Bisaya Alphabet.
Reading edition
The letters made use of in the Bisaya alphabet, are twenty in number as follows:
A. Ah. N. Ai-nay.
B. Bay. Ng. Ai-ngay.
C. Thay. Ñ Ai-nyay.
D. Day. O. Oh.
E. A or ay. P. Pay.
G. Hay. Q. Coo.
H. Atchay. S. Es say.
I. EE. T. Tay.
L. Ai-lay. U. OO.
M. Ai-may. Y. EE (griega).
The vowels are A, E, I, O, U, and Y at the end of a word. The vowels are never silent, except U in the syllables que, qui, the sound of which corresponds to that heard in the English words Kedge, Keep, Key.
A sounds always like A in alam.
B sounds like B in back
C before a, o, u, sounds like K in English, as—caadlaoon—The dawn of the day—Coco—Nail of the fingers.
D at the beginning of a word or in the middle, if preceded by a consonant, is pronounced like in English. At the end of a word or between two vowels has a sound between D and R, which may be obtained by placing the tip of the tongue against the higher teeth turning the thick part towards the roof of the mouth.
G has always a very smooth sound like in English before a, o, u, as—ginicanan, forefathers—gintoon-an, scholar.
H has a slight aspirated sound like a very faintly aspirated h in English in the words horse, hog—as—hocom, judge—habagat, a strong wind—hilanat, fever.
E, I these vowels although sound like in English, nevertheless, natives confound them very often: the same shall be said of the vowels O and U; and this is the reason why the P. John Felix's Dictionary employs but I and O, instead E, I—O, U.
L sounds like in English, as—lamdag, brightness—libac, backbiting.
M sounds like in English: as—mata, eye—motó-top.
N sounds like in English; as—nipis, fine, thin.
Ng this letter has no equivalent in English, and it must be heard from the natives.
Ñ this letter has a strong nasal sound resembling that of n in the English word “poniard” out of Bohol province, where it is pronounced as in the English word—manger and written ny: as, caninyo, bonyag, instead of caniño, boñag.
O sounds like in English; as—olan, rain—úhao, thirst.
P sounds as in English:—pito, seven—ponó, fill.
Q is always followed by u, and pronounced like K; as, quinabuhi, life, quilay, eyebrow, quilquil, scratching.
S has always a harsh, hissing sound like ss in English. There is not a word in Bisaya beginning with s followed by a consonant.
T sounds as in English, as—tabang, help, tiao, joke.
U sounds like in English in the words “proof, goose” but it is frequently confounded with O. (See I and E on the preceding page).
Y sounds like ee in English at the end of a word; but before a vowel, or between two vowels, sounds like in the English words “joke, jolt” as—yabó, pour.—This letter when after a noun or pronoun, if the same noun or pronoun, is employed instead of the particle ang, being as it does, an article of appellative nouns. Examples: I did that—acó ang nagbuhat niana, or, acoy nagbuhat niana—What is the reason of that.—¿Onsa ba ang hingtungdan niana? or ¿Onsay hingtungdan niana?