Eskayan

Eskayan   
Eskayan

Eskayan is a language isolate spoken on the Philippine
island of Bohol. The exact number of speakers is uncertain
and while the language is unrelated to any other, it does share
syntactic and morphological features with Boholano-Visayan,
the main language of Bohol, and there are also Spanish
influences. The Eskayan people speak Cebuano as their
everyday language and use Eskayan for prayers, songs
and formal speeches.

Eskayan is written with a syllabic script consisting of
over 1,000 symbols, some of which are shown below. The
symbols are apparently modelled on human body parts, though
resemble cursive Latin letters. The earliest known written
document in Eskayan dates from 1908. Apparently a man named
Pinay invented the script, though nobody knows when he did so.

A method of writing Eskayan with the Latin alphabet is
also used in schools. It is not completely standardised.

Notable features

  • Type of writing system: syllabary
  • Direction of writing: left to right in horizontal lines
  • Used to write: Eskayan

Eskayan script

Eskayan script

Eskayan numerals

Eskayan numerals

Eskayan sample text (Latin alphabet)

Samnat yo bantelar,
Datong con Bathala,
Ya abeya cloper meboy secwes
Nemte ya chdid loning
Ya moy beresa gui
Samnat eclabolto
Gona yonoy dokerkedo
Bentod ya hondog yel moy sebar
Chda a chdiam yel keman pay

Edlac esto mesesabla
Lo-ya bac Lobor,
Chdire esto ebetangke chda loreker
Parong esto topete
Ya droser, ya secwes
Do-o moy sam
Tewergoyo asado chda carna
Ya lacyo booy.

  • Post category:Languages
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