Minangkabauic language spoken on Sumatra, Indonesia
The Jamee language (Jamee: "Bahaso Jamu", , lit. 'language of the guests'), also known as the Aneuk Jamee language, is a dialect of the Minangkabau language that is predominantly spoken by the Aneuk Jamee people in Aceh, Indonesia, who are descendants of Minangkabau migrants who began migrating from present-day West Sumatra to Aceh in the 17th century, which over time have gradually assimilated into Acehnese society and culture. The Jamee language is primarily spoken along the southern and western coasts of Aceh, particularly in the coastal areas of South Aceh, Southwest Aceh, West Aceh, and Aceh Singkil Regency. Additionally, it is also spoken by Aneuk Jamee migrants in Simeulue and the nearby islands, following the migration of these communities from mainland Aceh to the island.
Today, most Aneuk Jamee people, particularly those residing in Acehnese-dominated areas like West Aceh Regency, are either bilingual or trilingual. In addition to their native tongue, they also commonly use Acehnese in their daily lives, alongside Indonesian. In contrast, in regions with a higher concentration of Aneuk Jamee populations, such as specific districts in South Aceh and Southwest Aceh Regencies, the Aneuk Jamee language is more widely used and remains an integral part of daily communication. The Jamee language has differed significantly from standard Minangkabau still spoken in West Sumatra, such as in Bukittinggi, in terms of phonology, lexicon, and morphology. Although Jamee is generally still considered a dialect of Minangkabau, it is no longer entirely the same language. Assimilation with local languages, such as Acehnese, has made the Jamee language diverged significantly from standard Minangkabau.
Classification.
The Jamee language is a dialect of the Minangkabau language, which is itself a Malayic language. Speakers of Malayic languages are spread from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Southern Thailand, to the southernmost part of the Philippines. Malay is a member of the Austronesian family of languages, which includes languages from Taiwan, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia. Malagasy, a geographic outlier spoken in Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, is also a member of this language family. Although these languages are not necessarily mutually intelligible to any extent, their similarities are often quite apparent. In more conservative languages like Malay, many roots have come with relatively little change from their common ancestor, Proto-Austronesian. There are many cognates found in the languages' words for kinship, health, body parts and common animals. Numbers, especially, show remarkable similarities.
The Jamee language originated from the Pariaman and Pasaman dialects of Minangkabau, brought to Aceh by migrants from these regions. While the Jamee language is considered as a dialect of Minangkabau, it has been extensively influenced by the Acehnese language, especially the northern dialects. The heavy influence of the Acehnese language has caused the Jamee language to diverge significantly from standard Minangkabau spoken in West Sumatra.The differences between the Jamee language and standard Minangkabau lie in certain aspects of phonology, morphology, and lexicon. In terms of sentence structure, however, the two language variant do not have significant differences.
Geographical distribution and usage.
The Jamee language is predominantly spoken along Aceh's southern coast, with smaller communities found along parts of the west coast. The Aneuk Jamee population is not concentrated in a single area but is dispersed across various districts in South Aceh Regency, including Labuhanhaji, Samadua, and Tapaktuan. In Aceh Singkil Regency, they are found in Singkil District, North Singkil District, and Pulau Banyak District. Additionally, in Southwest Aceh Regency, they inhabit areas such as Lembah Sabil, Manggeng, Susoh, and Jeumpa. They also reside in Johan Pahlawan, Kaway XVI, and Kuala districts in West Aceh Regency. Most Aneuk Jamee communities are located in small coves along the southern coast of Aceh, nestled within a series of bays situated in the lowlands flanked by the Bukit Barisan mountain range. The districts where the Aneuk Jamee reside are separated by areas inhabited by other ethnic groups, such as the Acehnese, Kluet, and other communities in South Aceh. The Jamee language is also spoken in Simeulue, particularly in the town of Sinabang, where it serves as a "lingua franca" for market transactions and trade activities.
In Southern Aceh, the Jamee language serves as the "lingua franca" among various ethnic groups, whereas in other regions of Aceh, this role is predominantly fulfilled by Acehnese. In Singkil, Aceh Singkil Regency, Jamee is commonly used as the language of instruction in schools and for informal communication between students and teachers. In contrast, Indonesian is used in more formal settings. Additionally, the Jamee language is also used as a media of communication between peers, as a medium of conversation in coffee shops, for discussing local government matters, and during sale and purchase transactions in town. In the Banyak Islands, located off the coast of Aceh Singkil, many locals—particularly younger generations—are gradually shifting from speaking Haloban, a dialect of the Simeulue language, to Jamee or Indonesian.
Dialects.
The Jamee language comprises several dialects, with the most prominent being Labuhanhaji, Meureubo, Samadua, Susoh, and Tapaktuan. Each of these dialects also includes sub-dialects, which may vary from one another. Additionally, different districts often have distinct dialects, reflecting the linguistic diversity within the region. The differences between these dialects may lie in their phonology, morphology, and lexicons; however, they remain mutually intelligible. For example, the Tapaktuan dialect tends to use the vowel sound "a" at the end of words or sentences, and the pronunciation of the consonant "r" in the Tapaktuan dialect is concise. On the other hand, in the Samadua dialect, the consonant "r" is replaced with "gh", and there is greater use of the vowel sound "o" in spoken words or sentences. The dialects of Tapaktuan and Samadua are notably distinct from other Jamee dialects. These two are more traditional and retain greater similarities to the Minangkabau dialects spoken in West Sumatra. Additionally, the Tapaktuan dialect is more influenced by Indonesian, as Tapaktuan is the capital of South Aceh Regency, where local government offices are located and Indonesian is commonly used in administration. The differences are not only in pronunciation but also in vocabulary, sentence structure, and intonation. The Susoh dialect spoken in South Aceh and the Meureubo dialect spoken in West Aceh share many similarities in pronunciation, vocabulary, and intonation. They are more influenced by Acehnese compared to the other dialects, to the extent that the Jamee dialects spoken in these two districts can be considered as a mixture of Minangkabau and Acehnese. Another dialect is the Labuhanhaji dialect which is used in South Aceh, especially in Hulu Pisang village.
Phonology.
Like many other regional languages in Indonesia, the Jamee language lacks a standardized phonological system. However, some elements of its phonological system are loosely influenced by standard Indonesian orthography, particularly the system developed by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.
Vowels.
The Jamee language features a total of seven vowels, setting it apart from standard Minangkabau, which has only five. The vowels in Jamee are /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/, /ɛ/, and /ɔ/.
Notes:
In writing, the following phonemes are represented as thus:
Consonants.
The Jamee language has 19 consonants, similar to standard Minangkabau. However, the phoneme /r/ is absent in the Jamee language, while the phoneme /ɣ/, present in Jamee, is absent in standard Minangkabau.
Notes:
In writing, the following phonemes are represented as thus:
Diphthongs.
Diphthongs, or compound vowels, in the Jamee language include the following: /ai/, /ia/, /ie/, /ua/, /ui/, /ue/, and /eè/. A defining characteristic of diphthongs is that their pronunciation involves a shift in tongue position, differing between the starting and ending sounds. These differences are influenced by the tongue's height, the part of the tongue that moves, and the overall tongue structure. In the Jamee language, diphthongs can be categorized into three types: rising diphthongs, falling diphthongs, and centering diphthongs. Rising diphthongs include /ai/, falling diphthongs consist of /ia/, /ie/, /ua/, /ue/, and /eè/, and centering diphthongs include /ui/. Examples of these diphthongs in use are shown below:
Grammar.
Along with Minangkabau, Indonesian, Malay, and other related languages, the word order in the Jamee language is typically subject-verb-object (SVO). While there are notable exceptions, the grammar structure of the Jamee language shares many similarities with Indonesian and Malay.
Affixes.
In the Jamee language, there are four types of affixes: prefixes, suffixes, infixes, and circumfix. As is commonly found in languages across Indonesia, in the Jamee language, prefixes are attached at the beginning of a word, infixes are inserted between the consonant and the vowel of the first syllable of the root word, and suffixes are added at the end of the root word. Meanwhile, confixes, which are a combination of a prefix and a suffix forming a unified whole, are attached at both the beginning and the end of the root word.
Prefixes.
Examples of prefixes in the Jamee language are "ba-", "di-", "ka-", "ma-", "pa-," "sa-", and "ta-".
The prefix "ba-" has two allomorphs: "ba-" and "bar-". The form "ba-" is used with root words that begin with a consonant, while the form "bar-" is used with root words that begin with a vowel. The prefix "ba-" can be attached to verbs, nouns, adjectives, and numerals. The prefix "ba-" conveys different meanings depending on the type of word it is attached to. When combined with verbs, it signifies performing an action on oneself or engaging in an activity. With nouns, it indicates actions such as working on or managing something, possessing or owning, using or utilizing, or producing or creating. When used with adjectives, it expresses being in a particular state or condition. Lastly, when attached to numerals, it denotes the idea of forming or representing a collective group. Examples of its usage are shown below:
The prefix "di-" has no allomorphs. It is used to indicate the passive voice and is only attached to verbs. Examples of its usage are shown below:
The prefix "ka-" has no allomorphs. It can be combined with adjectives and numerals. When attached to adjectives, "ka-" conveys the meaning of "indicating that which is ... ." When combined with numerals, "ka-" implies the meaning of "indicating a level or group." Examples of its usage are shown below:
The prefix "ma-" always carries a nasal sound, leading to several allomorphs: "ma-", "mam-", "man-", "many-", and "mang-". These variations are determined by the initial sound of the root word. The form "ma-" becomes "mam-" when the root begins with the consonants /b/ or /p/, and "man-" when the root starts with /t/ or /d/. It changes to "many-" when the root begins with /s/. Additionally, "ma-" transforms into "mang-" if the root starts with the consonants /k/, /g/, /h/, or a vowel (/a/, /i/, /u/, /e/). The prefix "ma-" can be attached to nouns, verbs, adjectives, and numerals, each conveying different meanings depending on the type of root word. When combined with nouns, "ma-" can express meanings such as acting like or becoming like something, moving toward a direction, creating or making something referred to by the root word, using something, or adding to or supplying something. When attached to verbs, "ma-" conveys the meaning of performing an action or engaging in an activity. With adjectives, it signifies the meaning of becoming a certain state. Lastly, when combined with numerals, "ma-" implies the meaning of becoming or forming something related to the number. Examples of its usage are shown below:
The prefix "pa-" always carries a nasal sound, resulting in several allomorphs: /pa-/, /paR-/, /pam-/, /pan-/, /pany-/, and /pang-/. The form "pa-" changes to "pam-" when the root word begins with the consonants /b/ or /p/. It becomes "pany-" when the root starts with the consonant /s/. The form "pa-" changes to "pan-" when the root begins with the consonants /t/, /d/, or /c/. Finally, "pa-" changes to "pang-" when the root starts with the consonants /k/, /g/, /h/, or a vowel (/a/, /i/, /u/, /e/). Additionally, "pa-" may change to "paR-" when the root begins with a vowel, depending on the function and context. The prefix "pa-" can be attached to nouns, verbs, adjectives, and numerals, each carrying different meanings. When attached to nouns, "pa-" signifies a tool or instrument, a person who works at a certain place, or the meaning of making or considering something as such. When combined with verbs, "pa-" indicates the performer of an action or someone who is fond of doing something. With adjectives, "pa-" conveys the meaning of having the characteristic mentioned in the root word, functioning as a tool, or