Cham Jawi Explained

Cham Jawi is a variant of the Jawi adaptation of the Arabic script used to write the Cham language.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Differences from Malay Jawi

In Cham Jawi, additional characters for nasalised stops not found in the Malay Jawi alphabet have been added:

• ۑ (ny)
• څ (nj)
• ڎ (nd)

Maintaining consistency in the use of three-dot letters for nasal stop consonants, the letter ڤ has been reassigned to the sound mb, and the letter ف reassigned to the sound p. (The f of Malay is absent in Cham.)

Voiceless aspirate consonants are represented as digraphs using ح:

• كح (kh)
• چح (ch)
• تح (th)
• فح (ph)

Voiced aspirate consonants are represented as digraphs using ه:

• ڬه (gh)
• جه (jh)
• ده (dh)
• به (bh)

The vowel e is distinguished from i, written as اْ in medial and final positions. (This vowel does not occur initially.) The vowel é is written initially with اْ and finally as يْ. (This vowel does not occur medially.) The vowel o is distinguished from u with the letter ۋ. Initial ai is distinguished from initial i by using the letter ع, as عاي. The vowel â is represented as اۛ.

Notes and References

1. Book: Majid Hj. Yunos, Abdul. 2010. Kamus Cam–Melayu: kamus jawi–rumi. 978-967-362-016-6. Al-Ameen Serve Holdings. Kuala Lumpur. Cham,Malay.
2. Book: Sercombe, P. . Language, Education and Nation-building: Assimilation and Shift in Southeast Asia . Tupas . R. . 2014-09-02 . Springer . 978-1-137-45553-6 . en.
3. Bruckmayr . Philipp . 2019 . The Changing Fates of the Cambodian Islamic Manuscript Tradition . Journal of Islamic Manuscripts . en . 10 . 1 . 1–23 . 10.1163/1878464X-01001001.
4. Musa . Mohamad Zain . Shuhaimi nik Abdul Rahman . Nik Hassan . Ramli . Zuliskandar . 2013 . Warisan Sastera Lisan Masyarakat Melayu Cam . Jurnal Arkeologi Malaysia . ms . 26.