Appendix:Cebuano–Tagalog relations

This appendix contains the relations between the languages Cebuano and Tagalog.

Cebuano and Tagalog are two languages of the Philippines with the most native speakers, both descended from a last common ancestor called Proto-Central Philippine. Cebuano is spoken in Cebu, eastern Negros island, Bohol, western & southern Leyte and most of Mindanao. Tagalog is spoken in Metro Manila, as well as Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Marinduque, Mindoro island, Nueva Ecija, Palawan, Quezon, Rizal and Zambales, and serves as the basis of the national language Filipino, one of the Philippines' official languages alongside English. Cebuano and Tagalog are closely related, both being Central Philippine 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 Tagalog, terms used in the standard language of Manila is used. Where no accent is provided, the word is pronounced with second-to-final (penultimate) stress.

Cognates
Cebuano and Tagalog shares many cognates, especially in core vocabulary. Most Cebuano-Tagalog cognates descend from Proto-Central Philippine, Proto-Philippine, Proto-Malayo-Polynesian and Proto-Austronesian. For each of these forms, a Proto-Central Philippine (PCPh) reconstruction is given. This list excludes terms that are spelled similarly and mean the same in both languages:


 * - (PCPh *ʔaldaw)
 * - (PCPh *ʔalsəm)
 * - (PCPh *babahi)
 * - (PCPh *baʔgu)
 * -  (PCPh *bahən)
 * -  (PCPh *banban)
 * - (PCPh *balun)
 * - (PCPh *balay)
 * - (via Kapampangan) (PCPh *banug)
 * - (PCPh *bituʔən)
 * – (PCPh *buʔaya)
 * - (PCPh *bəgas)
 * - (PCPh *buhay)
 * - (PCPh *bulan)
 * – (via Kapampangan) (PCPh *dagami)
 * – (via Kapampangan) (PCPh *dagum)
 * - (PCPh *dalan)
 * - (PCPh *daləm)
 * - (PCPh *danaw)
 * – (PCPh *daʔəg)
 * -, (PCPh *di)
 * - (PCPh *dinhi < *dihni)
 * - (PCPh *duha, *daduha)
 * -  (PCPh *gabiʔi)
 * - (PCPh *liʔəg)
 * - (PCPh *puluʔ, *sampuluʔ)
 * - (PCPh *tau)
 * - (PCPh *tulduʔ)
 * - (PCPh *təlu, *tatlu < *tatəlu)
 * - (PCPh *ənəm, *anəm < *a-ənəm)
 * - (PCPh *əpat, *apat < *a-əpat)
 * - (PCPh *əsa, *isa)

Reflexes for Proto-Philippine (PPh) sounds in Cebuano and Tagalog via Proto-Central Philippine (PCPh) respectively are as follows. Cebuano reflexes also apply to the other Bisayan languages:


 * PPh/PCPh *ə → Cebuano and Bisayan /o ~ u/, Tagalog /i/. The Bisayan reflex is also shared with Bikol languages (Albay Bikol, Bikol Central, Iriga Bicolano/Rinconada, etc.), as well as most Bisayan languages (Aklanon, Capiznon, Hiligaynon, Masbatenyo, Surigaonon, Tausug, Waray-Waray, etc.). Karay-a keeps the schwa, as well as the Rinconada (Iriga) Bikol dialects.
 * PPh *ʀ → PCPh *g → Cebuano and Tagalog ⟨g⟩ /ɡ/.
 * PPh *z → PCPh *d → Cebuano and Tagalog ⟨d⟩ /d/ (⟨r⟩ in Tagalog and ancient Cebuano in intervocalic position)
 * Intervocalic PPh/PCPh *l often disappears or changes to h, w or y in Tagalog depending on the surrounding vowels. General or Standard Cebuano (Carcar-Dalaguete dialect) retains it, but some Cebuano dialects (Metro Cebu, Boholano, Leyte) lose it.
 * Intervocalic PPh/PCPh *d generally turns to r and eventually l in both Cebuano and Tagalog.
 * The clusters PPh *l+consonant (except *h, *q or another *l) and *q+consonant undergo reduction in Tagalog, with the former sound disappearing and the preceding vowel lengthened (and thus stressed in modern Tagalog). Most Bisayan languages including Cebuano retain these clusters, albeit with metathesis (e.g. PPh >  PCPh *ʔalsəm > Cebuano  and Old Tagalog: */a:sim/ > Tagalog ; PPh  >  PCPh *baʔgu > Cebuano  and Old Tagalog: */ba:gu/ > Tagalog )

Cebuano borrowings in Tagalog
Tagalog has loanwords from Cebuano, mostly due to to Cebuano and Bisayan migration to Tagalog-speaking regions. Some of these terms refer to concepts that did not previously exist in Tagalog or relate to Cebuano or Bisaya culture; some others have pre-existing equivalents and are introduced to Tagalog by native Cebuano speakers. Some Tagalog slang are of Cebuano provenance (e.g. Tagalog, from Cebuano ).


 * - prisoner. Originally meant “bailiff”. Of Tamil origin. Borrowed further into Ilocano via Tagalog but with a different meaning.
 * - prison. From, which originally meant “bailiff's house", and derives from bilanggo (see above). Coexists with.
 * - crazy, insane. Coexists with.
 * - dugong; sea cow
 * – motorcycle taxi
 * - robber. Coexists with.
 * – city. Borrowed into Tagalog under the Tagalista movement with the intention of displacing the Spanish borrowing.
 * - (ethnic slur) Chinese person. Originated from, a Cebuano limerick chanted by children to mock Chinese people in the late 19th century.
 * - bandit. Since borrowed into Bikol (same meaning) and Ilocano (with the meaning "robber").

Tagalog borrowings in Cebuano

 * See also: Category:Cebuano terms derived from Tagalog

Cebuano, in turn, also has loanwords from Tagalog. Most of these words usually form the vocabulary of "Bisalog" (Cebuano-Tagalog code-switching, or Cebuano varieties influenced by Tagalog, especially spoken Davao Cebuano). Some of these coexist with pre-existing equivalents.


 * - fish corral
 * - bribe. Semantic borrowing to replace the loanword.

False friends and false cognates
Cebuano and Tagalog has many false friends and false cognates.

Example texts
Provided here are various example texts for comparison between the two languages.