Waray (also known as Waray-Waray or Winaray) is an Austronesian language spoken in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines, particularly on Samar, eastern Leyte, and Biliran. English, in contrast, is a global language with over 1.75 billion speakers worldwide [1].
Waray is one of the 19 languages [2] used in the Philippine Department of Education's Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) programme, including:
What's fascinating about Waray is its cultural preservation role and educational importance. The language has been recognised under Republic Act No. 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013), which is spoken in the Philippines, whose population is now over 100 million [3], as one of the regional languages used as a medium of instruction in early education.
This helps young learners grasp concepts more effectively in their first language. The language policy was formalized through Republic Act No. 10533 [4], which recognises regional languages as auxiliary languages in education. When you translate Waray into English, you're bridging centuries of cultural heritage with the modern global community.
Linguistically, these languages are worlds apart:
- Waray belongs to the Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian family
- English is a Germanic language with Indo-European roots
- Waray features verb-initial word order, whilst English typically uses subject-verb-object patterns
The Philippines is home to over 180 languages [5], with Waray being one of the major regional languages. They've got completely different grammar structures and vocabulary, making translation services essential.