-Central Philippine, Proto-Philippine or Proto-Malayo-Polynesian with no changes.

English Cebuano Waray-Waray Proto-Bisayan
afternoon hapon hapon *hapun
back likód likód *likúd
because tungod tungod *təŋud
bile apdo apdo *qapdu
blood dugo dugo *duguq
body hair; down balhibo barahibo *badahibu
to breathe ginhawa ginhawa *ginhawa
to choose pilì pilì *piliq
cooked rice; food kan-ón kan-on *kaqən-ən
cough ubó ubó *qubuh
depth dalom dalom *daləm
devil yawà yawà *yawaq
to eat kaon kaon *kaqən
egg itlóg itlóg *qitlug
eight waló waló *walú
to be happy lipay lipay *lipay
to fear hadlok hadlok *hadluk
fingernail; claw kuko kuko *kukuh
fire kalayo kalayo *kalayu
five lima lima *lima
front atubang atubang *qatubaŋ
to get kuha kuha *kuhaq
to go missing; to lose walà wara *wadaq
hand kamot kamot *kamət
heart kasingkasing kasingkasing *kasiŋkasiŋ
heavy bug-at bug-at *bəgqat
hot init init *qínit
house baláy baláy *baláy
hulled rice bugás bugás *bəgas
human person tawo tawo *tau
hundred gatos gatos *gatus
I akó akó *aku
to know hibalo hibalo *hi-badu
left wala wala *walah
lightning kilát kilát *kilat
louse kuto kuto *kutu
to love higugma higugma *hi-gəgma
middle tungâ tungâ *təŋaq
moon; month bulan bulan *bulan
night gabii gab-i *gabiqi
no, none waláy, walâ waráy, warâ *waday, *wadaq
noon udto udto *qudtu
north wind; northeast monsoon amihan amihan *amihan
nose ilong irong *ijuŋ
parent ginikanan ginikanan *g(-in-)ikan-an
to pity luoy luoy *luquy
place away from the coast or town; inland ilaya iraya *i-daya
place toward the direction of town or the sea; seaward ilawod ilawod *i-laud
rain ulán urán *qudan
red pulá pulá *pulah
river subâ subà *subaq
to run dagan dalagan *dalagan
soul kalag kalag *kalag
south wind; southwest monsoon habagat habagat *habagat
sourness aslom aslom *ʔasləm
stairs hagdán hagdán *hagdan
star bituon bituon *bituqən
sun; day adlaw adlaw *qadlaw
tail ikóg ikóg *ikug
two duha duha *duha
umbrella payong payong *payuŋ
to use gamit gamit *gamit
we (exclusive) kamí kamí *kami
we (inclusive) kita kita *kita
white putî putî *putiq
widow balo balo *balu
wife asawa asawa *qasawa
woman babaye babaye *babai
world kalibotan kalibutan *ka-libut-an
year tuig tuig *tuqig
you (absolutive common singular) ikaw ikaw *ikaw
you (absolutive plural, polite singular) kamo kamo *kamu
your, yours (common singular) imo imo *imu
your, yours (plural, polite singular) inyo inyo *inyu

Cebuano and Waray-Waray shares also loanwords but they may be spelled differently:

English Cebuano Waray-Waray Source
doll monyeka munyeka Spanish muñeca
school eskuwela, eskuyla eskwela Spanish escuela

All cognates display the changes of Proto-Bisayan schwa to /o ~ u/. Some Waray dialects, however, retain the schwa.

The Proto-Central Philippine cluster *l+consonant (except *h, *q or another *l) undergo metathesis in Bisayan (e.g. PPh *qalsəm > PCPh *ʔalsəm > PBis ʔasləm > Cebuano aslom and Waray-Waray aslom)

Borrowings edit

There is some borrowing between Cebuano and Waray-Waray and vice versa, with Cebuano dialects spoken in Leyte featuring borrowings from Waray-Waray. Some Waray-Waray dialects (e.g. Abuyog dialect) in Leyte also feature Cebuano borrowings.

False friends edit

Vocabulary differences edit

English translation Cebuano Waray-Waray
bird langgam tamsi
dog iro ayam
to gamble sugál huygo
mirror samín espeho
town lungsód bungto

Examples edit

See also edit