Bisaya

See also: bisaya

Bikol Central

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Bi‧sa‧ya
• IPA^(key): /biˈsajaʔ/ [biˈsa.jaʔ]

Noun

Bisayà

1. Visayan (person)

Noun

Bisayà

1. Visayan (dialect continuum)
2. Cebuano (language)

Adjective

Bisayà

1. Visayan

Usage notes

In the sense of "Visayan person", often denotes a person who is ethnically Cebuano in addition to the peoples of the Visayas in general. People who speak a Visayan language, but is not ethnically Visayan or from the Visayas region, such as the natives of Masbate or southern Sorsogon, do not consider themselves Visayan.

Hiligaynon/Ilonggo and Waray are also considered Visayans, and also call their respective languages "Bisaya" in addition to autonyms, but they would prefer being called by their respective ethnonyms instead. In the regions in the Visayas where they are native to (Panay and Negros, and Samar and Leyte), "Bisaya" usually denotes a Cebuano speaker.

Derived terms

• Bisakol
• Kabisayaan

Cebuano

Etymology

Unknown. Possibly related to Sanskrit विषय (viṣaya, “kingdom; dominion; region; territory; domain; realm”), according to Potet (2016). Compare Sabah Bisaya Bisaya, Brunei Bisaya Bisaya, Tatana Bisaya, Khmer វិស័យ (visay), Thai วิสัย (wí-sǎi), Pali visaya. Other theories include:

• From Malay Sri Vijaya (“Sri Vijaya”), from Sanskrit श्री विजय (śrī vijayá). During the 1950s to the 1960s, various authors have claimed that Bisaya is derived from Sri Vijaya, claiming the early settlers of Panay were either from Sri Vijaya or subjects of Sri Vijaya. However, linguist Eugene Verstraelen refutes these claims by pointing out that Vijaya would have been "Bidaya" or "Biraya". Compare Malay bisai.
• From Sanskrit वैश्य (vaíśya) which would have been what Indian traders and/or pirates might have described the settlers of Panay.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Bi‧sa‧ya
• IPA^(key): /bisaˈjaʔ/ [bɪ.s̪ɐˈjaʔ]

Noun

Bisayâ (Badlit spelling ᜊᜒᜐᜌ)

1. Visayan (person)

   Filipino ang mga Bisaya.

   Visayans are Filipinos.

Proper noun

Bisayâ (Badlit spelling ᜊᜒᜐᜌ)

1. Cebuano (language) (see usage notes)
2. a surname from Cebuano

Usage notes

Most speakers of the language, while speaking in Cebuano, would usually call the language as Bisaya or Binisaya. Speakers outside Cebu may refuse to call the language Cebuano since the language is also used in other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. In Cebu, and in media, the language is called Sinugboanon. Cebuano, as a name of the language, is almost only used in English.

Furthermore, other similar languages under the Visayan language continuum refers their language also as Bisaya or Binisaya, but in most instances they call their own language in their exonym to avoid confusion.

Derived terms

• Bisayista
• Binisaya
• Kabisay-an

Further reading

• Bisaya on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Ethnologue Subgroup List under Bisaya
• Ethnologue entry for Bisaya, ceb ⁠
• Cebuano Wiktionary

Hiligaynon

Adjective

Bisayâ

1. Visayan

Proper noun

Binisayâ

1. any of the Visayan language

   Synonym: Binisaya

2. (specifically) Cebuano (language)

Derived terms

• Binisaya
• Kabisayaan

Further reading

• Ethnologue Subgroup List under Bisaya
• Ethnologue entry for Bisaya, hil ⁠

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• Visaya — obsolete

Etymology

Borrowed from Cebuano Bisaya, of uncertain origin, possibly Sanskrit. Possibly related to Sanskrit विषय (viṣaya, “kingdom; dominion; region; territory; domain; realm”), according to Potet (2016). Compare Khmer វិស័យ (visay), Thai วิสัย (wí-sǎi), Pali visaya, Sabah Bisaya Bisaya, Brunei Bisaya Bisaya, Tatana Bisaya. Other theories include:

• From Old Malay Sri Vijaya (“Sri Vijaya”), from Sanskrit श्री विजय (śrī vijayá). During the 1950s to the 1960s, various authors have claimed that Bisaya is derived from Sri Vijaya, claiming the early settlers of Panay were either from Sri Vijaya or subjects of Sri Vijaya. However, linguist Eugene Verstraelen refutes these claims by pointing out that Vijaya would have been "Bidaya" or "Biraya". Compare Malay bisai, from Tamil விசை (vicai).
• From Sanskrit वैश्य (vaíśya) which would have been what Indian traders and/or pirates might have described the settlers of Panay.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)
  • IPA^(key): /biˈsajaʔ/ [bɪˈsaː.jɐʔ] (common)
    • Rhymes: -ajaʔ
  • IPA^(key): /bisaˈjaʔ/ [bɪ.sɐˈjaʔ]
    • Rhymes: -aʔ
• Syllabification: Bi‧sa‧ya

Proper noun

Bisayà or Bisayâ (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒᜐᜌ)

1. (strictly) Cebuano language

   Synonym: Cebuano

2. Visayan (dialect continuum)

Derived terms

• binisaya
• Binisaya
• bisayain
• ipabisaya
• mabisaya
• magbisaya
• magbisayaan
• makabisaya
• makibisaya
• makipagbisaya
• mangbisaya
• mapagbisaya
• napakabisaya
• pabisaya
• pagbisaya
• pagkabisaya
• pagkakabisaya
• pakibisaya
• pakikipagbisaya
• palabisaya
• tagapagbisaya

Adjective

Bisayà or Bisayâ (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒᜐᜌ)

1. Visayan (pertaining to Visayas)

Derived terms

• bisayang-bisaya
• pinakabisaya

Noun

Bisayà or Bisayâ (Baybayin spelling ᜊᜒᜐᜌ)

1. Visayan (person from the Visayan region)
2. Cebuano (speaker of Cebuano)

   Synonym: Cebuano

Usage notes

In the noun senses, Tagalog speakers most commonly use this term to denote an ethnic Cebuano, a Cebuano speaker, and the Cebuano language. Visayans (in the broader sense of natives of the Visayas), beside Cebuanos, such as Hiligaynon and Waray, also refer to their respective native languages as "Bisaya", but their respective speakers often use the demonym "Bisaya" to mean Cebuano instead of Visayans in general, thus, using "Bisaya" in that broader sense (Cebuanos aside) is usually confusing and/or offensive.

Cebuano speakers outside of Cebu province generally use "Bisaya" for the Cebuano varieties in Cebu, and the local varieties of Cebuano usually have their own names (e.g. Boholano, Kana).

In Mindanao, there are also ethnic groups like the Surigaonon and Butuanon who speak a Visayan language besides Cebuano, Hiligaynon or Waray, but they would use "Bisaya" to refer to a Cebuano or Hiligaynon speaker (and their respective languages as well); calling them or their native language "Bisaya" instead of their respective local name is confusing and/or offensive. Nevertheless, "Bisaya" is the preferred ethnonym for native Cebuano speakers in Mindanao who do not necessarily descend from the Cebuanos of Cebu, and the Cebuano language, in turn, is called Binisaya, as a result of migrant ethnic groups from Luzon and indigenous Mindanaoans assimilation into the majority Cebuano-speaking society over the years because Mindanao is a melting pot of cultures due to the migrants from Luzon and Visayas moving to their new homelands in Mindanao seeking economic opportunities mainly in agriculture since the early 20th century.

Derived terms

• Kabisayaan
• pangbisaya
• tagabisaya

See also

• Pintados

Further reading

• “Bisaya”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018
• Ethnologue Subgroup List under Bisaya