Appendix:Cognate sets for Bisayan languages

This is a list of cognates in the Bisayan (or Visayan) languages.

The Bisayan languages is one of the sub-branches of the Philippine languages of the Malayo-Polynesian languages, and is composed of over 30 languages. It is also a dialect continuum, with neighboring varieties being largely mutually intelligible, and differences accumulate over distance.

Most data for the lists is based on the Austronesian Comparative Dictionary by Robert Blust and The Bisayan Dialects of the Philippines: Subgrouping and Reconstruction by David Paul Zorc.

Subgroups and languages
This lists terms from the following languages and subgroups. Dialectal terms are marked with qualifiers.


 * South Bisayan
 * Surigaonon
 * Butuanon
 * Tausug
 * Cebuano
 * Central Bisayan
 * Waray-Waray
 * Western Sorsogon
 * Hiligaynon
 * Capiznon
 * Bantayanon
 * Porohanon
 * Masbatenyo
 * Central Sorsogon
 * Romblomanon
 * Asi
 * Western Bisayan
 * Aklanon
 * Kinaray-a
 * Inonhan
 * Ratagnon
 * Cuyonon
 * Caluyanun

Sound correspondences with Proto-Bisayan
Following are the reflexes of Proto-Bisayan sounds on the present languages according to Zorc:


 * PBs *q
 * Medial *-q-
 * Cuyonon: disappears /ᴓ/
 * Ratagnon - becomes -w- before /i/, -y- before /i/, retained elsewhere
 * Other varieties: retained
 * Final -q, retained across all languages
 * q+consonant
 * Most languages: retained, and in some cases metathesized
 * Cuyan group (Cuyonon, Ratagnon): disappears
 * PBs *h
 * Initial *h-
 * Cuyonon, Caluyanun, Ratagnon: becomes glottal stop
 * other varieties: retained
 * Medial -h-
 * Cuyonon: disappears
 * Caluyanon: retained
 * Ratagnon: becomes -w- before /u/, -y- before /i/, retained elsewhere
 * other varieties: retained
 * *h+consonant
 * Cuyonon, Caluyanun, Ratagnon: disappears
 * other varieties: retained
 * reduplicated syllables ending with -h followed by consonant: metathesis
 * -h: Generally retained as fossilized element in suffixed words, though this may disappear in Aklanon and Asi
 * PBs *ᴓ (zero)
 * Initial *ᴓ-
 * Equals to initial glottal stop /q-/
 * Medial *-ᴓ-
 * medial: Caluyanun, Butuanon, Tausug (+Tagalog): becomes medial glottal stop
 * Cuyonon: retained
 * other varieties: becomes -w- before /u~o/, -y- before /i~e/
 * Final *-ᴓ is reconstructed depending where the varieties that retain initial /h/ or glottal stop always remove the final vowel (with possible addition of /h/) when a suffix is added
 * PBs *ə (schwa)
 * retained in Kinaray-a, Cuyonon, Caluyanon, Cebuano (dialectal), Waray-Waray (dialectal), Surigaonon (inland dialects)
 * merged with /u/ elsewhere
 * prepenultimate ə
 * Western Bisaya: becomes /a/
 * Central and Southern Bisaya, and Cebuano: assimilates with vowel on following syllables
 * PBS *y
 * Initial and medial *y (*y- and *-y-)
 * Asi: becomes d-, -d-
 * Cebuano (Bohol, Southern Leyte), Surigao (standard, Jaun-Jaun): Becomes /d͡ʒ/ (j-, -j-)
 * Porohanon: becomes /z/ (z-, -z-)
 * other varieties: retained
 * -y
 * retained
 * PBs *l
 * *-il-, *-li-, *-yl-, *-ly-, *-dl-, *-ld-, *-tl-, *-lt-, *-nl-, *-ln-, *-sl-, *-ls-:
 * Most varieties: retained
 * Asi: /l/ becomes ⟨y⟩ /j/
 * Initial *l-
 * Aklanon: e- /ɤ/ (rare, mostly retained)
 * Asi: y- /j/
 * Most other varieties: retained
 * Medial *-l- (unless preceded or followed by /i/)
 * Aklanon: -e- /ɤ/
 * Asi, Romblomanon, Surigao (standard, Jaun-Jaun): -y- /j/
 * Cebuano (Bohol, Urban and Northern Cebu, Leyte), Butuanon, Surigao (Tandag): disappears or becomes W before U or Y before I
 * other varieties: retained
 * Tausug: retained, or disappears around identical vowels
 * In some Cebuano dialects, esp. Boholano, retained where adjacent to schwas
 * Final ** -l
 * Aklanon: -e /ɤ/
 * Asi, Romblomanon, Surigao (standard, Jaun-Jaun): -y
 * Butuanon, Cebuano (Bohol), Surigao (Tandag): dropped on some words, with compensatory vowel length
 * other varieties: retained
 * *l forming consonant cluster (*-Cl-, *-lC-): generally retained. -lC- clusters on descendant terms (usually prefixed ones where the consonant is an apical one) is metathesized
 * PBs *d
 * Initial *d-, final *-d and *d abutting any consonant (with exceptions)
 * Asi: Becomes r-, -r, and ⟨r⟩ (when next consonants)
 * other varieties: retained
 * Intervocalic *-d- (with exceptions)
 * Aklanon: becomes -e- /ɤ/
 * Asi, Romblomanon, Surigao (standard, Jaun, Kalagan): becomes -y- /j/
 * Capiznon, Hiligaynon, Cebuano: becomes -l-
 * Cebuano (Bohol, Urban and Northern Cebu, Leyte), Butuanon, Surigao (Tandag): disappears or becomes /w/ before /u/ or ⟨y⟩ /j/ before /i/
 * Tausug: becomes -l- or disappears
 * other varieties: becomes -r- (in many cases -l-)