Bahnar language

The Bahnar language or Ba-Na language () is a Central Bahnaric language. It has nine vowel qualities and phonemic vowel length.

Subdivisions

ÃÂÃÂ o (1998) lists the following subgroups of Bahnar and their respective locations.

Bahnar Kon Tum: Kon Tum area
Bahnar JÃÂ¡long: northeastern Kon Tum Province
Bahnar Golar: northern Pleiku (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar Tosung: Mang Yang District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar KonkoÃÂe: An KhÃÂª District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar Alatang: An KhÃÂª District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar AlakÃÂ´ng: K'Bang District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar Tolo: KÃÂ´ng Chro District and southern An KhÃÂª District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar BÃÂ¡nÃÂ¢m: eastern An KhÃÂª District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar Roh: scattered areas in An KhÃÂª District and K'Bang District (Gia Lai Province)
Bahnar Krem: VÃÂ©nh ThÃ¡ÂºÂ¡nh District and An LÃÂ£o District (BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh Province)
Bahnar ChÃÂm: VÃÂ¢n Canh District (BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh Province)
Bahnar But: forest areas; little communication with outsiders

BÃÂ¹i (2011:5-6) lists the following subgroups of Bahnar and their respective locations.

TÃÂ¡ LÃÂ´: in SÃÂ¡ RÃÂ³, ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c Song, ChÃÂ¡ Loong, Yang Nam, and ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TÃÂ¡ communes, which are in KÃÂ´ng Chro District and part of An KhÃÂª District (Gia Lai Province)
Krem: in VÃÂ©nh ThÃ¡ÂºÂ¡nh District, as well as some in An LÃÂ£o District, HoÃÂ i ÃÂn District, and TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n District in BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh Province; some in SÃÂ¡n Lang Commune, K'Bang District, Gia Lai Province
VÃÂ¢n Canh: mostly in Canh LiÃÂªn, Canh ThuÃ¡ÂºÂn, and Canh HÃÂ²a communes of VÃÂ¢n Canh District, BÃÂ¬nh ÃÂÃ¡Â»Ânh Province
ThÃ¡Â»Â LÃ¡Â»Â: mostly in the upper part of ÃÂÃ¡Â»Âng XuÃÂ¢n District, PhÃÂº YÃÂªn Province. Scattered in 9 communes throughout ÃÂÃ¡Â»Âng XuÃÂ¢n District, SÃÂ¡n HÃÂ²a District, and SÃÂ´ng Hinh District. Descended from TÃÂ¡ LÃÂ´ people who were TÃÂ¢y SÃÂ¡n soldiers fleeing from the NguyÃ¡Â»Ân dynasty 200 years ago. They fled southeast to ThÃ¡Â»Â LÃ¡Â»Â, PhÃÂº YÃÂªn Province. The
GÃÂ¡ Lar: mostly in Mang Yang District, ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯k ÃÂoa District, and ChÃÂ° SÃÂª District of Gia Lai Province, and some living around Kon Tum town. There is also a subgroup called Bahnar ChÃÂ¢ng H'drung who live at the foot of HÃÂ m RÃ¡Â»Âng Mountain.
Kon Tum: in 4 precincts and 9 communes of Kon Tum town
JÃÂ¡ LÃÂ¡ng: in Kon Tum town, and ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c TÃÂ¡ Re, ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c RuÃ¡Â»Âng, and ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c Pne communes of Kon RÃ¡ÂºÂ«y District, Kon Tum Province
RÃÂ¡ Ngao (Rengao): in 29 villages. They live with the Kon Tum people in 5 communes of Kon Tum; with the Bahnar and Sedang peoples in 2 communes of ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯k HÃÂ District; and with the Sedang people in PÃÂ´ CÃÂ´ Commune, ÃÂÃ¡ÂºÂ¯k TÃÂ´ District, Kon Tum Province

Phonology

Consonants

Notes:

In the final sequence /jh/, /h/ is not pronounced and /j/ is pronounced phonetically as a short vowel /i/.

Vowels

Also used in Vietnam

Other minor groups include the Kon KÃÂe, BÃÂ¡ NÃÂ¡m, and A Roh subgroups in KÃÂ´ng Chro District and K'Bang District of Gia Lai Province (BÃÂ¹i 2011:6).

Ethnologue lists the following dialects of Bahnar.

Tolo
Golar
Alakong (A-La Cong)
Jolong (Gio-Lang, Y-Lang)
Bahnar Bonom (Bomam)
Kontum
Krem

References

External links

Database of audio recordings in Bahnar - basic Catholic prayers