Kam language

Template:Short description Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other Template:Sister project The Kam or Gam language (), also known as Dong (Template:Zh), is a Kam–Sui language spoken by the Dong people. Ethnologue distinguishes three Kam varieties as separate but closely related languages.

Demographics

Southern Dong

Almost 1.5 million speakers of Southern Dong were counted in the 1990 language census, from a total of 2.5 million people in the Dong ethnic group. The Southern Dong live primarily in Rongjiang, Jinping, Liping, Zhenyuan, and Congjiang counties in Guizhou Province; Longsheng, Sanjiang, and Rongshui counties in northeastern Guangxi; and Tongdao County in Hunan Province. Two Dong villages are also located in northern Vietnam, although only one individual in Vietnam is still able to speak Dong.

Dialects

The Kam language can be divided into two major subdivisions: Southern Kam and Northern Kam. Northern Kam displays more Chinese influence and lacks vowel length contrast, while Southern Kam is more conservative. Language varieties closely related to or part of Kam include Cao Miao and Naxi Yao. A northern Pinghua variety called Tongdao Pinghua, spoken in Tongdao County, Hunan, has also been significantly influenced by Kam.

Southern Kam

• First lectal area: Róngjiāng Zhānglǔ (), Lípíng Hóngzhōu (), Jǐnpíng Qǐméng () in Guizhou; Tōngdào () in Hunan; Longsheng () and Sanjiang Dudong () in Guangxi
• Second lectal area: Lípíng Shuǐkǒu (), Cóngjiāng Guàndòng (), Róngjiāng Píngjiāng () in Guizhou; Sānjiāng Hélǐ () in Guangxi
• Third lectal area: Zhènyuǎn Bàojīng () in Guizhou
• Fourth lectal area: Róngshuǐ () in Guangxi

Northern Kam

• First lectal area: Tiānzhù Shídòng (), Sānsuì Kuǎnchǎng (), Jiànhé Xiǎoguǎng () in Guizhou; also Jǐnpíng Jiǔzhài () in Guizhou
• Second lectal area: Tiānzhù Zhǔxī () in Guizhou
• Third lectal area: Jǐnpíng Dàtóng () in Guizhou

Long (2012:19-20) classifies the Kam lectal areas (dialects) as follows.

Southern Kam

• Lectal area 1
  • Chejiang, Rongjiang County
  • Longcheng, Tongdao County
  • Pingdeng, Longsheng County
  • Chengyang, Sanjiang County
  • Hongzhou, Liping County
• Lectal area 2
  • Zhaihao, Rongjiang County
  • Shuikou, Liping County
  • Guidong, Congjiang County
  • Heli, Sanjiang County
• Lectal area 3
  • Zhaihuai, Rongshui County
• Lectal area 4
  • Pindong, Rongshui County

Northern Kam

• Lectal area 1 (Highland Dong )
  • Shidong, Tianzhu County
  • Kuanchang, Sansui County
  • Jiuzhai, Jinping County
  • Xiaoguang, Jianhe County
• Lectal area 2 (River Dong )
  • Datong, Jinping County
  • Sanmentang, Tianzhu County
  • Lannichong, Jingzhou County
• Lectal area 3
  • Zhuxi, Tianzhu County
  • Zhongzhai, Xinhuang County
• Lectal area 4
  • Qimeng, Jinping County
• Lectal area 5
  • Baojing, Zhenyuan County

In Congjiang County, Dong consists of three dialects: Jiudong (similar to Chejiang Dong), Liudong (similar to Liping Dong), and another dialect spoken in Xishan , Bingmei , and Guandong (similar to Sanjiang Dong) (Congjiang County Gazetteer 1999:109).

In Suining County, Hunan, Dong is spoken in Lianfeng (including Duolong ), Huangsangping , Le'anpu , and other nearby locations. In Chengbu County, Hunan, Dong is spoken in Yanzhai , Chang'anying , and Jiangtousi .

Kam is also spoken in the single village of Đồng Mộc, Trung Sơn Commune, Yên Sơn District, Tuyên Quang Province, northern Vietnam, where there are about 35 Kam people (Edmondson & Gregerson 2001). The Kam of Đồng Mộc had migrated to Vietnam from China about 150 years ago. The Kam variety spoken in Đồng Mộc is most similar to that of Lípíng Shuǐkǒu () in southeastern Guizhou.

In China, a total of seven counties designated as Dong Autonomous Counties ().

• Yuping Dong Autonomous County, Guizhou
• Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Guangxi
• Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, Guangxi
• Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County, Hunan
• Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County, Hunan
• Jingzhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County, Hunan
• Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Hunan

Others

According to the Shaoyang Prefecture Gazetteer (1997), language varieties closely related to Southern Kam are spoken in Naxi , Dongkou County (which had 4,280 ethnic Yao in 1982 (Chen 2013:39)) and Lianmin , Suining County. However, they are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Yao, not Dong. Chen Qiguang (2013:39) reports that the ancestors of Naxihua speakers had migrated to their current location from Tianzhu, Liping, and Yuping counties of southeastern Guizhou during the early 15th century.

Phonology and orthography

Kam has two main orthographies: the Chinese academic developed system and the independently developed system by Ngo Van Lyong for Southern Kam as spoken in Rongjiang. The Chinese system is most commonly used by linguists and has similarities to other Chinese Kra–Dai language orthographies (such as Zhuang). The Ngo Van Lyong system was inspired by the Vietnamese alphabet and is made for speakers and learners.

While the Chinese system is the most well known, most Kam speakers are not literate.

Initials

		Labial		Alveolar	(Alveolo-) palatal	Velar		Glottal
		plain	pal.			plain	lab.
Nasal		Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink
Stop/ Affricate	voiceless	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink
	aspirated	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink
Fricative				Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink			Template:IPAlink
Approximant	central	Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink		Template:IPAlink
	lateral			Template:IPAlink	Template:IPAlink

The Chinese orthography for Kam orthography has 32 syllable-initial consonants; seven of them (, , , , , and ) only occur in recent loanwords from Chinese.

IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml
Template:IPAslink	b	Template:IPAslink	d	Template:IPAslink	j	Template:IPAslink	g	Template:IPAslink	zh
Template:IPAslink	p	Template:IPAslink	t	Template:IPAslink	q	Template:IPAslink	k	Template:IPAslink	ch
Template:IPAslink	m	Template:IPAslink	n	Template:IPAslink	ny	Template:IPAslink	ng	Template:IPAslink	sh
Template:IPAslink	w	Template:IPAslink	l	Template:IPAslink	ly	Template:IPAslink	h	Template:IPAslink	r
Template:IPAslink	bi	Template:IPAslink	s	Template:IPAslink	x	Template:IPAslink	gu	Template:IPAslink	f
Template:IPAslink	pi			Template:IPAslink	y	Template:IPAslink	ku	Template:IPAslink	z
Template:IPAslink	mi					Template:IPAslink	ngu	Template:IPAslink	c
Template:IPAslink	wi

The Ngo Van Lyong orthography for Southern Kam has 28 syllable-initial consonants.

IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm
Template:IPAslink	b	Template:IPAslink	d	Template:IPAslink	g	Template:IPAslink	h	Template:IPAslink	y	Template:IPAslink	s	Template:IPAslink	z
Template:IPAslink	p	Template:IPAslink	t	Template:IPAslink	k	Template:IPAslink	f	Template:IPAslink	w	Template:IPAslink	x	Template:IPAslink	c
Template:IPAslink	j	Template:IPAslink	ng	Template:IPAslink	ly	Template:IPAslink	ny	Template:IPAslink	l	Template:IPAslink	n	Template:IPAslink	m
Template:IPAslink	q	Template:IPAslink	ngh	Template:IPAslink	lhy	Template:IPAslink	nhy	Template:IPAslink	lh	Template:IPAslink	nh	Template:IPAslink	mh

Finals

The Chinese orthography for Kam has 64 syllable finals; 14 of them occur only in Chinese loans and are not listed in the table below.

IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml	IPA	Gaeml
	a				e		ee		i		o		u/uu
	ai				ei						oi		ui
	ao						eeu		iu		ou
	am		aem		em		eem		im		om		um
	an		aen		en		een		in		on		un
	ang		aeng		eng		eeng		ing		ong		ung
	ab		ab		eb		eb		ib		ob		ub
	ad		ad		ed		ed		id		od
	ag		ag		eg		eg		ig		og		ug

The phonetic value of the vowel in the finals spelled -ab, -ad and -ag, is in syllables that have the tones -l, -p and -c (see table below); in syllables with tones -s, -t and -x, it is . The phonetic value of the vowel in the finals spelled -eb, -ed and -eg, is in syllables that have the tones -l, -p and -c; in syllables with tones -s, -t and -x, it is .

The Ngo Van Lyong orthography for Southern Kam has 116 syllable finals.

IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm	IPA	Gảm
	a		o		e		u		i
	ă		ô		ơ		ư		ü
	ai		oi		ei		ơi		ui
	au		ou		eu		ơu		iu
	ia		io		ie		ua		uo		ue
	iai		ioi		iei		iơi		iui		iau
	iou		ieu		iơu		uai		uoi		uei
	uau		uou		ueu		uơu		uiu		uơi
	an		am		ang		ak		ap		at
	ian		iam		iang		iak		iap		iat
	uan		uam		uang		uak		uap		uat
	ăn		ăm		ăng		ăk		ăp		ăt
	iăn		iăm		iăng		iăk		iăp		iăt
	uăn		uăm		uăng		uăk		uăp		uăt
	on		om		ong		ok		op		ot
	ion		iom		iong		iok		iop		iot
	uon		uom		uong		uok		uop		uot
	ôn		ôm		ông		ôk		ôp		ôt
	iôn		iôm		iông		iôk		iôp		iôt
	uôn		uôm		uông		uôk		uôp		uôt
	en		em		eng		ek		ep		et
	ien		iem		ieng		iek		iep		iet
	uen		uem		ueng		uek		uep		uet
	ơn		ơm		ơng		ơk		ơp		ơt
	iơn		iơm		iơng		iơk		iơp		iơt
	uơn		uơm		uơng		uơk		uơp		uơt
	un		um		ung		uk		up		ut
	iun		ium		iung		iuk		iup		iut
	in		im		ing		ik		ip		it
	uin		uim		uing		uik		uip		uit

Tones

Kam is a tonal language. Open syllables can occur in one of nine different tones, checked syllables in six tones (so-called entering tones), so that the traditional approach counts fifteen tones. As with the Hmong alphabet, the Chinese orthography marks tones with a consonant at the end of each syllable.

tone contour:	high	high rising	low	dipping	low rising	low falling	high falling	peaking	mid
	(55)	(35)	(11)	(24)	(13)	(31)	(53)	(453)	(33)
Orthography:	-l	-p	-c	-s	-t	-x	-v	-k	-h
example (open syllable)	bal	pap	bac	bas	qat	miax	bav	pak	bah
	"fish"	"grey"	"rake"	"aunt"	"light"	"knife"	"leaf"	"destroy"	"chaff"
example (checked syllable)	bedl	sedp	medc	bads	pads	bagx
	"duck"	"seven"	"ant"	"can"?	"blood"	"white"

The Ngô Văn Lương orthography marks tones via diacritics written above or below the vowel as with the Vietnamese alphabet and only features 6 tones.

tone contour:	high flat	low flat	high falling	low falling	high rising	low rising
	(33)	(11)	(51)	(31)	(45)	(24)
Example:	ba	bá	bà	bạ	bả	bã

References

• Ōu Hēngyuán 欧亨元: Cic deenx Gaeml Gax / Dòng-Hàn cídiǎn 侗汉词典 (Kam–Chinese dictionary; Běijīng 北京, Mínzú chūbǎnshè 民族出版社 2004), Template:ISBN.

Further reading

• Long, Y., Zheng, G., & Geary, D. N. (1998). The Dong language in Guizhou Province, China. Summer Institute of Linguistics and the University of Texas at Arlington publications in linguistics, publication 126. Dallas, TX: Summer Institute of Linguistics. Template:ISBN
• Yang, Tongyin & Edmondson, Jerold A. (2008). Kam. In Anthony V. N. Diller and Jerold A. Edmondson and Yongxian Luo (eds.), The Tai-Kadai Languages, 509-584. London & New York: Routledge.

External links

• Southern Dong word list from the Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database
• Dong-language Swadesh vocabulary list of basic words (from Wiktionary's Swadesh-list appendix)