Tai Dam language

Tai Dam (Chinese: 傣担语; pinyin: Dǎidānyǔ), also known as Black Tai (Thai: ภาษาไทดำ; pronounced [pʰāː sǎː tʰāj dām]; Vietnamese: tiếng Thái Đen; "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).

Tai Dam
Black Tai
ꪼꪕꪒꪾ; ไทดำ
Native toVietnam, Laos, Thailand, China
EthnicityTai Dam
Native speakers
(760,000 cited 1995–2002)[1]
Kra–Dai
Tai Viet
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3blt
Glottologtaid1247

The Tai Dam language is similar to Thai and Lao (including Isan), but it is not close enough to be readily understood by most Thai and Lao (Isan) speakers. In particular, the Khmer, Pali and Sanskrit additions to Thai and Lao (Isan) are largely missing from Tai Dam.[2]

Geographical distribution

Tai Dam is spoken in Vietnam, China, Laos, and Thailand. In central and western 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

Initials
Labial Dental/
Alveolar		 (Alveolo-)
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 ~ ɤ o
Open ɛ 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 Khmer, Pali and Sanskrit additions to Thai and Lao (Isan) 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.

Lack of Khmer and Indic (via Khmer) loan words in Tai Dam
Khmer loan word Isan Lao Thai Tai Dam Gloss
ទន្លេ
tônlé1		 /tɔːn leː/ ทะเล
thale		 /tʰāʔ léː/ ທະເລ
thalé		 /tʰāʔ léː/ ทะเล
thale		 /tʰáʔ lēː/ ꪘꪮꪉꪨꪺꪉ
noang luang		 /nɔŋ˨.luə̯ŋ˨/ 'sea'
រៀន
reăn		 /riən/ เฮียน
hian		 /hían/ ຮຽນ
hian		 /híːan/ เรียน
rian		 /rīan/ ꪵꪮꪚ
ʼaep		 /ʔɛp̚˦˥/ 'to learn'
भाषा
bhāṣā2		 /bʱaːʂaː/ ភាសា
pheăsa		 /pʰiə saː/ ภาษา
phasa		 /pʰáː săː/ ພາສາ
phasa		 /pʰáː săː/ ภาษา
phasa		 /pʰāː sǎː/ ꪁꪫꪱꪣ
kwaam		 /kʷaːm˥/ 'language'
राज
rāja2		 /raːdʒaː/ រាជា
reăcheă		 /riə ɕiə/ ราชา
racha		 /láː tɕʰáː/ ຣາຊາ
raxa		 /láː sáː/ ราชา
racha		 /rāː tɕʰāː/ ꪜꪺ
pua		 /puə̯˨/ 'king'
वेला
velā2		 /ʋe laː/ វេលា
véreǎ		 /veː liːə/ เวลา
wela		 /wéː láː/ ເວລາ
véla		 /ʋéː láː/ เวลา
wela		 /wēː lāː/ ꪑꪱꪣ
nyaam		 /ɲaːm˥/ 'time'
សប្បាយ
sǎpbay		 /sap baːj/ สบาย
sabai		 /sáʔ bāːj/ ສບາຽ/ສະບາຍ
sabay		 /sáʔ bàːj/ สบาย
sabai		 /sàʔ bāːj/ ꪅ꫁ꪽꪒꪷ
xan doa		 /xan˧˩.dɔː˨/ 'to be well'
រាក់
raek3		 /raːk/ ฮัก
hak		 /hāk/ ຮັກ
hak		 /hak/ รัก
rak		 /rák/ ꪭꪰꪀ
hak		 /hak˥/ 'love'
  • ^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.
  • ^3 The term rak was borrowed from Proto-Mon-Khmer *r[a]k meaning 'to love, beloved, dear' although now the term raek means 'friendly, cordial, pleasant; intimate, affectionate' in modern Khmer.

Grammar

Pronouns
PronounFormalInformal
Iꪄ꫁ꪮꪤ (xɔy3)ꪀꪴ (ku1)
Weꪏꪴꪙ ꪄ꫁ꪮꪤ (sun4 xɔy3)ꪏꪴꪣ ꪠꪴ (sum4 fu1)
Youꪹꪊ꫁ꪱ (caw3)ꪣꪳꪉ (mueng4)
You (plural)ꪏꪴꪙ ꪹꪊ꫁ꪱ (sun4 caw3)ꪎꪴ (su1)
He/ sheꪹꪝ꪿ꪙ (puean5)ꪣꪽ (man4)
Theyꪏꪴꪙ ꪹꪝ꪿ꪙ (sun4 puean5)ꪹꪎꪱ (saw1)

For the word "I"

  • When addressing parents the word ꪩꪴ꪿ꪀ (luk5) is used instead.
  • When addressing grandparents the word ꪨꪰꪣ (laam1) is used instead.
PronounFormalInformal
Myꪄꪮꪉ ꪄ꫁ꪮꪤ (xɔng1 xɔy3)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪀꪴ (xɔng1 ku1)
Ourꪄꪮꪉ ꪏꪴꪙ ꪄ꫁ꪮꪤ (xɔng1 sun4 xɔy3)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪏꪴꪣ ꪠꪴ (xɔng1 sum4 fu1)
Yourꪄꪮꪉ ꪹꪊ꫁ꪱ (xɔng1 caw3)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪣꪳꪉ (xɔng1 mueng4)
Your (plural)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪏꪴꪙ ꪹꪊ꫁ꪱ (xɔng1 sun4 xɔy3)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪎꪴ (xɔng1 su1)
His/ herꪄꪮꪉ ꪹꪝ꪿ꪙ (xɔng1 puean5)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪣꪽ (xɔng1 man4)
Theirꪄꪮꪉ ꪏꪴꪙ ꪹꪝ꪿ꪙ (xɔng1 sun4 xɔy3)ꪄꪮꪉ ꪹꪎꪱ (xɔng1 saw1)

For the word "my"

  • When addressing parents the word ꪄꪮꪉ ꪩꪴ꪿ꪀ (xɔng1 luk5) is used instead.
  • When addressing grandparents the word ꪄꪮꪉ ꪨꪰꪣ (xɔng1 laam1) is used instead.

Syntax

Tai Dam uses an SVO word order.

Writing system
A text in Tai Viet script

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

References
  1. Tai Dam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Bankston, Carl L. "The Tai Dam: Refugees from Vietnam and Laos". Passage: A Journal of Refugee Education. 3 (Winter 1987): 30–31.
  3. 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).
  4. 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}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. Fippinger, Jay W. and Dorothy C. (1970). Black Tai Phonemes, with Reference to White Tai. Anthropological Linguistics.
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