Visayas, most parts of Mindanao, Masbate, and Mimaropa in the Philippines, Sabah in Malaysia and immigrant communities
Linguistic classification
Austronesian
Malayo-Polynesian
Philippine
Greater Central Philippine
Central Philippine
Bisayan
Proto-language
Proto-Bisayan
Subdivisions
Asi Cebuano Central Bisayan West Bisayan South Bisayan
Glottolog
bisa1268
Geographic extent of Bisayan languages based on Ethnologue and the National Statistics Office 2000 Census of Population and Housing
Cebuan
Cebuano
Central Bisayan
Waray
Baybayanon
Kabalian
Hiligaynon
Capiznon
Romblomanon
Bantayanon
Porohanon
Ati
Masbateño
Southern Sorsogon
Northern Sorsogon
West Bisayan
Cuyonon
Caluyanon
Aklanon
Karay-a
Inonhan
Ratagnon
Asi
Asi
South Bisayan
Surigaonon
Butuanon
Tausug
Other legend
Widespread/L2 use of Cebuano
Widespread/L2 use of Hiligaynon
The Bisayan languages or Visayan languages[1] are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog and the Bikol languages, all of which are part of the Central Philippine languages. Most Bisayan languages are spoken in the whole Visayas section of the country, but they are also spoken in the southern part of the Bicol Region (particularly in Masbate and Sorsogon where several dialects of Waray are spoken), islands south of Luzon, such as those that make up Romblon, most of the areas of Mindanao and the province of Sulu located southwest of Mindanao. Some residents of Metro Manila also speak one of the Bisayan languages.
Over 30 languages constitute the Bisayan language family. The Bisayan language with the most speakers is Cebuano, spoken by 20 million people as a native language in Central Visayas, parts of Eastern Visayas, and most of Mindanao. Two other well-known and widespread Bisayan languages are Hiligaynon (Ilonggo), spoken by 9 million in most of Western Visayas and Soccsksargen; and Waray-Waray, spoken by 6 million in Eastern Visayas region. Prior to colonization, the script and calligraphy of most of the Visayan peoples was the badlit, closely related to the Tagalog baybayin.
^Adelaar, Alexander (2005). "The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar: a historical perspective". In Adelaar, Alexander; Himmelmann, Nikolaus (eds.). The Austronesian languages of Asia and Madagascar. London: Routledge. pp. 1–42., page 16.
The Bisayanlanguages or Visayan languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines. They are most closely related to Tagalog...
and Bikol) is an informal term for the three Bisayanlanguages spoken in the Bicol Region. These languages include Sorsoganon, a group of Warayan speech...
religion. Visayans are generally speakers of one or more of the distinct Bisayanlanguages, the most widely spoken being Cebuano, followed by Hiligaynon (Ilonggo)...
southern parts of Leyte island. It is the third most spoken language among the Bisayanlanguages, only behind Cebuano and Hiligaynon. The term Waray comes...
Southern Sorsogon (also Waray Sorsogon, Gubat) is a Bisayanlanguage spoken in the southern part of Sorsogon, Philippines, in the municipalities of Gubat...
English as Visayan, though this should not be confused with other Bisayanlanguages, and locally written without the accent marks) and sometimes referred...
member of the Bisayanlanguages family, which includes Cebuano and Waray. In particular, it has many similarities with the Surigaonon language of the provinces...
Peninsula) Bisayan (eighteen languages spoken in the whole Visayas, as well as southeastern Luzon, northeastern Mindanao and Sulu) Mansakan (eleven languages of...
(also Masbate Sorsogon, Northern Sorsoganon, Sorsogon Bicolano) is a Bisayanlanguage spoken in the central part of Sorsogon, Philippines, in Sorsogon City...
speakers of Bisayanlanguages under the name of Bislish. English is spoken widely in southern Africa and is an official or co-official language in several...
official languages, alongside English. Tagalog is closely related to other Philippine languages, such as the Bikol languages, the Bisayanlanguages, Ilocano...
widely spoken language in the Visayas and belongs to the Bisayanlanguages, and it is more distantly related to other Philippine languages. It also has...
island of Panay in the Philippines. Its unique feature among other Bisayanlanguages is the close-mid back unrounded vowel [ɤ] occurring as part of diphthongs...
The Bikol languages or Bicolano languages are a group of Central Philippine languages spoken mostly in the Bicol Peninsula in the southeastern part of...
Kamayo, a Mansakan language. According to Dumanig (2015), Surigaonon has a similar phonological inventory as its sister Bisayanlanguages, Cebuano and Boholano...
regional Bisayanlanguage spoken on the coast of Palawan and the Cuyo Islands in the Philippines. Cuyonon had been the lingua franca (language used for...
Bantoanon or Asi is a regional Bisayanlanguage spoken, along with Romblomanon and Onhan, in the province of Romblon, Philippines. Asi originated in the...
newlyweds!") A number of other Philippine languages have terms that are cognate with the term. The Bisayanlanguages, for example, use the term "Mabuhi" in...
languages have always been spoken in Canada. Prior to Confederation, the territories that would become Canada were home to over 70 distinct languages...
Caluyanon is a regional Western Bisayanlanguage spoken in the Semirara Island Group, Caluya, Antique in the Philippines. Most of its speakers use either...
language (also known as Ligbok or Sulod language), a member of the West Bisayan subdivision of the Bisayanlanguages within the Austronesian language...
(Tagalog-infused English) and Bislish (English infused with any of the Bisayanlanguages) is prevalent across domains from casual settings to formal situations...
The Bantayanon language is the regional language of the Bantayan islands in the Philippines. It is a part of the Bisayanlanguage family and is closely...
is a regional language spoken by the Ratagnon people, an indigenous group from Occidental Mindoro. It is a part of the Bisayanlanguage family and is...
Surigao del Norte. It is a part of the Bisayanlanguage family and is closely related to other Philippine languages. As of 2007, Butuanon is believed to...
province of Capiz in the northeast of Panay Island. It is a member of the Bisayanlanguage family and the people are part of the wider Visayan ethnolinguistic...
regional Western Bisayanlanguage spoken, along with the Romblomanon and Asi languages, in the province of Romblon, Philippines. The language is also known...