Waray language

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Austronesian language primarily spoken in the islands of Samar and Eastern Leyte

For other uses, see Waray language (disambiguation).

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Waray

Waray-Waray, Samar-Leyte Visayan

Winaray, Samareño, Lineyte-Samarnon, Binisayâ nga Winaray, Binisayâ nga Samar-Leyte

Native to

Philippines

Region

Eastern Visayas, some parts of Masbate, southern part of Sorsogon, and Gibusong Island of Mindanao

Ethnicity

Waray

Native speakers

3.6 million (2015 census)[1]

Language family

Austronesian

·         Malayo-Polynesian

o    Philippine

§  Central Philippine

§  Bisayan

§  Central Bisayan

§  Waray

Dialects

Standard Waray (Tacloban dialect), Northern Samar dialect, Calbayog dialect, Culaba-Biliran dialect, Abuyog dialect and 20 other identified dialects and subdialects

Writing system

Latin;
Historically Baybayin

Official status

Official language in

Regional language in the Philippines

Regulated by

Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
Historically regulated by the Sanghiran san Binisaya ha Samar ug Leyte

Language codes

ISO 639-2

war

ISO 639-3

war

Glottolog

wara1300

Areas where Waray-Waray is spoken

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Waray (also known as Waray-Waray or Bisaya/Binisaya nga Winaray/Waray, Spanish: idioma samareño meaning Samar language) is an Austronesian language and the fifth-most-spoken native regional language of the Philippines, native to Eastern Visayas. It is the native language of the Waray people and second language of the Abaknon people of Capul, Northern Samar, and some Cebuano-speaking peoples of western and southern parts of Leyte island. It is the third most spoken language among the Bisayan languages, only behind Cebuano and Hiligaynon.

Nomenclature[edit]

The term Waray comes from the word often heard by non-speakers meaning 'none' or 'nothing' in the language; similarly, Cebuanos are known in Leyte as mga Kana[what language is this?] and their language as Kana (after the oft-heard word kana, meaning 'that' in the Cebuano language).[not verified in body] The Cebuano pronunciation of Waray is walay with the same meaning.

During the Spanish period, texts refer to the language as simply being a dialect of "Visayan". In contrast, most contemporary linguists consider many of these "Visayan dialects" (e.g., Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Karay-a, etc.) to be distinct languages, and the term Visayan is usually taken to refer to what is called Cebuano in contemporary linguistic literature. Domingo Ezguerra's 1663 (reprinted 1747) Arte de la lengua bisaya de la provincia de Leyte refers to the "Visayan tongue of the province of Leyte", Figueroa's Arte del idioma Visaya de Samar y Leyte refers to the "Visaya language of Samar and Leyte". Antonio Sanchez's 1914 Diccionario español-bisaya (Spanish-Visayan Dictionary) refers to the speech of "Sámar and Leyte".

Dialects[edit]

Linguist Jason Lobel (2009) considers there are 25 dialects and subdialects of Waray-Waray.[2]

Tacloban: "standard" dialect: the dialect used in television and radio broadcasts and in education

Abuyog, Leyte: heavy Cebuano influence

Culaba, Biliran: heavy Cebuano influence

Catbalogan: "original" dialect: Pure Waray, central part of Samar Island

Calbayog: mixture of the Tacloban dialect and the dialect of Northern Samar

Allen, Northern Samar: mostly Waray Sorsoganon mixed with Northern Samarenyo. Dialects in neighboring towns have also borrowed extensively from Waray Sorsoganon.

Many Waray dialects feature a sound change in which Proto-Bisayan *s becomes /h/ in a small number of common grammatical morphemes. This sound change occurs in all areas of Samar south of the municipalities of Santa Margarita, Matuginao, Las Navas, and Gamay (roughly corresponding to the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar, but not Northern Samar), as well as in all of the Waray-speaking areas of Leyte, except the towns of Javier and Abuyog. However, this sound change is an areal feature rather than a strictly genetic one (Lobel 2009).[2]

Most Waray dialects in northeastern and Eastern Samar have the close central unrounded vowel /ɨ/ as a reflex of Proto-Austronesian *e.[2]

Usage[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (November 2018)

Waray is one of the many regional languages found in the Philippines and used in local government. It is widely used in media particularly in television and radio broadcasts, however, not in print media because most regional newspapers are published in English.

The language is used in education from kindergarten to primary level as part of the Philippine government's K–12 program since 2012 in which pupils from kindergarten to third grade are taught in their respective indigenous languages.

Waray is also used in the Mass in the Roman Catholic Church and in the worship services of different Christian sects in the region. Bibles in Waray are also available.[3] In 2019, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures was released in Waray-Waray.[4] However, there is a growing population of Muslims in the region with the first mosque, Tacloban Mosque and Islamic Center, through a charity built by a Turkish Islamic religious authority in Tacloban at 2017 which teaches the scriptures and offers Friday sermons in both Waray and Cebuano in general.

Phonology[edit]

Vowels[edit]

Most Waray dialects have three vowel phonemes: /a/ [a], /i/ [ɛ~i] and /u/ [ɔ~u]. Some dialects have an additional vowel /ə/ [ə]; words with /ə/ in these dialects have /u/ in the majority dialects.[5][6]

Front

Central

Back

Close/Mid

i

(ə)

u

Open

a

Consonants[edit]

Waray has a total of 16 consonant phonemes: /p, t, k, b, d, ɡ, m, n, ŋ, s, h, l, ɾ~r, w, j, ʔ/. Two extra postalveolar sounds [tʃ, dʒ] are heard when /i/ occurs after /t, d/, further proceeding another vowel sound.[7][8]

Labial

Alveolar

Dorsal

Glottal

Nasal

m

n

ŋ

Stop

p b

t d

k g

ʔ

Fricative

s

h

Rhotic

ɾ~r

Approximant

w

l

j

Grammar[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (November 2018)

Writing system[edit]

Waray, like all Philippine languages today, is written using the Latin script. There is no officially-approved orthography for the language and different writers may use differing orthographic styles. In general, it has become common to write the language following the current orthographic conventions of Filipino.

Vocabulary[edit]

Waray uses many different words to specify a particular thing. These words might not be the same in spelling and in construction but they share the same meaning, making it a very diverse language.[citation needed]

Here are some examples of demonstratives and adverbs together with their equivalent definition in Waray-Waray:

English

Waray

what

ano, anyá, náno

where

diin, ngain, háin

who

hino/sino (hin-o/sin-o)

when

sán-o, kakán-o, kasán-o

how

páno, gin-áano, gin-áanya

here

didi, dinhi, ngadi, nganhi, áanhi, áadi

there

ngada, dida, ngadto, didto, aadto, aada

that

iito, iton, ito, it

those

adto, adton, aadto

these

aadin, adin, inin

why

kay, kay ano, kay ngano, ngano

this

ini, inin, adin, adi

Verbs[edit]

English

Waray

English

Waray

to run

dalágan

to fix something

aydi/a

to walk

lakát

to explain

ig-eksplikar

to climb

saká, sak-a/i

to invite

ig-imbitar, kumbidahi

to swim

langoy

to attend

atender, atendera/i

to talk/speak

igyakán, igsumát, igsiring

to send something

ipadara, padad-a/i

to jump

ambaka/i, lukso

to create

paghimo, pagbuhat

to sit

lingkod

to build

pagtindog

to stand

tindog

to fly

lupad

to shout/scream

guliat

to sleep

katurog

to make friends

makig-sangkay

to write

ig-surat

to cry

tuok, haya, tangis

to lay down

higda

to buy

palit, palita/i

to love

higugma-a

to travel

biyahe

to care

asikasuha/i

to sing

kanta

to discuss

pag-istorya, pagsabot, himangraw

to dance

sayaw

to drive

pagmaneho, pagdrayb

to fetch water

pag-alog

to ride

sakay, sakya/i

to drink

inom, imna/i

to carry

pas-ana/i, dad-a, bitbita

to eat

kaon

to sell something

ig-baligya, ig-tinda

Numbers[edit]

Native numbers are used for numbers one through ten. From eleven onwards, Spanish numbers are exclusively used in Waray today, their native counterparts being almost unheard of by the majority of native speakers (except for gatos for hundred and yukot for thousand). Some, especially the old ones, are spoken alongside the Spanish counterparts.

English

Native Waray

Derived from Spanish

Spanish

one

usá

uno

un/uno (m) una (f)

two

duhá

dos

dos

three

tuló

tres

tres

four

upat

kuwatro

cuatro

five

limá

singko

cinco

six

unom

sais/says

seis

seven

pitó

syete

siete

eight

waló

otso

ocho

nine

siyám

nuebe/nuybe

nueve

ten

napúlô

dies/dyis

diez

eleven

napúlô kag-usá

onse

once

twelve

napúlô kagduhá

dose

doce

thirteen

napúlô kagtuló

trese

trece

fourteen

napúlô kag-upat

katorse

catorce

fifteen

napúlô kaglimá

kinse

quince

sixteen

napúlô kag-unom

disisays/disisais

dieciséis

seventeen

napúlô kagpitó

disisyete

diecisiete

eighteen

napúlô kagwaló

disiotso

dieciocho

nineteen

napúlô kagsiyám

disinuybe

diecinueve

twenty

karuhaàn

baynte

veinte

twenty one

karuhaàn kag-usà

baynte uno

veintiuno

twenty two

karuhaàn kagduhà

baynte dos

veintidós

thirty

katluàn

traynta

treinta

forty

kap-atàn

kuwarenta

cuarenta

fifty

kalim-àn

singkwenta

cincuenta

sixty

kaunmàn

saysenta/sisenta

sesenta

seventy

kapituàn

sitenta

setenta

eighty

kawaluàn

otsenta/ochienta

ochenta

ninety

kasiyamàn

nobenta

noventa

one hundred

usa ka gatòs

syen

cien

one thousand

usa ka yukòt

mil

mil

one million

usa ka ribo[9]

milyon

un millón

Loanwords and cognates[edit]

Waray has borrowed vocabulary extensively from other languages, especially from Spanish. These words are being adopted to fill lexical gaps of the recipient language. Spanish colonialization introduced new systems to the Philippine society.[citation needed]

See also[edit]

Waray people

Waray literature

Waray Wikipedia

Languages of the Philippines

Samar

Leyte

Waray Sorsogon language

References[edit]

^ Waray at Ethnologue (19th ed., 2016)

^ Jump up to: a b c Lobel, Jason (2009). "Samar-Leyte". Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World. Oxford: Elsevier. pp. 914–917.

^ "About the Baraan nga Biblia Translation". bible.org.ph.

^ "Iginrelis an Bag-o nga Kalibotan nga Hubad ha Lima nga Yinaknan". Jw.org.

^ "Waray: a Major Language in Philippines | English Language | Grammatical Number". Scribd. Retrieved 2020-03-06.

^ Zorc, David Paul (1977). The Bisayan Dialects of the Philippines: Subgrouping and Reconstruction. Canberra, Australia: Dept. of Linguistics, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. doi:10.15144/PL-C44. ISBN 0858831570. P. 47

^ Oyzon, Voltaire Q. (2014). An Winaray.

^ Rubino, (2001:797–800)

^ Makabenta, Eduardo (2004). Pagpurulungan nga Binisaya (Waray) ha Leyte ug Samar (Binisaya-English English-Binisaya Dictionary) (2nd ed.). Quezon City: Adbox Book Distributors and Eduardo A. Makabenta Sr. Foundation. p. 121.

Further reading[edit]

Abuyen, Tomas A. (2005). Dictionary English Waray-Waray/Tagalog, National Book Store, 494 pp., ISBN 971-08-6529-3.

Diller, Timothy Clair (1971). Case grammar and its application to Waray, a Philippine language (PDF) (PhD dissertation). University of California at Los Angeles.

Rubino, Carl. Waray-Waray. In Garry, Jane and Carl Rubino (eds.), Facts About the World's Languages, An Encyclopedia of the World's Languages: Past and Present (2001), pp. 797–800.

External links[edit]

Waray edition of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wikivoyage has a phrasebook for Waray-Waray.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Waray language.

Arte de la Lengua Bisaya de la Provincia de Leyte – Google Books

Arte del idioma visaya de Samar y Leite – Google Books

Diccionario espanol-bisaya para las provincias de Sámar y Leyte – University of Michigan collection

Radyo Waraynon – Waraynon Internet Radio Station

Waray Museum Blog featuring Waray literature

Waray lessons

Bansa.org Waray Dictionary

Waray dictionary, literary database & teaching resource

Waray-Waray Dictionary by Andras Rajki – with Bicol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon &c. cognates and some Proto-Malayo-Polynesian etymologies

SEAlang Library Waray Resources

A large collection of bible study material in Waray language (free audio books, videos, publications) – Jehovah's Witnesses

This page was last edited on 27 September 2023, at 22:08 (UTC).

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