Filipinos from the non-Tagalog speaking parts of the Philippines know that Pilipino, the so-called national language, is simply Tagalog. Visayans, in particular, hate having to speak Tagalog, and many educated Visayans find it demeaning to have to speak Tagalog. Tagalog was selected to become the "national" language purely by political reasons. After all, before Tagalog became the "national" language, Cebuano was the most widely spoken language in the Philippines and probably still holds that distinction.

Cebuano is often times referred to as Bisaya, but that is inaccurate. There are several other Bisayan dialects or languages which include Ilonggo, Waray, and Capul.