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Cebuano language
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Cebuano language

Also known as: Sebuano language, Sugbuhanon language
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Last Updated: • Article History
Also spelled:
Sebuano
Also called:
Sugbuhanon

Cebuano language, member of the Western, or Indonesian, branch of the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) language family. It was spoken in the early 21st century by roughly 18.5 million people in the Philippines (speakers are spread over eastern Negros, Cebu, Bohol, western Leyte, the Camotes Islands, and the northern and western coasts of Mindanao). Cebuano is closely related to the languages of the Hiligaynon (Ilongo) and Waray-Waray, and it is sometimes grouped with those languages as a dialect of Visayan (Bisayan).

Cebuano speakers constitute about one-fifth of the population of the Philippines and are the second largest ethnolinguistic group in the country. Despite its spoken frequency, Cebuano is little used as a literary language, although newspapers and films both use the language.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski.
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Philippine languages
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Philippine languages

Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
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Article History

Philippine languages, about 70 to 75 aboriginal languages of the Philippine Islands. They belong to the Indonesian branch of the Austronesian family and are subdivided into two main subgroups—the central (or Mesophilippine) division and the northern (or Cordilleran) division—with a number of other member languages forming smaller groups or remaining unclassified.

The most important languages in the central division are Tagalog (a standardized form of which, Pilipino, is the official national language) and Cebuano. The most important in the northern division is Ilocano.

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