Istoryahe Pa! Imagining How Cebuanos Communicate in 1711

Have you ever wondered how Cebuanos spoke more than a 3050 years ago?

When I did my AI experiment on the old Cebuano language, there was one book even older than  "Arte conpendiado de la lengua Cebuana" by Fray Julián Bermejo. It's more than a century older!

I'm referring to the book "Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya" by Fr. Matheo Sánchez in 1711. It featured a woodcut-like print so sometimes it is not easy to read at times. Nevertheless, I let the AI analyze the over a thousand-page book to see if it can reproduce the conversational old Cebuano from that time.

Fr. Sánchez was a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in the early 18th century. In 1711, he authored the Vocabulario de la Lengua Bisaya, a comprehensive dictionary of the Bisayan languages, published in Manila by the Colegio de la Sagrada Compañía de Jesús. This work was instrumental in aiding Spanish missionaries and administrators in their interactions with the Visayan-speaking communities in the Philippines. Beyond this publication, specific details about Sánchez's life and other contributions remain scarce.

The Year 1711

Just like in the previous post, I used different large language model platforms to analyze every aspect of the book so I could create an AI agent that could spit out conversational Cebuano from that era.

Let's see some examples of Cebuanos talking two hundred years ago:

1. Pagsakay sa Bapor (Boarding a Ship)

A traveler, Gaspar, talks to a ship captain, Capitán Morales, before boarding a Spanish galleon bound for Manila.

Gaspar: ¡Maayóng ádlaw, Capitán! Mahímô ba acóng mosácay sa ímong bapor padvlong sa Maynilà?

(Good day, Captain! May I board your ship bound for Manila?)

Capitán Morales: ¿Tienes tu pasapôrto ó carta de recomendación? Dílî ta mahímô nga mosácay og walâ'y papel.

(Do you have your passport or letter of recommendation? You cannot board without papers.)

Gaspar: Oo, Señor Capitán, anía ang ácóng papeles, og andám acó sa pagbayád sa pamásahe.

(Yes, Captain, here are my documents, and I am ready to pay the fare.)

Capitán Morales: ¡Bueno! Subi na, apán magmatngón ca cay malvgyo ang dágat carón.

(Good! Board now, but be careful because the sea is rough today.)

2. Pagsakit sa Ngípon (Toothache and Visiting the Local Healer)

A farmer, Pedro, consults a village healer, Noy Matías, for a toothache.

Pedro: Noy Matías, tabángî acô! Labí ang casákit sa ácóng ngípon, og walâ acô'y mahímô.

(Mang Matías, help me! My tooth hurts terribly, and I can do nothing.)

Noy Matías: Ang pag-sakit sa ngípon matúd pa sa mga ancianô, nagikan sa dílî maáyong espíritû. Ibutáng ca'y tanglad og ipahíd ca'y asíntas.

(The elders say that a toothache is caused by a bad spirit. Apply lemongrass and rub some holy oil.)

Pedro: Hala, bvhaton co ang tanán. Malúoy ca, Mang Matías!

(Alright, I will do everything. Please have mercy, Noy Matías!)

Noy Matías: ¡Ayáw cabalácà! Og dílî matábang, acó mismo ang mobvhat sa pagibót sa ímong ngípon.

(Do not worry! If this does not help, I will pull your tooth out myself.)

3. Pagsuroy sa Lungsód (Walking Around Town)

A visiting merchant, Luis, asks a town resident, Ignacio, for directions.

Luis: Maayóng bvntág, Señor! Asá ba ang merkádo og simbahan dinhi sa lungsód?

(Good morning, sir! Where is the market and the church here in town?)

Ignacio: Maayóng bvntág usab, Señor! Ang merkádo anâ sa may dágan sa subâ, og ang simbahan anâ sa may táas nga balangháy.

(Good morning as well, sir! The market is near the riverbank, and the church is on the hill near the large houses.)

Luis: Salámat, Señor! Ganahan acó makakita sa bag-óng lungsód sa Sugbo.

(Thank you, sir! I am excited to see the new town of Cebu.)

Ignacio: Magmatngón ca, cay daghán ang mga guardia civil nga nagtan-aw sa mga bag-óng moabot sa lungsód.

(Be careful, because there are many guardia civil watching newcomers in town.)

4. Pangandam sa Bagyô (Preparing for a Storm)

A father, Amáncio, warns his son, Felipe, to prepare for an approaching storm.

Amáncio: Felipe, pangandám ca! Ang amíhán nagdala og malácas nga vran, og mobalangv ang tubig sa subâ.

(Felipe, prepare yourself! The northeast wind is bringing strong rain, and the river will overflow.)

Felipe: Oo, Amá! Magkuha acô og pagcaón, tubig, og candíla.

(Yes, Father! I will gather food, water, and candles.)

Amáncio: Pagmatngón ca usab, og ipandóng ang tanán nga gamit nga maánod.

(Be vigilant, and secure everything that might be washed away.)

5. Panihapon sa Balay sa Datu (Dinner at the House of a Village Chief)

A visiting Spanish official, Don Enrique, is welcomed by the village chief, Datu Lapu.

Datu Lapu: ¡Dáyón, Señor! Malipayón acó sa ímong pag-abót dinhi sa ácóng baláy.

(Welcome, sir! I am happy for your visit to my house.)

Don Enrique: Salámat, Datu! Nagláum acô nga macatiláw sa masarap nga pangaón sa ínyong lungsód.

(Thank you, Datu! I hope to taste the delicious food of your village.)

Datu Lapu: Anía ang pinakalamíng tinóla nga isdâ, og adúna usab tay linútô nga váboy alang sa pamaháw.

(Here is the most delicious tinola (fish stew), and we also have roasted pork for dinner.)

Don Enrique: ¡Caramba! Ang isdâ búgnaw pa og tam-is ang sabáw. Kini ang labíng maáyong paníhapón nga ácóng natiláwan.

(Caramba! The fish is fresh, and the broth is sweet. This is the best dinner I have ever had.)

Datu Lapu: Mahímô ca'ng mobalik didi sa sunód nga adláw, Señor.

(You may return here another day, sir.)

By Comparison

As documented in the book, the Cebuano language in 1711 reflects significant differences from modern Cebuano. These differences include orthographic influences from Spanish, the use of archaic words, and older grammatical structures.

Here are some key differences:

1. Old Cebuano Orthography and Spanish Influence

• Many words were written with Spanish-influenced spellings, such as vray (now bunay) meaning "pure" and vran (now uran) meaning "storm."
• The letter v was commonly used instead of b in early Cebuano orthography (e.g., vray instead of bunay).
• Cebuano in 1711 contained a large number of Spanish loanwords, such as sanglay (from the Hokkien seng-li but borrowed through Spanish), referring to a Chinese merchant.
• Some verbs followed Spanish conjugation patterns when written by missionaries, though the spoken language did not reflect this.

2. Grammatical Structure Differences

• Old Cebuano used longer, more complex sentence structures influenced by Spanish.
• Clitics (small grammatical words that attach to verbs) had different placements compared to modern Cebuano.
• The pronoun system was largely the same but had older variants of pronouns no longer in use.
• Old Cebuano used more variations of verb forms that were closer to Spanish conjugation patterns.
• The placement of pronouns has changed, with Modern Cebuano favoring shorter structures.
• Some Old Cebuano sentences were longer and followed Spanish-style syntax, whereas modern Cebuano is more direct.

Final Thoughts

The evolution of the Cebuano language from 1711 to the present reflects the dynamic history of the Visayas region. Influenced by Spanish colonization, Chinese trade, Americanization, and modernization, Cebuano has undergone significant changes in orthography, grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Many words and expressions from Old Cebuano have either disappeared, shifted in meaning, or been replaced by Spanish and later English terms.

Despite these transformations, Cebuano has remained a vital and thriving language, spoken by millions today. While modern Cebuano is more streamlined and influenced by global trends, traces of its historical roots remain embedded in its vocabulary and structure. Studying Old Cebuano not only deepens our understanding of the language's rich past but also helps preserve its unique cultural identity for future generations.