Jamee language

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Jamee
Bahaso Jamèë
Native to	Indonesia (Aceh)
Region	Coastal areas of Aceh Singkil, South Aceh, Southwest Aceh, West Aceh and Simeulue
Ethnicity	Aneuk Jamee
Native speakers	(87,000 cited 1981)[1]
Language family	Austronesian Malayo-Polynesian disputed: Malayo-Sumbawan or Greater North Borneo Malayic Minangkabau Jamee
Dialects	Meureubo Samadua Susoh Tapaktuan
Writing system	Latin (Indonesian alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	aneu1237
Areas where the Jamee language is spoken by a significant minority of the population

The Jamee language (Jamee: Bahaso Jamèë), 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.^[2] 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, following the migration of these communities from mainland Aceh to the island.^[3]

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.^[4] 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, morphology, and sentence structure. 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.^[5]

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.^[6]

The Jamee language is predominantly spoken along Aceh's southern coast, with smaller communities found along parts of the west coast.^[7] The Aneuk Jamee population is not concentrated in one area but is spread across several districts in South Aceh Regency, including Labuhan Haji, Samadua, and Tapaktuan, as well as Lembah Sambil, Manggeng, Susoh, and Jeumpa in Southwest Aceh Regency.^[8] 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.^[7] 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.^[7] 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.^[9]

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.^[10][11] 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.^[12]

• Abdullah, Wamad; Marlian, Syamsuar; Rohana, Sitti; Gade, M. Hasan (1990). Morfologi dan Sintaksis Bahasa Jamee [Morphology and Syntax of the Jamee Language] (PDF) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Language Development and Cultivation Center, Department of Education and Culture.
• Abdullah, Wamad; Marlian, Syamsuar; Rohana, Sitti; Usman, Bustami (1991). Struktur Bahasa Jamee [Structure of the Jamee Language] (PDF) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Language Development and Cultivation Center, Department of Education and Culture.
• Yusuf, Husni; Mahmud, Saifuddin; Ali, Zaini; Ibrahim, Ridwan (1998). Tata Bahasa Jamee [Grammar of the Jamee Language] (PDF) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Language Development and Cultivation Center, Department of Education and Culture.