Chavacano is unusual among the languages of Asia: a Spanish-based creole that grew up in the Philippines during more than three centuries of Spanish rule. Most of its vocabulary comes from Spanish, while its grammar owes much to Philippine languages such as Tagalog and Hiligaynon. The largest variety by far is Zamboangueno, spoken in and around Zamboanga City on Mindanao, where the language appears in local media and some schooling. Smaller varieties, including Caviteno and Ternateno, survive around Manila Bay. Speaker estimates run to several hundred thousand. Chavacano is written in the Latin alphabet, and speakers of modern Spanish can often follow the gist of it, though the two are far from identical and the creole has developed along its own lines.
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