Maayong hapon ug malipayon Domingo sa tanan ~practicing my Cebuano (my grandfather’s dialect) an Austronesian language which together with Visayan is spoken widely in parts of the Philippines. The diversity with which it is spoken embodies distinctive Indo-Malay vocabularies and syntactic structures eloquently enunciated with Spanish derived words, eg. Domingo (Sunday) producing a beautiful, poetic and syncopated sound.

Distinguishable from the more formal intonation, timing and use of inflection found in Tagalog, Cebuano is said to have been pivotal in 16th century SE Asian mercantile trade routes and voyages of discovery. Historically, a Visayan speaking interpreter and quite possibly the original global Filipino, who also became the confidante of the Portuguese explorer Magellan, was attributed as the first to circumnavigate the world in 1521.

Quite an accomplishment I think considering the current climes. Read more about this phenomenal feat and other diaspora stories here at Positively Filipino, in an inspiring article by Professor Penelope Flores Professor Emeritus at San Fransisco State University.

Hinaot unta nga maayo ang uma abot nga semana ninyong tanan (wishing everyone a great week ahead)!