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Old Cebuano books available for preview and proofreading.

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Thu, 07/04/2013 - 23:04 — jhellingman

I'm preparing a few Cebuano books for Project Gutenberg. The following two are nearing completion, and can be previewed over here. If you feel so inclined, please also proofread those texts, and inform me of any issue that are still in them.

And dila sa babaye, by Vincente Sotto, from 1905

This is a play in three acts, which (incidentally) also shows the language situation in Cebu 108 years ago: the people speak Cebuano, the Spanish priest Spanish, and the American Judge English; finally a Sergent says a few lines in Tagalog.

http://www.gutenberg.ph/previews/Sotto/AngDilaSaBabaye.html

Walay Igsoon, by Juan Vilagonzalo, from 1912

This is a novel about Filipino emigrant workers, at that time being recruited to work on pineapple plantations in Hawaii, and deals with the loneliness, deprevations, and abuse that comes with it.

http://www.gutenberg.ph/previews/Villagonzalo/WalayIgsoon.html

Soon, I will also post these to Project Gutenberg.

Since I'm preparing software to create ePub editions of these, I need a few phrases translated to Cebunano:

  • Cover Image
  • N.A. (Not Applicable)
  • Table of Contents
  • Title Page
  • Dedication (of a book)
  • Text
  • List of Illustrations

 

 

 

Comments

Tue, 10/01/2013 - 20:43 — jose

(Cebuano) literary works

Hi, I am Jose.
 
What I understand is that you are posting these (Cebuano) literary works in the internet. If this is so, it would be better to post them as they were written over a hundred years ago; that would be one way of retaining the original "Cebuano-Visayan sense" of the works. That is how Vicente Sotto, Sergio Osmena, Juan Villagonzalo, and others wrote in Binisaya-Sinugbuanon language at the time.
 
However, if you wish to update them to the Binisaya-Sinugbuanon language today, you -- I would like to say -- need to consider some things; a lot of changes have taken place in this language since then. I think you need to take cognizance of the Akademiyang Bisaya for the rules developed in this language. In the time of Sotto and others, there was yet no set of rules developed, and writers/authors just wrote their works without clearly defined/established rules (e.g., spelling, punctuations, and mechanics). As I take a look at a few pages of the works, I see different spelling, the use of a lot of apostrophes, etc. Today, there is already a set of rules useful for writing in Binisaya-Sinugbuanon language (although only about spelling, punctuations, and mechanics), seeking to achieve unity in writing in the Binisaya-Sinugbuanon language.
 
I am lauding your effort in posting the literary works of some Cebuano writers/authors in the internet. Thank you for this and God bless you!