Tai Dam language
Tai Dam | |
---|---|
Black Tai | |
ꪼꪕꪒꪾ; ไทดำ | |
Native to | Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, China |
Ethnicity | Tai Dam |
Native speakers | (760,000 cited 1995–2002)[1] |
Language family | Kra–Dai
|
Writing system | Tai Viet |
Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Vietnam , Thailand |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | blt |
Glottolog | taid1247 |
Tai Dam (Chinese: 傣担语; pinyin: Dǎidānyǔ), also known as Black Tai (Thai: ภาษาไทดำ; pronounced [pʰāːsǎː tʰāj dām]; "Black Tai language"; Chinese: 黑傣语; pinyin: Hēidǎiyǔ), is a Tai language spoken by the Tai Dam in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and China (mostly in Jinping Miao, Yao, and Dai Autonomous County).
The Tai Dam language is similar to Thai and Lao, but it is not close enough to be readily understood by most Thai and Lao speakers. In particular, the Pali and Sanskrit additions to Thai and Lao are largely missing from Tai Dam.[2]
Geographical distribution[]
Tai Dam is spoken in Vietnam, China, Laos, and Thailand. In central Thailand, it is known as Thai Song.
Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples. But in Vietnam they are given their own nationality (with the White Tai) where they are classified (confusingly for English speakers) as the Thái nationality (meaning Tai people).
In China, Tai Dam (Chinese: 傣朗姆) people are located in the following townships of Yunnan, with about 20,000 people in Yunnan (Gao 1999).[3]
- Maguan County 马关县: Muchang Township 木厂乡, Dalishu Township 大栗树乡, and Pojiao Township 坡脚乡
- Wenshan County 文山县: Dehou Township 德厚乡, Panzhihua Township 攀枝花乡
- Hekou County 河口县: Qiaotou Town 桥头镇 (in Baihei Village 白黑村 and Gantianzhai 甘田寨)
- Yuanjiang County 元江县: Dashuiping Township 大水平乡 (in Gaozhai 高寨 and Yangmahe 养马河)
Official status[]
In Vietnam, all Tai peoples are taught a standardized Tai language based on the Tai Dam language, using the standardized Tai Viet script.[4]
Phonology[]
Consonants[]
Initials[]
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
plain | lab. | ||||||
Plosive | tenuis | [p] | [t] | [k] | [kʷ] | [ʔ] | |
aspirated | [tʰ] | ||||||
voiced | [b] | [d] | |||||
Affricate | [t͡ɕ] | ||||||
Nasal | [m] | [n] | [ɲ] | [ŋ] | [ŋʷ] | ||
Fricative | voiceless | [f] | [s] | [x] | [xʷ] | [h] | |
voiced | [v] | ||||||
Approximant | [l] | [j] |
- Sounds /b/ and /d/ can fluctuate to voiced implosive sounds [ɓ], [ɗ]. /d/ may also fluctuate to a lateral sound [l]. /v/ can fluctuate to sounds [b~ɓ].
- In some rare cases /j/ can be realized as a [z] sound.
Finals[]
Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | [p] | [t] | [k] | [ʔ] | |
Nasal | [m] | [n] | [ŋ] | ||
Approximant | [w] | [j] |
- Final plosive sounds /p t k/ can be realized as unreleased [p̚ t̚ k̚].
Vowels[]
Front | Central-Back | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | ɨ ~ ɯ | u |
Glide | iə̯ | ɨə̯ ~ ɯə̯ | uə̯ |
Mid | e | ə | o |
Open | ɛ ~ æ | a aː | ɔ |
- There is also /əw/ that corresponds to Proto-Tai *aɰ.
- /ɛ/ can tend to fluctuate to a more open sound [æ].
- /ɨ/ fluctuates to a back unrounded sound [ɯ].[5]
Vocabulary[]
The Pali and Sanskrit additions to Thai and Lao are generally absent from Tai Dam.[2] Tai Dam lacks many of the Khmer and Indic (via Khmer) loanwords found in Thai, Lao and Isan.
Khmer loan word | Isan | Lao | Thai | Tai Dam | Gloss | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ទន្លេ tônlé1 |
/tɔːn leː/ | ทะเล thale |
/tʰāʔ léː/ | ທະເລ thalé |
/tʰāʔ léː/ | ทะเล thale |
/tʰaʔ leː/ | ꪘꪮꪉꪨꪺꪉ noang luang |
/nɔŋ˨.luə̯ŋ˨/ | 'sea' | ||
រៀន reăn |
/riən/ | เฮียน hian |
/híːən/ | ຮຽນ hian |
/híːən/ | เรียน rian |
/riːan/ | ꪵꪮꪚ ʼaep |
/ʔɛp̚˦˥/ | 'to learn' | ||
भाषा bhāṣā2 |
/bʱaːʂaː/ | ភាសា pheăsa |
/pʰiə saː/ | ภาษา phasa |
/pʰáː săː/ | ພາສາ phasa |
/pʰáː săː/ | ภาษา phasa |
/pʰaː sǎː/ | ꪁꪫꪱꪣ kwaam |
/kʷaːm˥/ | 'language' |
राज rāja2 |
/raːdʒaː/ | រាជា reăcheă |
/riəɕiə/ | ราซา rasa |
/láː sáː/ | ຣາຊາ raxa |
/láː sáː/ | ราชา racha |
/râː tɕʰaː/ | ꪜꪺ pua |
/puə̯˨/ | 'king' |
वेला velā2 |
/ʋe laː/ | វេលា véreǎ |
/veː liːə/ | เวลา vela |
/ʋéːláː/ | ເວລາ véla |
/ʋéːláː/ | เวลา wela |
/weː laː/ | ꪑꪱꪣ nyaam |
/ɲaːm˥/ | 'time' |
សប្បាយ sǎpbay |
/sap baːj/ | สบาย sabai |
/sáʔ baːj/ | ສບາຽ/ສະບາຍ sabay |
/sáʔ baːj/ | สบาย sabai |
/saʔ baːj/ | ꪅ꫁ꪽꪒꪷ xan doa |
/xan˧˩.dɔː˨/ | 'to be well' |
- ^1 Khmer tônlé generally signifies 'lake' or 'large canal'. Similarly, the Tai Dam term for the sea means 'large lake'.
- ^2 Sanskrit source of following Khmer word. Thai and Lao adopted Sanskrit terms via Khmer, but restored their vowels pronunciations.
Writing system[]
The Tai Dam language has its own system of writing, called Tai Viet, which consists of 31 consonants and 14 vowels. At the beginning, there was no tone marker although the language is tonal. Tone markers emerge in the 1970s in two sets: combining marks like Thai/Lao, and modifiers like New Tai Lue/Tai Nuea which are now less popular. According to Thai authors, the writing system is probably derived from the old Thai writing of the kingdom of Sukhotai.[2]
Further reading[]
- Miyake, Marc. 2014. Black and white evidence for Vietnamese phonological history.
- Miyake, Marc. 2014. *(C).r-usters in Black Tai and Bao Yen.
- Miyake, Marc. 2014. S-implificaition in Black Tai and Bao Yen.
References[]
- ^ Tai Dam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Bankston, Carl L. "The Tai Dam: Refugees from Vietnam and Laos". Passage: A Journal of Refugee Education. 3 (Winter 1987): 30–31.
- ^ Gao Lishi 高立士. 1999. 傣族支系探微. 中南民族学院学报 (哲学社会科学版). 1999 年第1 期 (总第96 期).
- ^ Choowonglert, Achariya (2015). "We Do Not Want to be Inferior: Politics of Difference in Teaching and Studying Tai Languages in North-Central of Vietnam". Cite journal requires
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(help) - ^ Fippinger, Jay W. and Dorothy C. (1970). Black Tai Phonemes, with Reference to White Tai. Anthropological Linguistics.
External links[]
- Tai languages
- Languages of Vietnam
- Languages of Laos
- Languages of Thailand
- Languages of China