David Zorc gives the following internal classification for the Bisayan languages (Zorc 1977:32). The five primary branches are South, Cebuan, Central, Banton, and West. However, Zorc notes that the Bisayan language family is more like a
dialect continuum rather than a set of readily distinguishable languages. The South Bisayan languages are considered to have diverged first, followed by Cebuan and then the rest of the three branches. Also, in the Visayas section, the province of
Romblon has the most linguistic diversity, as languages from three primary Bisayan branches are spoken there:
Romblomanon from Central Bisayan,
Inunhan from Western Bisayan and
Banton (which has an independent Bisayan branch). Notably,
Baybayanon and
Porohanon have
Warayan substrata, indicating a more widespread distribution of Waray before Cebuano speakers started to expand considerably starting from the mid-1800s. A total of 36 varieties are listed below. Individual languages are marked by
italics. •
Bisayan • 1.
South (spoken on the northeastern coast of
Mindanao) • Butuan-Tausug •
Tausug •
Butuanon • Surigao •
Surigaonon •
Tandaganon • 2.
Cebuan (spoken in
Cebu,
Bohol,
Siquijor,
Eastern Negros, western
Leyte and northern, southeastern and northwestern parts of
Mindanao) • Cebuan •
Cebuano •
Boholano • 3.
Central (spoken across most of the Visayan region) • Warayan (spoken in eastern
Leyte,
Biliran and
Samar) •
Waray •
Baybayanon •
Kabalian •
Southern Sorsogon (Gubat) • Peripheral •
Hiligaynon (Ilonggo) (spoken in eastern
Panay and
Guimaras,
Western Negros and south-central
Mindanao) •
Capiznon •
Bantayanon •
Porohanon •
Masbate-Sorsogon •
Masbateño •
Central Sorsogon (Masbate) • Romblon (also the name of the
province) •
Romblomanon • 4.
Asi (spoken in northwestern
Romblon Province) •
Asi • 5.
West • Aklan (spoken in northwestern
Panay) •
Aklanon/Inakeanon •
Malaynon • Karayan •
Karay-a (spoken in western and inland
Panay) • North-Central (spoken on
Tablas Island and the southern tip of
Mindoro) •
Inonhan (language related to Karayan) • Kuyan (spoken in the archipelagos west of
Panay and
Romblon as well as the southern tip of
Mindoro) •
Ratagnon •
Cuyonon • Caluyanon •
Caluyanon The auxiliary language of
Eskayan is grammatically Bisayan, but has essentially no Bisayan (or Philippine) vocabulary.
Magahat and
Karolanos, both spoken in Negros, are unclassified within Bisayan. ==Names and locations==