Considerable lexical influence comes from Spanish, Portuguese, and Ternate, a historical legacy of the presence of foreign powers.
[3][4] The languages are Tonsawang, Tontemboan, Tondano, Tombulu and Tonsea.
[5] The Minahasan languages are classified as a branch of the Philippine subgroup.
[6] The Bantik, Ratahan, and Ponosakan languages, although also spoken in the Minahasa region, are more distantly related, thus not covered by the term in a genealogical sense.
[9] The comparison table (a small selection from Sneddon 1978:120–183) illustrates the correspondences between the Minahasan languages, including inherited vocabulary as well as Minahasan innovations.