Editing Chavacano (section)

==Writing system==
{{self-contradictory|Are there 29 or 30 letters--is <rr> a letter?|date=January 2016}}

Chavacano is written using the [[Latin script]]. As Chavacano has mostly been a [[spoken language]] than a written one, multiple ways of writing the different varieties of Chavacano exist. Most published Chavacano texts utilize spelling systems nearly identical to Spanish, adjusting certain spellings of words to reflect how they are pronounced by native Chavacano speakers. Since the propagation of the usage of the [[Filipino language]] in education and the media as the national language, Filipino's orthography has affected how certain persons might spell Chavacano, especially since recent generations have grown unfamiliar with Spanish orthography; Most published works, and the general media, however, more often retain Spanish-based spelling systems.

The kind of writing system used to write Chavacano may differ according to the writer of the text. Writing may be written using a Spanish-derived writing system, where all words (including words of local origin) are spelled adhering to basic Spanish orthographic rules; it may also be written "phonetically", similar to the modern orthography of Filipino; another writing style uses a mixture of the two, spelling words based on an etymological approach, using phonetic spelling for words of Filipino origin and Spanish spelling rules for words of Spanish origin.

in Zamboanga, an etymological-based approach was formally recently endorsed by the local city government and this is the system used in public schools as part of the mother-tongue policy of the Department of Education for kindergarten to grade 3. In principle, words of Spanish origin are to be spelled using Spanish rules while Chavacano words of local origin are spelled in the manner according to their origin. Thus, the letter ''k'' appear mostly in words of [[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]] origin or in loanwords from other Philippine languages (words such as ''kame'', ''kita'', ''kanamon'', ''kaninyo'').
<!--Unsourced:
Some additional characters like the ''ñ'' (''eñe'', representing the phoneme {{IPA|/ɲ/}}, a letter distinct from ''n'' but typographically composed of an ''n'' with a [[tilde]]), the [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]] ''ch'' ({{lang|es|che}}, representing the phoneme {{IPA|/tʃ/}}), the ''ll'' ({{lang|es|elle}}, representing the phoneme {{IPA|/ʎ/}}), and the [[digraph (orthography)|digraph]] ''rr'' ({{lang|es|erre}} with strong ''r'') exist in Chavacano.-->

It is uncommon in modern written works to include the [[acute accent]] and the [[trema (diacritic)|trema]] in writing except in linguistic or highly formalized texts. Also, the letters ''ñ'' and ''ll'' are sometimes replaced by ''ny'' and ''ly'' in informal texts.

===Alphabet===

The Chavacano alphabet has 30 letters, including {{angbr|ch}}, {{angbr|ll}}, {{angbr|ñ}}, and {{angbr|rr}}:<ref>{{Cite book|title=Languages of the Southern Gateway: Chavacano, Sinama, Tausug, Yakan|last=Department of Education, Culture and Sports and The Summer Institute of Linguistics|publisher=The Summer Institute of Linguistics|year=1979|isbn=978-9711801311|location=Manila, Philippines}}</ref>

'''a''', '''b''', '''c''', '''ch''', '''d''', '''e''', '''f''', '''g''', '''h''', '''i''', '''j''', '''k''', '''l''', '''ll''', '''m''', '''n''', '''ñ''', '''o''', '''p''', '''q''', '''r''', '''rr''', '''s''', '''t''', '''u''', '''v''', '''w''', '''x''', '''y''', '''z'''

====Letters and letter names====

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:2.5em;" | A a || style="width: 17em;" | '''a''' {{IPA|/a/}}
| style="width:2.5em;" | J j || style="width: 20em;" | '''jota''' {{IPA|/ˈxota/}}
| style="width:2.5em;" | R r || style="width: 25em;" | '''ere''' {{IPA|/ˈeɾe/}}
|-
| B b || '''be''' {{IPA|/be/}}<br>
| K k || '''ka''' {{IPA|/ka/}}
| Rr rr || '''erre''' {{IPA|/ˈere/}}
|-
| C c || '''ce'''  {{IPA|/se/}}
| L l || '''ele''' {{IPA|/ˈele/}}
| S s || '''ese''' {{IPA|/ˈese/}}
|-
| Ch ch || '''che''' {{IPA|/tʃe/}}
| Ll ll || '''elle''' {{IPA|/ˈeʎe/}}
| T t || '''te''' {{IPA|/te/}}
|-
| D d || '''de''' {{IPA|/de/}}
| M m || '''eme''' {{IPA|/ˈeme/}}
| U u || '''u''' {{IPA|/u/}}
|-
| E e || '''e''' {{IPA|/e/}}
| N n || '''ene''' {{IPA|/ene/}}
| V v || '''uve''' {{IPA|/ˈube/}}
|-
| F f || '''efe''' {{IPA|/ˈefe/}}
| Ñ ñ || '''eñe''' {{IPA|/ˈeɲe/}}
| W w || '''doble u''' {{IPA|/ˈuve doble/}}<br>
|-
| G g || '''ge''' {{IPA|/xe/}}
| O o || '''o''' {{IPA|/o/}}
| X x || '''equis''' {{IPA|/ˈekis/}}
|-
| H h || '''hache''' {{IPA|/ˈatʃe/}}
| P p || '''pe''' {{IPA|/pe/}}
| Y y || '''ye''' {{IPA|/ɟʝe/}}<br>
|-
| I i || '''i''' {{IPA|/i/}}<br>
| Q q || '''cu''' {{IPA|/ku/}}
| Z z || '''zeta''' {{IPA|/ˈseta/}}<br>'''zeda''' {{IPA|/ˈseda/}}
|}

Other letter combinations include ''rr'' (erre), which is pronounced {{IPA|/xr/}} or {{IPA|/r/}}, and ''ng,'' which is pronounced {{IPA|/ŋɡ/}}. Another combination was ''ñg,'' which was pronounced {{IPA|/ŋ/}} but is now obsolete and is only written as ''ng''.

Some sounds are not represented in the Chavacano written language. These sounds are mostly in words of Philippine and foreign origin. Furthermore, the pronunciation of some words of Spanish origin have become distorted or Philippinized in modern Chavacano. Some vowels have become allophonized ('e' and 'o' becomes 'i' and 'u' in some words) and some consonants have changed their pronunciation. (i.e. ''escoger'' became ''iscují'' in informal speech; ''tiene'' {{IPA|/tʃɛnɛ/}}; ''Dios'' {{IPA|/dʒɔs/}}; ''Castilla'' became {{IPA|/kastilla/}} instead of {{IPA|/kastiʎa/}}).

Glottal stops, as in Filipino languages, are not also indicated (â, ê, î, ô, û). These sounds are mainly found in words of Philippine origin and are only indicated in dictionaries (i.e. jendê = not; olê = again) and when they are, the circumflex accent is used.

Other pronunciation changes in some words of Spanish origin include:

: f ~ {{IPA|/p/}}
: j, g (before 'e' and 'i') ~ {{IPA|/h/}} (in common with dialects of [[Caribbean Spanish|Caribbean]] and other areas of [[Spanish language in the Americas|Latin America]] and [[Andalusian Spanish|southern Spain]])
: ch ~ {{IPA|/ts/}}
: rr ~ {{IPA|/xr/}}
: di, de ~ {{IPA|/dʒ/}} (when followed or preceded by other vowels: Dios ~ /jos/; dejalo ~ /jalo/)
: ti, te ~ {{IPA|/tʃ/}} (when followed or preceded by other vowels: tierra ~ /chehra/; tiene ~ /chene/)
: ci, si ~ {{IPA|/ʃ/}}  (when followed or preceded by other vowels: conciencia ~ /konʃenʃa/)

{{IPA|/b, d, ɡ/}}, which are pronounced as [[fricative]]s in other Spanish dialects when between vowels, are uniformly pronounced as [[Plosive|stop]]s in Chavacano.

===Other sounds===

: -h {{IPA|/h/}} (glottal fricative in the final position); sometimes not written
: -g {{IPA|/k/}}; sometimes written as just -k
: -d {{IPA|/t/}}; sometimes written as just -t
: -kh [{{IPA link|x}}]; only in loanwords of Arabic origin, mostly Islamic terms

===Sounds from English===

: “v” pronounced as English “v” (like: vase) (vi)
: “z” pronounced as English “z” (like: zebra)  (zi)
: “x” pronounced as English “x” (like: X-ray)  (ex/eks)
: “h” like: house (/eitsh/); sometimes written as 'j'

===Diphthongs===

{| class="wikitable"
!Letters
!Pronunciation
!Example
!Significant
|-
|'''ae'''
| aye
| caé
| fall, to fall
|-
|'''ai'''
| ay
| caido
| fallen, fell
|-
|'''ao'''
| aow
| cuidao
| take care, cared
|-
|'''ea'''
| eya
| patéa
| kick, to kick
|-
|'''ei'''
| ey
| reí
| laugh
|-
|'''eo'''
| eyo
| vídeo
| video
|-
|'''ia'''
| ya
| advertencia
| warning, notice
|-
|'''ie'''
| ye
| cien(to)
| one hundred, hundred
|-
|'''io'''
| yo
| canción
| song
|-
|'''iu'''
| yu
| saciút
| to move the hips a little
|-
|'''uo'''
| ow
| institutuo
| institute
|-
|'''qu'''
| ke
| qué, que
| what, that, than
|-
|'''gu'''
| strong g
| guía
| to guide, guide
|-
|'''ua'''
| wa
| agua
| water
|-
|'''ue'''
| we
| cuento
| story
|-
|'''ui'''
| wi
| cuidá
| care, to take care
|-
|'''oi'''
| oy
| oí
| hear, to hear
|}