Appendix:Cebuano spellings
This appendix discusses standard Cebuano spellings, which follows the Lagda sa Espeling by Bisaya magazine, and adopted by Cebuano-language publications as well as Cebuano multilingual education (MLE) materials by the Department of Education (DepEd) Region VII. Spellings following the Lagda are being promoted by the provincial government of Cebu through the Komisyon Probinsyal sa Sinugboanong Dila (KPSD, or the Provincial Commission on the Cebuano Language) for written Cebuano.
Respelling of consonants and diphthongs of foreign loanwords observe the rules on Mga Lagda sa Sinugboanong Panitik; Binisaya-Sinugboanon nga Batadila by Cesar P. Kilaton, which is also adopted by Bisaya. However, most publications prefer using mya, rya, sya, syo and syon for most cases; such spellings are considered alternative forms to their standard form.
For comparison, the Cebuano standard spelling leans closely to the Tagalog spelling rules by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), with some slight differences. This is apparent in loanwords and affixed words. Cebuano spellings generally only uses the letters of Abakada alphabet, with the exception of proper nouns and genericized trademarks. Words using foreign letters or spellings are required to be italicized, but this is often overlooked as well.
Vowels edit
O and U edit
(Lagda rule 1)
For native words (including precolonial loans), U is used in initial and medial syllables, while O is used in final syllables.
- In initial syllables
- In medial syllables
- In final syllables
I vs E edit
(Lagda rule 2)
I is used in all native vocabulary except the words babaye, dayeg, pangadye and sikwate
O and U, and affixes edit
(Lagda rule 3)
O is generally retained in affixed forms of root words. This is in contrast to the spelling rule in Tagalog set by the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, where it is generally changed to U. Examples:
- In initial syllables
Vowels and contractions edit
(Lagda rule 4)
Final vowels are generally kept in contracted forms. Apostrophes are no longer to be used and the contracted word is suffixed to the preceding word. Examples:
- lainlaing dapit (long form: lainlain nga dapit)
- estudyanteng sipat (long form: estudyante nga sipat)
- dakog kaon (long form: dako og kaon)
Reduplication edit
(Lagda rules 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, and 6C)
U in initial syllable is kept in partially reduplicated words:
In case of words from reduplicated syllables, rules on U and O, and I and E is observed:
In case of reduplicated rootwords, rule 1 and 2 applies as well. Such are to be written with a hyphen (-):
Some terms that are reduplicated are considered single words and are not to be written with hyphen. Rule 1 also applies:
Some terms that are considered specific terms for an object, animal or place will also follow the rule on reduplications that are considered single words.
Loanwords edit
Unadapted borrowings edit
(Lagda rule 7A)
Unadapted borrowings (direktang paghulam), that is, loanwords not altered or respelled to conform to Cebuano phonology and spelling should be written in italics. Examples:
- fan (from English. Cebuano equivalent: magdadayeg)
- buena familia (from Spanish)
Adapted borrowings edit
(Lagda rule 7B)
Adapted borrowings (di[li] direktang paghulam), that is, loanwords altered or respelled to conform to Cebuano phonology should retain their vowels. Foreign sounds are replaced by their equivalents reflecting their realization under native Cebuano phonology. This rule exclude proper nouns and genericized trademarks. Examples:
- pilosopo (from Spanish filósofo)
- tono (from Spanish tono)
- polis (from English police)
- adbentyur (from English adventure)
- gradwesyon (from English graduation)
- responsabilidad (from Spanish responsabilidad)
English or Spanish in origin? edit
(Lagda rule 7K)
In case an English term that can be borrowed has a Spanish cognate of the same sense, Cebuano prefers to borrow the Spanish.
Foreign UO edit
(Lagda rule 7D)
In case of loanwords containing UO, O is used for the Cebuano.
Older borrowings edit
(Lagda rule 7E)
Earlier loanwords have been corrupted or consistently written differently in Cebuano so their original etymon is not readily obvious. Such words are no longer to be respelled so to reveal their etymology.
- suspetsa (from Spanish sospecha)
- sustener (from Spanish sostener)
- pista (from Spanish fiesta)
- kuwitis (from Spanish cohete)
- hulma (from Spanish hormar)
- holmigas (from Spanish hormigas)
- kutson (from Spanish colchón)
- pundo (from Spanish fondo)
E and EY for English long A edit
(Lagda rule 7G)
Cebuano uses E or EY to respell the English long A
E before English S followed by consonant edit
(Lagda rule 7H)
E is added to respellings of English borrowings starting with S before other consonants. This contrasts with the Tagalog rule where I is used instead, reserving ES to Spanish.
- esnatser (from English snatcher, cf. Tagalog isnatser)
- estambay (from English stand by, cf. Tagalog istambay)
English Y pronounced /i/ edit
(Lagda rule 7I)
English Y is respelled to Cebuano I when pronounced /i/
I and English EE edit
(Lagda rule 7L)
English EE is respelled to Cebuano I when pronounced /i/.
-iyo for English -iew edit
(Lagda rule 7M)
English -iew is respelled to Cebuano I when pronounced /i/, except where the preceding consonant follows a vowel, where the I is deleted.
-u for English -ue edit
(Lagda rule 7N)
English -ue is respelled to Cebuano -u when pronounced /u/ or /ju/.
-yum for English -ium edit
(Lagda rule 7Ng)
English -ium is respelled to Cebuano -yum.
- akwaryum (from English aquarium)
- awditoryum (from English auditorium)
-os for English -ous edit
(Lagda rule 7O)
English -ous is respelled to Cebuano -os.
Simplified spelling edit
(Lagda rules 7P and 7R)
Simplified spelling (simplipikadong paagi) attempts to bring spelling of words more closer to their original source. This generally applies to:
- Spanish borrowings which would be too short or unwieldy if to observe all the previous rules discussed above. This is done with Spanish loanwords with ie or ei, where the I is removed. Such spellings are permitted as alternative forms. Examples:
- gobyerno, instead of *gobiyerno (from Spanish gobierno)
- porsento, instead or porsiyento (from Spanish porciento)
- English words respelled to reflect a Cebuano speaker's pronunciation:
- plaslayt (from English flashlight)
- notbok (from English notebook)
- adbentyur (from English adventure)
- hayskol (from English high school)
Coinages edit
(Lagda rules 8A and 8B)
Coinages both from native and foreign roots should follow rules regarding vowels
Consonants edit
B for V edit
V in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano B. Examples:
- abiso (from Spanish aviso)
- pabor (from Spanish favor)
- laba (from Spanish lavar)
- baso (from Spanish vaso)
- biyahe (from Spanish viaje)
K for C edit
C in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano K. Examples:
- abaniko (from Spanish abanico)
- artikulo (from Spanish artículo)
- barko (from Spanish barco)
- kosina (from Spanish cocina)
- bakante (from Spanish vacante)
KE for QUE edit
QUE in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano KE. Examples:
- etiketa (from Spanish etiqueta)
- kerida (from Spanish querida)
- tangke (from Spanish tanque)
- prankeyo (from Spanish franqueo)
- retoke (from Spanish retoque)
KI for QUI edit
QUI in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano KI. Examples:
- arkitektura (from Spanish arquitectura)
- makina (from Spanish máquina)
- kinse (from Spanish quince)
- rekisito (from Spanish requisito)
- takilya (from Spanish taquilla)
KS for X edit
X in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano KS. Examples:
- eksakto (from Spanish exacto)
- eksamin (from English examine)
- ekskursiyon (from Spanish excursión)
- oksiheno (from Spanish oxigeno)
- seksyon (from Spanish sección or English section)
KUWA for CUA edit
CUA in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano KUWA. Examples:
KUWE for CUE edit
CUE in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano KUWE. Examples:
DY for J edit
J in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano DY. Examples:
DY for English soft G edit
The "soft" G (/d͡ʒ/) in English loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano DY. Examples:
H for Spanish G or J edit
H is generally used to transcribe Spanish G (before E and I) and J. Examples:
- Spanish G before E or I to Cebuano H
- ahente (from Spanish agente)
- dihito (from Spanish dígito)
- imahen (from Spanish imagen)
- orihinal (from Spanish original)
- trahedya (from Spanish tragedia)
- Spanish J to Cebuano H
- bagahe (from Spanish bagaje)
- kaha (from Spanish caja)
- hinete (from Spanish jinete)
- husto (from Spanish justo)
- pasahe (from Spanish pasaje)
Spanish H is not pronounced, so they are omitted when borrowed into Cebuano.
- Spanish H
- alahas (from Spanish alhajas)
- abilidad (from Spanish habilidad)
- oras (from Spanish horas)
- ospital (from Spanish hospital)
- ostiya (from Spanish hostia)
J for Boholano J edit
J is specifically used for Boholano pronunciation of General Cebuano Y.
L for English LL edit
English LL is generally respelled to Cebuano L. Examples:
LY for Spanish LL edit
Spanish LL is generally respelled to Cebuano LY. Examples:
- amarilyo (from Spanish amarillo)
- apelyido (from Spanish apellido)
- bilyar (from Spanish billar)
- kutsilyo (from Spanish cuchillo)
- martilyo (from Spanish martillo)
M for Spanish N before fricatives edit
Spanish N before fricatives is generally respelled to Cebuano M. Examples:
- komperensiya (from Spanish conferencia)
- kombento (from Spanish convento)
- imbalido (from Spanish inválido)
- imbestigasyon (from Spanish investigación)
- kompesal (from Spanish confesar)
mya for mia edit
mia is generally respelled to Cebuano mya. One exception is akademiya. Examples:
myo for mio edit
mio is generally respelled to Cebuano myo
NY for Spanish Ñ and nea edit
Spanish Ñ and nea is generally respelled to Cebuano NY. This excludes proper nouns. Exceptions to this rule is kompaniya (from Spanish compañía). Examples:
- banyo (from Spanish baño)
- kampanya (from Spanish campaña)
- kanyon (from Spanish cañón)
- pinya (from Spanish piña)
- linya (from Spanish línea)
niya for Spanish nia/nía edit
Spanish nía is generally respelled to Cebuano niya. Examples:
P for F edit
F in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano P. Examples:
- kape (from Spanish café)
- pabrika (from Spanish fábrica)
- pamilya (from Spanish familia)
- petsa (from Spanish fecha)
- prutas (from Spanish frutas)
R for RR edit
RR in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano R. Examples:
- areglo (from Spanish arreglo)
- baraks (from English barracks)
- karera (from Spanish carrera)
- koreyo (from Spanish correo)
- bara (from Spanish barrar)
riya for foreign ria following E or O edit
ria following an E or O in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano riya. This includes where the Spanish has ría. Examples:
- galeriya (from Spanish galería)
- karenderiya (from Spanish carenderia)
- kategoriya (from Spanish categoría)
- bateriya (from Spanish bateria)
rya for foreign ria following A, and E or O on two-syllable words edit
ria following an A in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano rya. Examples:
- malarya (from Spanish malaria)
- primarya (from Spanish primaria)
- sekundarya (from Spanish secundaria)
- punerarya (from Spanish funeraria)
ria following an E in loanwords is also replaced by Cebuano rya where the word only has two syllables. Examples:
S for C, Z, and X edit
C following I and E in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano S. Examples:
Z in loanwords is also replaced by Cebuano S. Examples:
- asul (from Spanish azul)
- basar (from English bazaar)
- krus (from Spanish cruz)
- lapis (from Spanish lápiz)
- ahedres (from Spanish ajedrez)
X in loanwords is replaced by Cebuano C in certain cases. Examples:
siya for foreign cia/tia following consonant edit
cia or tia following a consonant in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano siya. Examples:
- ganansiya (from Spanish ganancia)
- probinsiya (from Spanish provincia)
- alkansiya (from Spanish alcancia)
- ignoransiya (from Spanish ignorancia)
sya for foreign cia/tia following vowel edit
cia or tia following a vowel in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano sya. Examples:
- amnesya (from Spanish amnesia)
- parmasya (from Spanish farmacia)
- grasya (from Spanish gracia)
- demokrasya (from Spanish democracia)
siyo for foreign cio/tio edit
cio or tio following a consonant in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano siyo. Examples:
- ganansiya (from Spanish ganancia)
- probinsiya (from Spanish provincia)
- alkansiya (from Spanish alcancia)
- ignoransiya (from Spanish ignorancia)
syo for foreign cio/tio following vowel edit
cio or tio following a vowel in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano syo. Examples:
- edipisyo (from Spanish edificio)
- palasyo (from Spanish palacio)
- bisyo (from Spanish vicio)
- serbisyo (from Spanish servicio)
siyon for foreign cion/tion edit
Spanish cio or English tio following a consonant is generally replaced by Cebuano siyon. Examples:
- koleksiyon (from Spanish colección)
- indyeksiyon (from English injection)
- leksiyon (from Spanish lección)
- kombensiyon (from Spanish convención)
syon for Spanish ción and English tion following vowel edit
Spanish ción and sión or English tion following a vowel is generally replaced by Cebuano syon. Examples:
- alegasyon (from Spanish alegación)
- edukasyon (from Spanish educación)
- ilusyon (from Spanish ilusión)
- okasyon (from Spanish ocasión)
TS for CH edit
CH is generally replaced by Cebuano TS. Examples:
Diphthongs edit
AY for foreign AE/AI edit
AI or AE in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano AY. Examples:
- ayroplano (from Spanish aeroplano)
- ayrosol (from English aerosol)
- kayda (from Spanish caída)
- bayle (from Spanish baile)
AW for foreign AO/AU edit
The O or U in the diphthongs AO or AU in loanwords is generally replaced by Cebuano AW. Examples:
- bakalaw (from Spanish bacalao)
- kakaw (from Spanish cacao)
- awto (from English or Spanish auto)
- awtomatiko (from Spanish automático)
EYA for EA edit
The diphthong EA is generally transcribed into Cebuano EYA. This stands in contrast to Tagalog, where it is generally retained, and the EYA spelling treated as variants. Examples:
EYO for EO edit
The diphthong EO is generally transcribed into Cebuano EYO. This stands in contrast to Tagalog, where it is generally retained. Examples:
- ateyo (from Spanish ateo)
- ideyolohiya (from Spanish ideología)
EYU for EU edit
The diphthong EU is generally rewritten into Cebuano EYU. This stands in contrast to Tagalog, where it is generally retained. Examples:
IYA for foreign IA edit
A Y is generally inserted into the diphthong IA in loanwords. Examples:
- akademiya (from Spanish academia)
- anomaliya (from Spanish anomalia)
- Bibliya (from Spanish Biblia)
- karenderiya (from Spanish carendería)
- kategoriya (from Spanish categoría)
- enerhiya (from Spanish energía)
- industriya (from Spanish industria)
- litaniya (from Spanish litania)
- ortograpiya (from Spanish ortografía)
Exceptions edit
If the diphthong is preceded by the letter S in the Cebuano transcription and is actually preceded by a vowel, the "I" is no longer kept.
- amnesya (from Spanish amnesia)
- ambisyon (from Spanish ambición)
- alegasyon (from Spanish alegación)
- anemya (from Spanish anemia)
There are foreign loanwords, where transcribed into Cebuano, should no longer retain the “I”.
- kolonya (from Spanish colonia)
- komedya (from Spanish comedia)
- elementarya (from Spanish elementaria)
- medya (from Spanish media)
- primarya (from Spanish primaria)
- trahedya (from Spanish tragedia)
- iglesya (from Spanish iglesia)
- sekundarya (from Spanish secundaria)
IYE for foreign IE edit
A Y is generally inserted into the diphthong IE in loanwords. Examples:
- abiyerto (from Spanish abierto)
- diyeta (from Spanish dieta)
- impiyerno (from Spanish infierno)
- miyembro (from Spanish miembro)
- piye (from Spanish pie)
- piyer (from English pier)
- miyentras (from Spanish mientras)
- siyempre (from Spanish siempre)
- piyesa (from Spanish pieza)
IYO for foreign IO edit
A Y is generally inserted into the diphthong IO in loanwords. Examples:
- adiyos (from Spanish adios)
- Diyos (from Spanish Dios)
- basiyo (from Spanish vacío)
- anunsiyo (from Spanish anuncio)
IYU for foreign IU edit
A Y is generally inserted into the diphthong IU in loanwords. Examples:
SYU for CEU edit
Foreign CEU is transcribed into SEU. Examples:
- parmasyutiko (from Spanish farmacéutico)
UWA for foreign UA edit
A W is generally inserted into the diphthong UA in loanwords. Examples:
- estatuwa (from Spanish estatua)
- guwapa (from Spanish guapa)
- guwardiya (from Spanish guardia)
- kuwarenta (from Spanish cuarenta)
- kuwarta (from Spanish cuarta)
UWE for foreign UE edit
A W is generally inserted into the diphthong UE in loanwords. Examples:
- muweble (from Spanish mueble)
- muwelye (from Spanish muelle)
- puwerta (from Spanish puerta)
- buwelta (from Spanish vuelta)
- suwerte (from Spanish suerte)
UWI for foreign UI edit
A W is generally inserted into the diphthong UI in loanwords. Examples:
- lingguwistika (from Spanish lingüística)
- buwitre (from Spanish buitre)
- biskuwit (from English biscuit)
UY for foreign UE edit
Alternatively, the diphthong UE in loanwords can be replaced with UY. Examples:
- nuybe (from Spanish nueve)
- Huybes (from Spanish jueves)
- buylo (from Spanish vuelo)
- pruyba (from Spanish prueba)
- eskuyla (from Spanish escuela)
UYA for foreign UIA edit
The triphthong UIA in loanwords should be replaced with UYA. Examples:
YO for foreign IO edit
The diphthong IO in loanwords can be transcribed with YO. Examples:
- rosaryo (from Spanish rosario)
- kampanaryo (from Spanish campanario)
- diksiyonaryo (from Spanish diccionario)
- ordinaryo (from Spanish ordinario)