ꨌꩌ
Eastern Cham
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Chamic)
Eastern Cham, also called Phan Rang Cham (ISO 639-3: cjm), is a Chamic Austronesian language spoken chiefly in Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận provinces of south-central Vietnam. It is distinct from Western Cham (cja), centered in Cambodia, and its speakers include Ahiér or Balamon and Awal or Bani communities as well as other religious affiliations. The traditional Akhar Thrah abugida, descended from South Indian Brahmic writing, is used in manuscripts and community instruction, while Latin transcription also appears in linguistic and educational work. Long contact with Vietnamese has reshaped word structure and produced phonation or register contrasts; some analyses describe incipient tonality, so a categorical “non-tonal” label is too simple. Eastern Cham has no nationwide official status, and transmission varies as Vietnamese increasingly dominates schooling and public life.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Eastern Cham
Water
ꨀꨳꨩ
/ʔiaː/
Fire
ꨀꨚꨶꨬ
/apuei/
Sun
ꨀꨕꨪꨓꨳꩀ
/a.ɗi.tiaʔ/
Moon
ꨝꨪꨤꩆ
/ɓi.lan/
Star
ꨝꨪꨓꨭꩀ
/ɓi.tuʔ/
Mother
ꨀꨟꨰꩀ
/a.meʔ/
Father
ꨀꨟꨲ
/a.mɨ/
I
ꨕꨨꨵꩀ
/ɗah.laʔ/
You
ꨨꨲ
/hɨ/
Name
ꨀꨋꩆ
/a.ŋan/
Eye
ꨟꨓꨩ
/mə.taː/
Hand
ꨓꨊꨪꩆ
/ta.ŋɪn/
Heart
ꨨꨓꨰ
/ha.tai/
Love
ꨀꨘꨪꩅ
/a.nit/
Tree
ꨆꨢꨮꨭ
/ka.jauː/
House
ꨧꩃ
/saːŋ/
Dog
ꨀꨧꨮꨭ
/ʔa.saʊ/
Cat
ꨟꨢꨥ
/mɨ.jaw/
Eat
ꨨꨶꩀ
/hʊaʔ/
Drink
ꨟꨑꨭꩌ
/mɨ.ɲum/
One
ꨧ
/saː/
Two
ꨕꨶ
/d̪ʊaː/
Hello
ꨦꨤꩌ
/sa.lam/
Thank you
ꨙꨶ ꨜꨲꩊ
/ɗua pʰuəl/
Good
ꨧꨳꩌ
/siam/
Sources
- Ethnologue: cjm
- Thurgood (1999) From Ancient Cham to Modern Dialects
- Brunelle (2009) Tone perception in Eastern Cham
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian, Chamic) languages
| Meaning | Eastern Cham | Western Cham | Old Cham | Minangkabau | Iban | Sasak | Banjar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ꨀꨳꨩ /ʔiaː/ | ايا /ja/ | ie /ʔiə/ | aia /aia/ | ai /ai/ | aiq /aiʔ/ | banyu /baɲu/ |
| Fire | ꨀꨚꨶꨬ /apuei/ | افوي /apuei/ | apuy /ʔapuj/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | api /api/ | api /api/ |
| Sun | ꨀꨕꨪꨓꨳꩀ /a.ɗi.tiaʔ/ | أديتياء /aditiak/ | adaw /ʔadaw/ | matoari /matoaɾi/ | mata-ari /mataari/ | mataari /mataari/ | matahari /matahari/ |
| Moon | ꨝꨪꨤꩆ /ɓi.lan/ | بيلن /bilan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ | bulan /bulan/ |
| Star | ꨝꨪꨓꨭꩀ /ɓi.tuʔ/ | فتاۛء /patɨʔ/ | bituk /bituʔ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ | bintang /bintaŋ/ |
| Mother | ꨀꨟꨰꩀ /a.meʔ/ | ماي /mai/ | amɛ /amɛ/ | amak /amaʔ/ | indai /indai/ | inaq /inaʔ/ | uma /uma/ |
| Father | ꨀꨟꨲ /a.mɨ/ | أمآ /amaː/ | amaŋ /amaŋ/ | abak /abaʔ/ | apai /apai/ | amaq /amaʔ/ | abah /abah/ |
| I | ꨕꨨꨵꩀ /ɗah.laʔ/ | كاو /kɔw/ | kău /kaw/ | ambo /ambo/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ | aku /aku/ |
| You | ꨨꨲ /hɨ/ | هاۛ /hɨ/ | hã /haː/ | ang /aŋ/ | nuan /nuan/ | side /sidə/ | ikam /ikam/ |
| Name | ꨀꨋꩆ /a.ŋan/ | أڠن /aŋan/ | angan /aŋan/ | namo /namo/ | nama /nama/ | aran /aran/ | ngaran /ŋaran/ |
| Eye | ꨟꨓꨩ /mə.taː/ | متا /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mato /mato/ | mata /mata/ | mate /mate/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | ꨓꨊꨪꩆ /ta.ŋɪn/ | تاڠين /taŋin/ | taŋin /taŋin/ | tangan /taŋan/ | jari /dʒari/ | ime /ime/ | tangan /taŋan/ |
| Heart | ꨨꨓꨰ /ha.tai/ | هتاي /hatai/ | hatai /hatai/ | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ | ate /ate/ | ati /ati/ |
| Love | ꨀꨘꨪꩅ /a.nit/ | ڬاوه /ɡauh/ | klɛn /klɛn/ | cinto /tʃinto/ | rinduai /rinduai/ | tresne /tresne/ | sayang /sajaŋ/ |
| Tree | ꨆꨢꨮꨭ /ka.jauː/ | كايو /kajuv/ | phuəŋ /pʰuəŋ/ | kayu /kaju/ | kayu /kaju/ | lolon kayu /lolon kaju/ | batang /bataŋ/ |
| House | ꨧꩃ /saːŋ/ | تحاڠ /tʰaŋ/ | sɔŋ /sɔŋ/ | rumah /ɾumah/ | rumah /rumah/ | bale /bale/ | rumah /rumah/ |
| Dog | ꨀꨧꨮꨭ /ʔa.saʊ/ | أتحو /atʰuv/ | asɔ /asɔ/ | anjiang /aɲdʒiaŋ/ | ukui /ukui/ | aco /atʃo/ | anjing /andʒiŋ/ |
| Cat | ꨟꨢꨥ /mɨ.jaw/ | ميٛو /meuv/ | mɛw /mɛw/ | kuciang /kutʃiaŋ/ | mayau /majau/ | meong /meoŋ/ | pusa /pusa/ |
| Eat | ꨨꨶꩀ /hʊaʔ/ | هواء /huak/ | bɔh /bɔh/ | makan /makan/ | makai /makai/ | mangan /maŋan/ | makan /makan/ |
| Drink | ꨟꨑꨭꩌ /mɨ.ɲum/ | ماوم /maum/ | mɛnum /mɛnum/ | minum /minum/ | ngirup /ŋirup/ | nginem /ŋinəm/ | nginum /ŋinum/ |
| One | ꨧ /saː/ | تحا /tʰa/ | sa /sa/ | ciek /tʃieʔ/ | satu /satu/ | esa /esa/ | asa /asa/ |
| Two | ꨕꨶ /d̪ʊaː/ | ڎوا /ɗuə/ | dua /dua/ | duo /duo/ | dua /dua/ | due /duə/ | dua /dua/ |
| Hello | ꨦꨤꩌ /sa.lam/ | سلام /salam/ | — /—/ | salam /salam/ | salam /salam/ | salam /salam/ | salam /salam/ |
| Thank you | ꨙꨶ ꨜꨲꩊ /ɗua pʰuəl/ | تريما كاسيه /tarima kasiʔ/ | — /—/ | tarimo kasiah /taɾimo kasiah/ | terima kasih /terima kasih/ | tampi asih /tampi asih/ | tarima kasih /tarima kasih/ |
| Good | ꨧꨳꩌ /siam/ | سيام /siam/ | siam /siam/ | rancak /ɾantʃaʔ/ | manah /manah/ | solah /solah/ | bagus /baɡus/ |
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