چام
Western Cham
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Chamic)
Western Cham (cam) is the Chamic Austronesian language of the Cham Muslim communities in Cambodia (Kampong Cham, Battambang, Pursat) and parts of southern Vietnam (An Giang, Tây Ninh), with ~190K speakers. After the fall of Champa kingdom (Vijaya, 1471 CE) to Đại Việt and the final destruction in 1832, large Cham populations fled west, gradually converting to Sunni Islam in Cambodia under Malay influence. Today Western Cham uses the Arabic script in Jawi style for religious texts; the historic Cham Brahmic script (descended from Pallava-Grantha) is preserved by Eastern Cham (cjm) in Vietnam. The language has lost the tones of Vietnamese contact and developed register based on glottal contrast.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Western Cham
Water
ايا
/ja/
Fire
افوي
/apuei/
Sun
أديتياء
/aditiak/
Moon
بيلن
/bilan/
Star
فتاۛء
/patɨʔ/
Mother
ماي
/mai/
Father
أمآ
/amaː/
I
كاو
/kɔw/
You
هاۛ
/hɨ/
Name
أڠن
/aŋan/
Eye
متا
/mata/
Hand
تاڠين
/taŋin/
Heart
هتاي
/hatai/
Love
ڬاوه
/ɡauh/
Tree
كايو
/kajuv/
House
تحاڠ
/tʰaŋ/
Dog
أتحو
/atʰuv/
Cat
ميٛو
/meuv/
Eat
هواء
/huak/
Drink
ماوم
/maum/
One
تحا
/tʰa/
Two
ڎوا
/ɗuə/
Hello
سلام
/salam/
Thank you
تريما كاسيه
/tarima kasiʔ/
Good
سيام
/siam/
Sources
- Ethnologue: cja
- Thurgood (1999) From Ancient Cham to Modern Dialects
- Aymonier & Cabaton (1906) Dictionnaire čam-français
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Chamic) languages
| Meaning | Western Cham | Old Cham | Eastern Cham | Banjar | Minangkabau | Sasak | Musi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ايا /ja/ | ie /ʔiə/ | ꨀꨳꨩ /ʔiaː/ | banyu /baɲu/ | aia /aia/ | aiq /aiʔ/ | ayek /ajek/ |
| Fire | افوي /apuei/ | apuy /ʔapuj/ | ꨀꨚꨶꨬ /apuei/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | api /api/ |
| Sun | أديتياء /aditiak/ | adaw /ʔadaw/ | ꨀꨕꨪꨓꨳꩀ /a.ɗi.tiaʔ/ | matahari /matahari/ | matoari /matoaɾi/ | mataari /mataari/ | matahari /matahari/ |
| Moon | بيلن /bilan/ | bulan /bulan/ | ꨝꨪꨤꩆ /ɓi.lan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | فتاۛء /patɨʔ/ | bituk /bituʔ/ | ꨝꨪꨓꨭꩀ /ɓi.tuʔ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ |
| Mother | ماي /mai/ | amɛ /amɛ/ | ꨀꨟꨰꩀ /a.meʔ/ | uma /uma/ | amak /amaʔ/ | inaq /inaʔ/ | mak /mak/ |
| Father | أمآ /amaː/ | amaŋ /amaŋ/ | ꨀꨟꨲ /a.mɨ/ | abah /abah/ | abak /abaʔ/ | amaq /amaʔ/ | bapak /bapak/ |
| I | كاو /kɔw/ | kău /kaw/ | ꨕꨨꨵꩀ /ɗah.laʔ/ | aku /aku/ | ambo /ambo/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ |
| You | هاۛ /hɨ/ | hã /haː/ | ꨨꨲ /hɨ/ | ikam /ikam/ | ang /aŋ/ | side /sidə/ | kau /kau/ |
| Name | أڠن /aŋan/ | angan /aŋan/ | ꨀꨋꩆ /a.ŋan/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ | namo /namo/ | aran /aran/ | namo /namo/ |
| Eye | متا /mata/ | mata /mata/ | ꨟꨓꨩ /mə.taː/ | mata /mata/ | mato /mato/ | mate /mate/ | mato /mato/ |
| Hand | تاڠين /taŋin/ | taŋin /taŋin/ | ꨓꨊꨪꩆ /ta.ŋɪn/ | tangan /taŋan/ | tangan /taŋan/ | ime /ime/ | tangan /taŋan/ |
| Heart | هتاي /hatai/ | hatai /hatai/ | ꨨꨓꨰ /ha.tai/ | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ | ate /ate/ | hati /hati/ |
| Love | ڬاوه /ɡauh/ | klɛn /klɛn/ | ꨀꨘꨪꩅ /a.nit/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ | cinto /tʃinto/ | tresne /tresne/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ |
| Tree | كايو /kajuv/ | phuəŋ /pʰuəŋ/ | ꨆꨢꨮꨭ /ka.jauː/ | batang /bataŋ/ | kayu /kaju/ | lolon kayu /lolon kaju/ | kayu /kaju/ |
| House | تحاڠ /tʰaŋ/ | sɔŋ /sɔŋ/ | ꨧꩃ /saːŋ/ | rumah /rumah/ | rumah /ɾumah/ | bale /bale/ | rumah /rumah/ |
| Dog | أتحو /atʰuv/ | asɔ /asɔ/ | ꨀꨧꨮꨭ /ʔa.saʊ/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ | anjiang /aɲdʒiaŋ/ | aco /atʃo/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ |
| Cat | ميٛو /meuv/ | mɛw /mɛw/ | ꨟꨢꨥ /mɨ.jaw/ | pusa /pusa/ | kuciang /kutʃiaŋ/ | meong /meoŋ/ | kucing /kutʃiŋ/ |
| Eat | هواء /huak/ | bɔh /bɔh/ | ꨨꨶꩀ /hʊaʔ/ | makan /makan/ | makan /makan/ | mangan /maŋan/ | makan /makan/ |
| Drink | ماوم /maum/ | mɛnum /mɛnum/ | ꨟꨑꨭꩌ /mɨ.ɲum/ | nginum /ŋinum/ | minum /minum/ | nginem /ŋinəm/ | minum /minum/ |
| One | تحا /tʰa/ | sa /sa/ | ꨧ /saː/ | asa /asa/ | ciek /tʃieʔ/ | esa /esa/ | siko /siko/ |
| Two | ڎوا /ɗuə/ | dua /dua/ | ꨕꨶ /d̪ʊaː/ | dua /dua/ | duo /duo/ | due /duə/ | duo /duo/ |
| Hello | سلام /salam/ | — /—/ | ꨦꨤꩌ /sa.lam/ | salam /salam/ | salam /salam/ | salam /salam/ | halo /halo/ |
| Thank you | تريما كاسيه /tarima kasiʔ/ | — /—/ | ꨙꨶ ꨜꨲꩊ /ɗua pʰuəl/ | tarima kasih /tarima kasih/ | tarimo kasiah /taɾimo kasiah/ | tampi asih /tampi asih/ | terimo kasih /terimo kasih/ |
| Good | سيام /siam/ | siam /siam/ | ꨧꨳꩌ /siam/ | bagus /baɡus/ | rancak /ɾantʃaʔ/ | solah /solah/ | bagus /baɡus/ |
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