The Bisayan languages, also called Visayan, are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken in the Philippines, closely related to Tagalog and Bikol within the Central Philippine group. Most speakers live in the Visayas region, though the languages also extend into southern Bicol, islands south of Luzon, most of Mindanao, Sulu province and some Metro Manila communities, and the group comprises more than 30 languages across five branches, South, Cebuan, Central, Asi and West. Cebuano is the largest with about 20 million native speakers, followed by Hiligaynon with about 9 million and Waray-Waray with about 6 million.
Facts
RegionVisayas, Mindanao and Mimaropa in the Philippines, Sabah in Malaysia, and North Kalimantan in Indonesia 1 Proto-Language StatusProto-Bisayan reconstructed, for example by David Zorc in 1977, with 15 consonants and 4 vowels 1 Connections
Descends From
Bisayan (Visayan) is a branch of Central Philippine spoken across the Visayas and parts of Mindanao.
Sources
1. Bisayan languages, Wikipedia
Infobox, Geographic distribution field
Visayas, most parts of Mindanao, Mimaropa in the Philippines, Sabah in Malaysia, North Kalimantan in Indonesia and immigrant communities
Reconstruction section
David Zorc's reconstruction of Proto-Bisayan had 15 consonants and 4 vowels (Zorc 1977:201).
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