| Greater Central Philippine | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Philippines Indonesia (NorthernSulawesi) |
| Linguistic classification | Austronesian
|
| Proto-language | Proto-Greater Central Philippine |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | grea1284 |
TheGreater Central Philippine languages are a proposed subgroup of theAustronesian language family, defined by the change ofProto-Malayo-Polynesian*R to*g. They are spoken in the central and southern parts of thePhilippines and in northernSulawesi,Indonesia.[1] This subgroup was first proposed byRobert Blust (1991) based on lexical and phonological evidence,[1] and is accepted by most specialists in the field.[2][3][4][5]
Most of the major languages of the Philippines belong to the Greater Central Philippine subgroup:Tagalog, theVisayan languagesCebuano,Hiligaynon,Waray;Central Bikol, theDanao languagesMaranao andMagindanaon.[6] On the island ofSulawesi, Indonesia,Gorontalo is the third-largest language by number of speakers.[7]
According to Blust, the current distribution of the Greater Central Philippine languages is the result of an expansion that occurred around 500 B.C. and which led to levelling of much of the linguistic diversity in the central and southern Philippines.
Remnants of this earlier diversity can still be found in relic areas within the Greater Central Philippine area, viz.Manide in southernLuzon,Ati onPanay, theNorth Mangyan languages onMindoro, theKalamian languages in northernPalawan and theSouth Mindanao languages.[1]
The Greater Central Philippine subgroup comprises the following microgroups:[1]