The loss of affixation in Cham

Abstract

Abstract Chamic languages have been spoken in Central Vietnam since about 600 AD. While Classical Cham (9th–15th centuries), had already lost a significant proportion of its Austronesian affixation, it also borrowed new affixes from Mon-Khmer. Modern Cham (16th–19th centuries) underwent another wave of reduction that led to a largely monosyllabic and affixless Colloquial Eastern Cham (20th–21st centuries). In this paper I first look at representative Classical Cham inscriptions, establishing the extent to which they exhibit a reduction of affixation, and discussing possible contact scenarios that may have led to this reduction. I then assess the prevalence of affixation in Modern Cham manuscripts and in Colloquial Eastern Cham, and argue that the role Vietnamese played in Cham monosyllabisation must have been more indirect than previously assumed.

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