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Cebuano language
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Cebuano is an Austronesian (Malayo Polynesian) language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people. It is the largest member of the Visayan languages, and is also referred to as "Visayan". The name comes from the island of Cebu, the site of the second-largest metropolitan area in the Philippine Islands. Cebuano is given the ISO 639-2 three letter code ceb, but has no ISO 639-1 two letter code.
ano is spoken natively by the inhabitants of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, western parts of Leyte, some parts of Samar, Biliran islands, southern region of Masbate island, and some parts of Mindanao.
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Encyclopedia
Cebuano is an Austronesian (Malayo Polynesian) language spoken in the Philippines by about 20 million people. It is the largest member of the Visayan languages, and is also referred to as "Visayan". The name comes from the island of Cebu, the site of the second-largest metropolitan area in the Philippine Islands. Cebuano is given the ISO 639-2 three letter code ceb, but has no ISO 639-1 two letter code.
Distribution
Cebuano is spoken natively by the inhabitants of Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, western parts of Leyte, some parts of Samar, Biliran islands, southern region of Masbate island, and some parts of Mindanao. Some dialects of Cebuano give different names to the language. Native people from Bohol may refer to Cebuano as Bol-anon while Cebuano-speakers in Leyte may call their dialect "Kana". Speakers in Mindanao and Metro Manila refer to the language simply as "Visaya".
Orthography and phonology
Cebuano has 21 phonemes. There are sixteen consonants: p, t, k, (the glottal stop), b, d, g, m, n, ng, s, h, w, l, r, and y. There are five vowels: i, e, a, o, and u.
Vowels
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Cebuano had three vowel phonemes: , , and . This was later expanded to five vowels with the introduction of Spanish words. The vowels o and u are still mostly allophones, however, with u always being used when it is the beginning of a syllable, and o always used when it ends a syllable. But there are some exceptions, like kamatuoran (truth) and hangtúd (until). "E" originally appeared only in a few words such as "babaye" (girl/woman), "dayeg" (praise, complement), "parayeg" (loving), and "pangadye" (prayer) and only in last syllables as "E" was mostly an allophone of "I" in final syllables. Under the influence of Spanish, more words with e have been added with the introduction of loanwords.
The vowels are:
an open front unrounded vowel similar to English "father"
an open-mid front unrounded vowel similar to English "bed"
a close front unrounded vowel similar to English "machine"
a close-mid back rounded vowel similar to English "forty"
a close back unrounded vowel similar to English "flute"
Consonants
Below is a chart of Cebuano consonants. All the stops are unaspirated. The velar nasal occurs in all positions including at the beginning of a word.
Stress
Accent is also a distinguisher of words, so that dápit means "to invite", while dapít means "near" or "nearby place". Consonants [d] and [] were once allophones, but cannot interchange, like kabungturan (uplands) [from bungtód, mountain] is correct but not *kabungtudan and tagadihá (from there) [from dihá, there] is correct but not *tagarihá.
Grammar
Cebuano is a language with the Verb Subject Object sentence order, in which the first term in the sentence is the term given emphasis. Nouns and adjectives are joined by the nga connector with their order arbitrary as long as the nga connector is in between them.
Nouns
While Cebuano nouns are not inflected, they are usually preceded by case markers. There are three types of case markers: kinsa (nominative), tag-iya (genitive), and gitagan-an.
Unlike English or Spanish which are nominative-accusative languages, Cebuano is an ergative-absolutive language. This may have led to a misconception about Cebuano as being often spoken in a passive voice.
Kinsa or nominative markers mark the topic of most sentences and both the topic and complementary predicate of an equational sentence. Tag-iya or genitive markers mark the owner of the thing or the doer of an action. Gitagan-an markers are similar to prepositions in English. They mark things such as location and direction. Furthermore, noun markers are divided into two classes: one for names of people (personal) and the second for everything else (general).
Below is a chart of case markers. Mga (pronounced []) marks the plural.
| | Kinsa | Tag-iya | Gitagan-an |
|---|
| general singular | ang | sa | sa | | general plural | ang mga | sa mga | sa mga | | personal singular | si | ni* | kang | | Personal plural | sila si/ silang | nila ni/ nilang* | kanila ni/ kanilang |
*Tag-iya case functions like an adjective. Sometimes an adjective acts as a complementary predicate. When a tag-iya case noun is a complementary predicate it uses kang in singular and ila ni/ilang in plural.
Examples:
Gigutom si Soy.
hungry is Soy
"Soy is hungry."
Gwapo si Paolo Pormento.
Handsome is Paolo Pormento.
"Paolo Pormento is handsome."
Nakit-an ni Nicoy si Janx.
did-see Nicoy Janx
"Nicoy saw Janx."
Mangadto silang Karlatoot ug Susiedear sa balay ni Jedd.
Will-go Karlatoot and Susiedear to-the house of Jedd
"Karlatoot and Susiedear will go to Jedd's house."
Hain ang mga libro?
At-where the those book(s)
"Where are the books?"
To-a kang Williever ang yawe.
At with Williever the keys
"Williever has the keys."
Murag Butong si Paolo.
Like Coconut is Paolo.
"Paolo is like a coconut."
Pronouns
Like nouns, personal pronouns are categorized by case.
| | Kinsa | Tag-iya(primary)* | Tag-iya(modifier)** | Oblique |
|---|
| 1st person singular | ako | akoa*** | nako | kanako | | 2nd person singular | ikaw | imoha | nimo | kanimo | | 3rd person singular | siya / sya | iyaha /iya | niya | kaniya | | 1st person plural inclusive | kita | atoa / ato | nato | kanato | | 1st person plural exclusive | kami | amoa / amo | namo | kanamo | | 2nd person plural | kamo | inyoha | ninyo | kaninyo | | 3rd person plural | sila | ilaha | nila | kanila |
*There are two sets of tag-iya case and they function similarly except that the primary tag-iya would need the unifying linker nga and...
**the modifier tag-iya cannot be used as complementary adjective.
***The final syllable of a primary tag-iya pronoun is mostly dropped.
When the pronoun is not the first word of the sentence, the short form is more commonly used than the full form.
| | Kinsa | Tag-iya(primary) | Tag-iya(modifier) | Oblique |
|---|
| 1st person singular | ko* | ako | ko | nako | | 2nd person singular | ka | imo | mo | nimo | | 3rd person singular | siya | iya | niya | niya | | 1st person plural inclusive | ta** | ato | nato | nato | | 1st person plural exclusive | mi | amo | namo | namo | | 2nd person plural | kamo | inyo | ninyo | ninyo | | 3rd person plural | sila | ila | nila | nila |
*When the object is a second person pronoun do not use ko, use ta instead.
**When the object is a second person pronoun ta means first person singular.
Examples:
Misulat ko.
"I wrote."
Gisulatan ko niya.
"He/She wrote me a letter."
Akong ihatag niya.
"I will give it to him/her."
Modifier tag-iya pronouns follow the word they modify. Primary tag-iya pronouns can take the place of the modifier tag-iya pronoun but they precede the word they modify.
Ang balay nako.
Ang akong balay.
"My house."
Especial attention should be given to the short form ta. When the subject is second person it means first person singular.
Gihigugma ta ka.
"I love you."
Tagaan ta mo og kwarta.
"I will give you money."
Nakit-an ta mo gahapon sa tindahan.
"I saw you at the store yesterday."
Amigo ta ka.
"You are my friend."
The inclusive pronoun kita refers to the first and second persons. It may also refer to a third person(s).
The exclusive pronoun kamí refers to the first and third persons but excludes the second.
Wala tay bugas.
"We (you and I) don't have rice."
Wala miy bugas.
"We (someone else and I, but not you) don't have rice."
The short form is often used when the pronoun is not the first word in the sentence.
The pronouns are gender neutral, hence siyá means either he or she.
Demonstrative Pronouns
Cebuano demonstrative pronouns are as follows.
| | Kinsa | Tag-iya | Gitagan-an* |
|---|
| Nearest to speaker (this, here) | kiri(ri)** | iri | ngari | | Near speaker and addressee (this, here) | kini(ni) | ini | nganhi | | Nearest addressee (that, there) | kana(na) | ana | nganha | | Remote (yon, yonder) | kadto(to) | ato | ngadto |
*The nga- form can be replaced with the di- form so intead of ngari, nganhi, nganha, ngadto one can use diri, dinhi, dinha, didto.
**The one in parenthesis is the short form which is often used when a pronoun is not the first word in the sentence.
Examples:
Unsa ni?
What this?
"What's this?"
Kinsa nang tawhana?
Who that man?
"Who is that man?"
Gikan ni Pedro ning sulata.
From (ni=adjective) Pedro this letter
"This letter is from Pedro."
Mangaon sila didto.
Will-eat they there
"They will eat there."
Mikaon ana ang bata.
Ate that the child.
"The child ate (some of) that."
Verbs
Cebuano verbs are morphologically complex and take on a variety of affixes reflecting focus, aspect, mode, and others.
Aspect
Cebuano verbs conjugate for aspect rather than for tense. Cebuano verbs indicate whether you are still going to start the act or not going to start it anymore. There are three types of aspect: imperative, incepted, and incepting.
- imperative aspect - for giving commands
- incepted aspect - past actions and present actions that are not habitual. While habitual may have been started somewher in the past or the present, the fact that you are still have to start it again in the future make it in the incepting aspect.
- incepting aspect - future actions and habitual actions
Examples on INCEPTED ASPECT:
Past actions
1. I went to Europe.
The act had been started in the past therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Miadto ko sa Uropa .
2. I finally found you,
The act had been started in the past therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Nakaplagan ra gyud ta ka.
Present actions
1. I am going to the kitchen.
The act has been started before the statement is spoken therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Nagpadulong ko sa kusina.
2. Peter finds Miriam.
The act has been started before the statement is spoken therefore the Cebuano translation is:
Nakaplagan ni Pedro si Miriam.
Examples of INCEPTING ASPECT
Future actions
1. I will return this Christmas.
The act has not happened yet; therefore it has not yet started:
Mobalik ko karong Pasko.
2. She will find you.
The act has not happened yet; therefore it has not yet started:
Iya kang makit-an.
Habitual actions
1. She goes to the shore every morning.
Although the act had already happened she will still have to start the same act again and again (every morning) so the act itself is still to be started or pagasugdan pa and therefore:
Moadto siya matag buntag sa baybayon.
2. He always finds her there.
Although the act had already happened she will still have to start the same act again and again (always) so the act itself is still to be started or pagasugdan pa and therefore:
Kanunay siya niyang makaplagan didto.
Focus
An interesting feature of verbs in Cebuano and in other Philippine languages is its orientation (focus) system. This means that the role or relationship of the topic (marked by the absolutive marker) is reflected in the verb.
There are nine common orientation types: um verbs, pag verbs, pang verbs, ka verbs, magka verbs, on verbs, an verbs, i verbs and reciprocative.
um verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| -(um)- | mi- | mo- | mo- | |
- Function - this form is used for either of the following conditions
- one is emphasising that the action happen in an instance
- one is emphasising that the doer willed the act
- Type of topic - the doer is the topic.
pag verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| pag- | nag- | mag- | mag- | |
- Functions - expresses actions that either
- happen for a duration of time
- do not imply doer intention
- Type of topic - talks about the doer
pang verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| pang- | nang- | mang- | mang- | |
- Function - pluritive form of um verbs
- Type of topic - talks about the doer
ka verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| ka- | na- | ma- | ma- | |
- Function - talks about changes
- Type of topic - the topic is the one who undergoes the change
magka verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| none | nagka- | magka- | magka- | |
- Function - talks about a slow but steady change
- Type of topic - the topic is the one who undergoes the change
reciprocating verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| pag-in-ay | nag-in-ay | mag-in-ay | mag-in-ay | |
- Function - reciprocating actions
- Type of topic - at least two persons/things doing reciprocating actions to each other
on verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| -a | gi- | -on | -a | |
- Function - the direct object is often the topic, mostly misunderstood as similar to English passive voice
an verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| -i | gi-an | -an | -i | |
- Function - the indirect object is often the topic, mostly misunderstood as similar to English passive voice
i verbs
| imperative | incepted | incepting | wala base |
|---|
| i- | gi- | i- | i- | |
- Function - the instrument used is often the topic, mostly misunderstood as similar to English passive voice
moods
There three moods in Cebuano: intuitive, non-intuitive, and aptative
-
intuitive - the intuitive mood is the normal mood of the verb, the one whose form you have just learned. non-intuitive - the non-intuitive mood is used to express unexpected or unintended actions. It has no imperative aspect.
| NON_INTUITIVE | incepted aspect | incepting aspect | wala form |
|---|
| um verbs | nahi- | mahi- | mahi- | | pag verbs | nahi- | mahi- | mahi- | | pang verbs | nahipang- | mahipang- | mahipang- | | ka verbs | naha- | maha- | maha- | | magka verbs | none | none | none | | reciprocating verbs | nagka-in-ay | magka-in-ay | magka-in-ay | | on verbs | na- | ma- | ma- | | an verbs | hing-an | mahi-an | hing-i | | i verbs | nai- | mai- | mai- |
-
aptative - the aptative mood expresses the possibility of an action. Like the non-intuitive mood, it has no imperative aspect. In the incepted aspect it implies the English perfect tenses or the have form. In the incepting aspect it implies the English can/could form.
| APTATIVE | incepted aspect | incepting aspect | wala form |
|---|
| um verbs | naka- | maka- | maka- | | pag verbs | naka- | maka- | maka- | | pang verbs | nakapang- | makapang- | makapang- | | ka verbs | none | none | none | | magka verbs | none | none | none | | reciprocating verbs | none | none | none | | on verbs | na- | ma- | ma- | | an verbs | na-an | ma-an | ma-i | | i verbs | gika- | ika- | ikaw |
Modifiers
Cebuano adjectives (and also nouns) are linked to the word they modify by the unifying linker nga. However if nga follows a word ending in a vowel or glottal stop or the letter N, then it becomes suffixed to that word as -ng. The adjective often come before the word it modifies but it can also come after it.
Ex:
maayong buntag = a good morning
dakong panon = a large crowd
mga matang malulot = beautiful eyes
A noun however always comes after the word it modifies.
Ex:
balay nga bato = stone house
hangin nga habagat = southeast monsoon
Superlative are expressed by adding the affix kina--an or the particle labing
Ex:
kinamaayohan = best
kinadak-an = largest
labing malulot = the most pretty
Comparative are express by adding the particle mas or labawng.
Enclitic Particles
Cebuano has enclitic particles that have important information conveying difference nuances in meaning.
Below is a list of some enclitic particles.
na and pa
na: now, already, yetpa: still, else, in addition, yet
man: particle used for disregarding reasons or results; even, even if, althoughpud,sad: too, alsolamang (lang): limiting particle; only or justdaw, kuno: a reporting particle that expresses that the information in the sentence is second-hand; they say, he said, reportedly, supposedly, etc.gyud: politeness particleba: used in yes-and-no questions and optionally in other types of questionssa: for now, for a minute and yet (in negative sentences).kaha: expresses wonder; I wonder; perhaps (we should do something) (also optionally used in yes-and-no questions and other forms of questions)kay: expresses cause; becausediay: expresses that the speaker has realized or suddenly remembered something; realization particletingali: expresses uncertainty; probably, perhaps, seemsunta: expresses hope, unrealized condition (with verb in incepting aspect), used in conditional sentences.
Ten types of sentences
1) equational ( topic = predicate )
~ in this sentence type you can interchange the topic and the predicate without changing the thought of the sentence
a) "Mao kini ang Kabisay-an". = This is the Visayas.
b) "Siya si Oscar."= He is Oscar.
c) "Mao ?na ang amoang balay" = That is our house.
2) non-equational ( topic < predicate )
~ in this sentence type the topic and the predicate are not interchangeable
a) "Pilipino ang mga Bisaya." = Visayans are Filipinos.
b) "Pula ang iyang gisul-ob." = The one he wears is red. (He is wearing red.)
c) "Gipalitan ka niya og balay." = (He buys a house for you.)
3) existential sentence of presence
~ sentences of this type tells the existence of a thing or idea
a) "Adunay Diyos sa langit." = (There is) God in heaven.
b) "Didtoy halas sa kahoy."= (There was) a snake in the tree.
4) existential sentence of possession
~ sentences of this type tell about someone or something possessing something
a) "Ang mga anghel sa langit adunay diyos." = (The angels in heaven have a God.)
b) "Naa koy ilimnon sa balay." = (I had wine at home.)
5) locative sentence
~ this type of sentence tells the location of a thing
a) "Ania ang kwarta." = Here is the money.
b) "?Toa siya sa bukid." = S/he is in the mountain.
6) meteorologic sentence
~ this type of sentence tells about weather condition, noise level, etc., of a place
a) "Tugnaw dinhi sa Baguio."= (It is) cold here in Baguio.
b) "Hilom kaganiha sa plasa." = (It was) calm in the square.
7) exclamatory remark
~ praises and unexpected discoveries belong here
a) "Kadaghan man nimo og sakyanan!"= (Wow! You have a lot of cars.)
b) "Gwapaha nimo oy!" = (You are pretty!)
c) "Kasaba ba ninyo!" = (You are so noisy!)
8) imperatives
~ commands and requests
a) "Isugba kanang isda." = (Grill that fish.)
b) "Umari ka." = Come here.
c) "Ayaw mo pagkinopyahay." = (Do not share your answers among yourselves.)
9) interrogatives
~ questions that are not answerable by yes or no
a) "Kinsa ka?" = Who are you?
b) "Unsay imong ngalan?" = What is your name?
10) confirmation
~ questions that are basically answered by yes or no. constructed like the first 6 sentence type with the insertion of the particle "ba" as a second term
a) "Kini ba ang Kabisay-an?" = Is this the Visayas?
b) "Pula ba ang iyang gisul-ob?" = (Does he wear red?)
c) "Aduna bay Diyos?" = (Does God exist?)
d) "Isugba ba kining isda?"= Shall this fish be grilled?
Negation
There are three negation words: dili, wala, and ayaw.
Dili negates adjectives, nouns, and incepting verbs.
Dili ko motrabaho ugma.
"I will not work tomorrow."
Dili dato tong babayhana.
"The woman is not rich."
Wala negates existentials and incepted verbs.
Wala koy kwarta.
"I do not have money."
Wala ko motrabaho tibuok adlaw.
"I did not work the whole day."
Ayaw is used in expressing negative commands.
Ayaw og hilak.
"Don't cry."
Ayaw mo pagdagan-dagan dinhi.
"Don't run here."
Interrogative Words
- Unsa?What?
- Asa? Where? (for a place or person)
- Diin?, Dis-a? Where?
- Hain?, Saa?Where? (for an object)
- Kinsa? Who?
- Ngano? Why?
- Kangkinsa? To whom?
- Giunsa? How?
- Kanus-a? When?
- Pila ka buok?, Pila? How many?
- Tagpila? How much?
- Diay ba? Really?
Asa and hain—both mean where—have distinct uses in formal Cebuano usage.
Asa is used when asking about a place.
- Asa ka padulong? (Where are you going?)
- Asa ta molarga? (Where are we traveling to?)
Hain is used when asking about a person or thing.
- Hain na ang gunting? (Where is the pair of scissors?)
- Hain na si Arsenia? (Where is Arsenia?)
In spoken Cebuano, however, asa is commonly used to replace hain. You rarely hear hain being used, except by older generations of Cebuano-speakers. This phenomenon is analogous to Tagalog-speakers not distinguishing between saan (asa) and nasaan (hain) in colloquial speech and instead using saan for both.
Vocabulary and borrowed words
Cebuano has long borrowed words from Spanish, such as krus [cruz] (cross), swerte (originally suerte, meaning "luck"), guapa (meaning "beautiful"), merkado (originally mercado, meaning "market"), and brilyante (originally brillante, which translates as "brilliant"). It has several hundred loan words from English as well, which are altered to conform to the limited phonemic inventory of Cebuano: brislit (bracelet), hayskul (high school), syápin (shopping), and dráyber (driver). There are also words from other languages like Arabic like Salámat (meaning "thanks"), or Hukom (originally from "Hukm", meaning "judge") and Islamic words used in Mindanao like Imam, Syarip, dyihad, and Islam, and Sanskrit Mahárlika (from Mahardikka, meaning "nobility") and Karma.
Numbers
| Cardinal | Ordinal |
|---|
| 1 | usà | úna | | 2 | duhà | ika-duhà | | 3 | tulò | ika-tulò | | 4 | upàt | ika-upàt | | 5 | limà | ika-limà | | 6 | unòm | ika-unòm | | 7 | pitò | ika-pitò | | 8 | walò | ika-walò | | 9 | siyàm | ika-siyàm | | 10 | napú'ô/napulo | ika-napú'ô/ika-napulo | | 11 | napú'ô'g usá/napulo'g/napulo ug usá/onse (Spanish words are used for numbers greater than 10) | ika-napú'ô'g usá/ika-napulo'g usá/ika-napulo ug usá/ika-onse | | 20 | kawhaan/bente | | | 30 | katlo-an/trenta | | | 100 | usa ka gatos/syento | | | 1000 | usa ka libo/mil | | | 100,000 | usa ka gatos ka libo/syento-mil | | | 500,000 | lima ka gatos ka libo/tunga sa milyon/singko-syento-mil | | | 1000000 | usa ka milyon | |
Note: Shorter terms are the one mostly used.
Common expressions
- May I ask a question? Mahimo bang mangutana? or Puwede ko mangutana?
- How are you? Kumusta ka?
- Good. (I am well.) Maayo.
- How old are you? Unsay edad nimo?
- How much? Pila? or Tagpila?
- How many? Pila?
- I don't know. Wala ko kahibalo. or Ambot.
- Good day! Maayong adlaw!
- Good morning! Maayong buntag!
- Good noon! Maayong udto!
- Good afternoon! Maayong hapon! or Maayong palis!
- Good evening! Maayong gabii!
- Who are you? Kinsa ka? (Informal)
- When is Anus-â ang
- Where do you live? Asa ka nagpuyô?
- Where are you from? Taga-asa ka?
- Where are you going? Asa ka paingon?
- Where are they going? "Asa sila paingon?"
- Where is Asa ang
- Where is the bathroom? Asa man ang banyo?
- Where is the toilet? Asa man ang kasilyas? or Asa man ang CR? (CR = English "Comfort Room")
- Where is the market? Asa man ang merkado?
- What Unsa
- What's this? Unsa ni?
- What's that? Unsa nâ?
- What was that? Unsa to?
- What should we do? Unsay among buhaton? or Unsay atong buhaton? or Unsay angay namong buhaton? or Unsay angay natong buhaton
- What is your name? Unsay ngalan nimo? Unsay imong ngalan?, or colloquially, Kinsay ngalan nimo?
- What number of child are you in your family? Ikapila ka sa imong pamilya? (Firstborn, secondborn, etc.; common expression in Cebuano, not English)
- I would like to buy that. Gusto ko mopalit anâ.
- I would like two of those. Gusto kog duha anâ.
- Hello, my name is Miguel. Kumusta, Miguel akong ngalan., or colloquially, Ako si Miguel.
- Shut up Hilom! or Saba! although "saba" means loud and sometimes people ridicule this word by being louder instead of being silent.
- Help Me! Tabangi ko!
- Help! Tabang!
- Please, help me! Palihug tabangi ko! or Palihug tabangi ako!
- Wait a minute Kadiyot lang or Huwat sâ
- What time is it? Unsa nang (namang) orasa?
- It's five o'clock Alas singko na
- I love you. Gihigugma ko ikaw. or Nahigugma ko nimo. or Gihigugma tika. or Gimahal ko ikaw
- Take care. Pag-ayo-ayo! or Pag-amping
- Take that! (slang) Usapa na! (literally "Chew it!")
- Ouch! Agay!
- Don't! Ayaw!
- Yes Oo
- No Dili
- What does x mean? Unsay pasabot sa x?
See also
External links
-
- by John U. Wolff, Cornell SEAP, 1972. 2 vols.
- , by Manuel Yap, a Cebuano grammar written in Cebuano.
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