This reference work compiles twenty-five thousand Cebuano Visayan roots with English explanations, illustrating the morphological and syntactic characteristics of the language. The author details the complex system of affixation, derivational processes, and morphophonemic alternations that govern verb conjugations and word formations.
The volume addresses the phonology and transcription of Cebuano, establishing a strict phonemic system based on the dialect of Cebu City while noting regional variations. It outlines the three tenses, four cases or voices, and two modes that characterize Cebuano verb inflection, dividing verbs into active, passive, and mutual action classes.
Data for the dictionary was gathered from native sources, including roughly one million words of oral and printed texts from approximately four hundred publications, novenas, and novels. The compiler emphasizes that no attempt is made to prescribe correctness, but rather to document actually occurring forms and usages across the linguistic area.
The work accounts for competing forms resulting from sound changes that occurred across different regions of the Cebuano-speaking territory, such as the dropping of the lateral liquid and vowel variations. Cross-references clarify etymological relations and regional variants for researchers and students.
Support for the compilation spanned over a decade through grants from Cornell University, the Office of Education, the American Council of Learned Societies, and the Fulbright-Hayes program. The text concludes with comprehensive lists of abbreviations, bibliography, and extensive entries covering the core vocabulary of the language.
