Most (but not all) roots which contain an /l/ between /a/’s and
/u/’s compete with roots which lack /l/. The forms without /l/ are
used generally in the Northeastern portion of the Cebuano area: all
areas east of Cebu (Bohol, Masbate, Leyte and islands in between) and
on the northern half of Cebu. In the Southwestern areas (Negros,
southern half of Cebu and most of Mindanao, the /l/ forms predominate.
Between like vowels /l/ is dropped and the vowel is usually lengthened:
kalabaw or kábaw ‘water buffalo’; balay or báy ‘house’;
tutulu or tutú ‘three’. In closed syllables or in the case of /l/
beginning the antepenult, no compensatory lengthening takes place:
kalatkat or katkat ‘climb’; kalamunggay or kamunggay ‘k.o.
tree’.
Between /a/ and /u/ or /u/ and /a/, /l/ becomes /w/: lalum or lawum
‘deep’; sulab or suwab ‘blade’. The sequence /alu/ in the
antepenult and penult or earlier in the root becomes /u/ in Cebu and
northern Leyte but /awu/ in Bohol and southern Leyte: dalunggan or
dunggan or dawunggan ‘ear’.
This alternation is for the most part confined to the root. [19]
Otherwise, it is so regular that only the forms containing /l/ are
listed, and the presumption is made that the /l/ may be dropped unless
a note is made to the contrary. [20]