Cua language (Austroasiatic) explained

Cua
States:	Vietnam
Speakers:	12,000
Date:	2007
Ref:	e18
Familycolor:	Austro-Asiatic
Fam2:	Bahnaric
Fam3:	East Bahnaric
Iso3:	cua
Glotto:	cuaa1241
Glottorefname:	Cua

The Cua language (also known as Bòng Mieu) is a Mon–Khmer language spoken in the Quảng Ngãi and Quảng Nam provinces of Vietnam. Cua dialects include Kol (Kor, Cor, Co, Col, Dot, Yot) and Traw (Tràu, Dong). Maier & Burton (1981) is currently the most extensive Cua dictionary to date.

Classification

Paul Sidwell (2009) considers Cua to constitute an independent primary branch of Bahnaric, which he calls East Bahnaric. Cua has also had extensive contact with North Bahnaric languages. However, Sidwell (2002) had previously classified Cua as a Central Bahnaric language.

Phonology

The phonology of Cua, as cited by Sidwell (based on Maier 1969):^[1]

Consonants

		Bilabial		Alveolar		Palatal		Velar		Glottal
Plosive	aspirated	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/				pronounced as /link/
	voiceless	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
	voiced	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
	implosive	pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Nasal		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/
Fricative				pronounced as /link/						pronounced as /link/
Approximant		pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/		pronounced as /link/

Vowels

	Front		Central		Back
	short	long	short	long	short	long
Close	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Close-mid	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/			pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Open-mid	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/
Open			pronounced as /link/	pronounced as /link/

References

• Sidwell, Paul. 2009. "How many branches in a tree? Cua and East (North) Bahnaric". In Evans, Bethwyn (ed). Discovering History Through Language: Papers in Honour of Malcolm Ross. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.

Further reading

• Burton, Eva. 1966. "A brief sketch of Cua clause structure." Van-hóa Nguyêt-san 15: 187-90.
• Maier, Jacqueline G. 1966. "Cua phonemes." Van-hóa Nguyêt-san 15: 361-71.
• Maier, Jacqueline G. and Eva Burton, compilers. 1966. Cua (Kool) dictionary. [Manuscript] n.p.
• Maier, Jacqueline G., Đinh Đổ, and Đinh Mốc. 1974. Bay hok pok Kool Kua = Bài học tiếng Cua = Cua language lessons. Tủ sách ngôn-ngữ dân tộc thiểu số Việt Nam, 10. Saigon: Department of Education. viii, 37 p.
• Maier, Jacqueline G. and Eva Burton. 1981. Cua-English-Vietnamese Dictionary: 1981 Pre-publication Manuscript Based on a 1966 Manuscript. (Held by SIL, Dallas)
• Smith, Kenneth D. 1973. "Eastern North Bahnaric: Cua and Kotua." Mon–Khmer Studies 4: 113-18.
• Sidwell, Paul. 2010. "Cua (Kor) historical phonology and classification " Mon-Khmer Studies 39: 105-122.

Notes and References

1. Sidwell. Paul. Cua (Kor) historical phonology and classification. 8 April 2018.