--CEBUANO--- Cebuano comes from the root word Cebu, the Spanish version of the original name Sugbo, which most probably comes from the verb sugbo, meaning to walk in the water. In the old days, the shores of the Cebu port were shallow, so travellers coming from the sea had to wade in the water to get to dry land. The term is suffixed with -hanon to refer to the language, culture, and inhabitants of Cebu; hence Sugbuhanon or Sugbuanon. The Spaniards later modified Sugbuhanon to Cebuano and the early Americans to Cebuan. Today Cebuano may also refer to the speaker of the language no matter where he comes from. The Cebuano are also called Bisaya, although this is a generic term applying not only to the Cebuano but to other ethnic language groups in the Visayas. The etymology of Bisaya is uncertain although it is probably linked either to the word meaning slaves, for the region was either target or staging area for slave-raiding forays in precolonial and early colonial times, or to the word meaning beautiful which was what a Bornean sultan declared upon seeing the islands according to a popular tale. Cebuano is the first language of about a quarter of the Philippine population or around 15 million Filipinos today. It is dominant in Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Siquijor, Camiguin, section of Leyte and Masbate, and most of Mindanao. It belongs to the Austronesian family of languages which, in the Philippines, has split up into many language groups or subgroups. The Cebuano language chiefly defines the Philippine ethnic group also referred to as Cebuano. The core area of this group is the province of Cebu, an elongated mountainous island with some 150 scattered islets. Encompassing a total land area of 5,000 sqkm, Cebu province is bounded in the north by the Visayan Sea, in the east and northeast by Bohol and Leyte, and in the west and southwest by Negros across Tanon Strait. Cebu is located in the geographical center of the archipelago. This region-with 4 provinces, 9 cities, 123 municipalities, and almost 3,000 barangays-has a combined population of 4.6 million. The cultural reach of the Cebuano, however, extends beyond Central Visayas. Due to factors like a dense population and a lack of arable land, Cebu and Central Visayas are an important source area for population emigration. It is for this reason that the Cebuano have also come to constitute a significant part of the populations in other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. Moreover, the role of Metro Cebu, the countrys second largest urban concentration, as southern center of education, media and transportation, enables Cebu to exercise cultural influence beyond provincial or regional boundaries.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 03:41:10 +0000