The Kam or Gam language (), also known as Dong (), 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.Joshua Project
Dialects The Kam language can be divided into two major subdivisions: Southern Kam and Northern Kam.Yang Tongyin and Jerold A. Edmondson (2008). "Kam." In Diller, Anthony, Jerold A. Edmondson, and Yongxian Luo ed. The Tai–Kadai Languages. Routledge Language Family Series. Psychology Press, 2008. 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 GuizhouTu, Guanglu 涂光禄; Yang, Jun 杨军. 2008. Jinpingxian Han, Dong, Miao yu fangyan zhi 锦屏县汉侗苗语方言志. Guiyang: Guizhou University Press 贵州大学出版社. Second lectal area: Tiānzhù Zhǔxī () in Guizhou Third lectal area: Jǐnpíng Dàtóng () in Guizhou
Long (2012:19-20)Long Yaohong []. 2012. A study of Dong dialectology [ Dongyu fangyin yanjiu]. Ph.D. dissertation, Shanghai Normal University []. http://www.taodocs.com/p-5926320.html 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.Suining County Gazetteer (1997) In Chengbu County, Hunan, Dong is spoken in Yanzhai , Chang'anying , and Jiangtousi .Shaoyang Prefecture Gazetteer (1997)
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).Edmondson, J.A. and Gregerson, K.J. 2001, "Four Languages of the Vietnam-China Borderlands", in Papers from the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, ed. K.L. Adams and T.J. Hudak, Tempe, Arizona, pp. 101-133. Arizona State University, Program for Southeast Asian Studies. 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)Chen, Qiguang [] (2013). Miao and Yao language []. Beijing: China Minzu University Press. 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.Article in Omniglot 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 in Kam.
Initials LabialAlveolar(Alveolo-)palatalVelarGlottalplainpal.plainlab.NasalStop/AffricatevoicelessaspiratedFricativeApproximantcentrallateral 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 b d j g zh p t q k ch m n ny ng sh w l ly h r bi s x gu f pi y ku z mi ngu cwi
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 b d g h y s z p t k f w x c j ng ly ny l n m q ngh lhy nhy lh nh 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 -hexample(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), .
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. 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)