Editing Cebuano language (section)

==Writing system==
{{main|Filipino alphabet}}
The Cebuano language is written using the Latin script and the ''de facto'' writing convention is based on the [[Filipino orthography]]. Though it was recorded that the language used a different writing system prior to the introduction of the Latin script, its use was so rare that there is hardly any surviving accounts of Cebuano being written in what was called ''[[Baybayin|badlit]]''. Modern Cebuano uses 20 letters from the Latin alphabet and it consists of 5 vowels and 15 consonants. The letters c, f, j, q, v, x and z are also used but in foreign loanwords, while the "[[ñ]]" is used for Spanish names (e.g. [[Santo Niño de Cebú|Santo Niño]]). The "[[Ng (digraph)|Ng]]" digraph is also present in the alphabet since it is part of the phonology of most Philippine languages representing the sound of the [[Voiced velar nasal|velar nasal]] {{IPA|/ŋ/}} (e.g. ''ngipon'', "teeth" and ''ngano'', "why").<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cebuano.htm | title=Cebuano (Binisaya) | website=omniglot.com | date=April 23, 2021}}</ref>

There is no standardized orthography for Cebuano, but spelling in print usually follow the pronunciation of Standard Cebuano. Standard Cebuano is based on the [[Carcar]]-[[Dalaguete]] dialect (also historically known as the Sialo dialect) in southeastern Cebu, which was adopted by the [[Catholic Church]] in early Latin script transcriptions of the Cebuano language. The spelling rules of Standard Cebuano is usally applied regardless of how it is actually spoken by the speaker. For example, ''baláy'' ("house") is pronounced {{IPA|/baˈl̪aɪ/}} in Standard Cebuano and is thus spelled "baláy", even in Urban Cebuano where it is actually pronounced {{IPA|/ˈbaɪ/}}.<ref name="Endriga 2010"/><ref name="stand"/> Another example is in Boholano Cebuano, where its characteristic {{IPA|/dʒ/}} sound is still written as 'y' not 'j'.<ref name="stand">{{cite web |title=The Dialectology of Cebuano: Standard Cebuano |url=https://www.binisaya.com/content/dialectology-cebuano-standard-cebuano |website=Binisaya.com |access-date=7 April 2025}}</ref>

An exception to this are dialects which replace the 'l' with 'w', in which case it is usually written as 'w'. For example, Standard Cebuano {{lang|ceb|lalom}} ("deep"), becomes {{lang|ceb|lawom}} in Urban Cebuano.<ref name="stand"/>

The letters 'i' and 'u' can also sometimes be interchanged with 'e' and 'o' (and vice versa), especially in the final syllable. This is due to the fact that historically, Cebuano did not distinguish between these sounds.<ref name="stand"/><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Language Specific Peculiarities Document for Cebuano as Spoken in the Philippines |url=https://catalog.ldc.upenn.edu/docs/LDC2018S07/LSP_301_final.pdf |journal=APPEN |publisher=Linguistic Data Consortium University of Pennsylvania |pages=3–4 |quote=There are canonically only three vowel sounds in Cebuano: i, u, a. There is, however some inconsistency in representing them in the orthography. The i vowel in particular can be written as i or e. The u vowel is generally represented with u and sometimes o, especially in final syllables. |via=LDC Catalog}}</ref> 

Other than the use of Standard Cebuano spellings, different Cebuano-language publications also have varying internal guidelines for spelling, syntax, morphology, style, and usage that they use.<ref name="stand"/>