BISAYA 101

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Hi everyone!
I'm Karin's Soulkeeper, and this is my shot at teaching you guys a new language.

This is a thread that will (try to) teach you Bisaya. I will be constantly updating this thread. So if you're interested, stay tuned!

In an attempt to stay organised, I'm going to compile the links to the parts here:

Part One: Introduction to Bisaya
.::Bisaya 101::.
Part One: Introduction to Bisaya

Foreword
Bisaya, or more known internationally as 'Cebuano', is a dialect spoken mainly in central and southern Philippines. More than half of the population can speak and understand Bisaya, and the numbers are steadily rising. Due to modern lifestyles today, Bisaya has morphed from a rigid spoken dialect to a healthy mix of Filipino, Spanish, English, Chinese, and Native Bisaya. Words are borrowed, mostly from English, to adapt to the ever-changing society. As such, many words such as 'Juice', 'Television', and 'Internet', are widely accepted, understood, and used.

Bisaya is the main language of the majority, and the mother tongue of the locals living near world-renowned beaches and natural wonders (such ad). It is quite a nice experience to be able to communicate with people more freely and naturally. You will reach an understanding much easily, and the people will like you more. Plus, you'll surprise and wow them too! Since none of us are used to seeing foreigners speaking in our dialect.

So when you decide to come for a vacation, want to learn something new, or are just plain bored, then step right up and learn Bisaya!

Goal, Scope and Limitation
This series aims to teach modern Bisaya to non-speakers. Or at least, this series will try.
This series is written based on the author's own knowledge of Bisaya. Any rules and formatting present in this article is formulated solely by the author, deriving from the information the author has gathered from speaking the said language since birth. As such, this series may or may not correspond to the actual rules implemented by local laws, professionals, and the educational system; if there are any.
This series will be limited to teaching bisaya as it is spoken today in Butuan, the author's hometown. This series will not delve into the other variations of bisaya spoken in other places and times, though the differences are minimal.
This series will not talk about current issues, lolicons, groot, the hash-slinging slasher, or nonsense of any sort.


Alphabet

Oh don't worry. Bisaya will not require extensive knowledge of Kanji ;P

Bisaya uses the English alphabet, with a few letters missing and two special ones added. The following are all of the letters used in Bisaya.
A, B, D, G, H, I, K, L, M, N, Ñ, Ng, O, P, R, S, T, U, W, and Y.

NOTES:
  • Note the absence of: C, E, F, J, Q, V, X, and Z.
  • Ñ is pronounced like the 'ny' in Tanya.
  • Ng is pronounced like the 'ng' in Game Making.
  • All the other letters are pronounced as they are.
    i.e. a = 'ah', o = 'oh', u = 'oo', and etc.

Disclaimer:
Due to fast changing times and differing logic, the above table and the spellings of Bisaya words may vary from person to person. This is because Bisaya is a spoken language, and is not usually written. There are no rules carved into stone that talk about writing Bisaya. Thus, everyone is free to use his own interpretation. I am using the most natural sounding and more widely used spellings of the words.


Basic Phrases

Now this is what you all have been waiting for... Phrases!

But first, a few notes. Bisaya is mainly a spoken language. As such, pronunciation is of utmost importance. But as I can't just appear next to you and show you the right way of speaking, I will be using the following symbols to help:

NameSymbolDescription
Dash-to separate syllables
Slash/to indicate pauses
Apostrophe'to show where the stress should be
Asterisk*to replace actual slashes*
*(i.e. his/her would become his * her)

The word will be written; and beside it, enclosed in parentheses, is its pronunciation.
Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:
WordPronunciation
Apathy(ah'-pa-thee)
et cetera(et'/ se-te-ra)
Happy(ha'-pee)
Mirthful(merth'-ful)
coup de etat(koo/ de-ta')
Karin's SoulKeeper(ka-rins/ soul'-kee-per)
Yes/No(yes * no)

Are you guys still with me? No? Well I'll go ahead anyway.

)
English WordsBisaya EquivalentPronunciation
YesOo(o'/-o)
NoDili(dee'-li/)
Thank youSalamat(sa-la'-mat)
PleasePalihog(pa-lee'-hog/)
MorningBuntag(bun'/-tag)
NoonUdto( ud'/-to)
AfternoonHapon(ha-pon'/)
NightGabi-i(ga-bee'/ i)
DayAdlaw(ad'/-lao)
In the MorningSa Buntag(sa/ bun'/-tag)
At NoonSa Udto(sa ud'/-to)
In the AfternoonSa Hapon(sa ha'/-pon)
In the EveningSa Gabi-i(sa gabi'/-i)
YesterdayGahapon(ga-ha'-pon/)
Today (this day)Karong Adlaw(ka-rung/ ad'/-lao
TomorrowUgma(ug-ma'/)
GoodMaayo(ma-a'-yo)
Good MorningMaayong Buntag(ma-a-yong bun'/-tag)
Good NoonMaayong Udto(ma-a-yong ud'/-to)
Good AfternoonMaayong Hapon(ma-a-yong ha'/-pon)
Good EveningMaayong Gabi-i(ma-a'-yong gabi'/-i)
How are you?Kamusta?(ka-moos'-ta?)
I'm fineOkey ra(o'-kei/ ra)
What is your name?Unsa ang imong pangalan?(oon-sa'/ ang i-mong pa-nga-lan?)
My name is MariaAng pangalan nako kay Maria(ang pa-nga-lan na-ku'/ kai Ma-ri-ya)
How about you?(you?)ikaw?(i'-kao?)
Where are you from?Asa ka gikan?(a-sa ka gee'-kan/?)
I am from NorwayGikan ko sa Norway(gee-kan/ ko sa Nor'-wey)
Do you understand Bisaya?Maka-sabot ka ug bisaya?(ma-ka-sa-but'/ ka oog bi-sa-ya/?)
Yes, a littleoo, gamay(o'/-o/ ga-mai/)

As you may have noticed, there are no translations for Hi or Hello.
This is because most speakers now use the actual Hi and Hello as greetings.

The interjection 'uy' (ooi), followed by the name of the person is also used as a greeting, but this is informal and should only be used for your friends.
(i.e. Uy, Karin!)


Also, you'll notice that a lot of the words end with a pause. This simply means that you have to pronounce the last syllable abruptly, and follow with the pause. This is common in Bisaya, and is usually the main difference between the speakers and the non-speakers. Learn how to do this properly, and you're one great leap closer to mastering it! Don't worry if you don't get it right immediately though. Even Filipinos who don't speak Bisaya have a hard time with this (particularly, the people in Luzon). Take it easy on yourself.

Last Words
Well that concludes Part One. Today, I have introduced to you Bisaya. I'm glad that you stuck with me 'till the end!
If you want to hear how the words are pronounced or want to learn new phrases, head over to Google Translate. Just select Cebuano, and you're off! Yes, I am aware that GT butchers sentences, but the pronunciations are pretty natural.

Next part, I'll talk about Pronouns and Making Questions in Bisaya. Stay tuned!
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