Acehnese language#Writing system

As of 1988, Acehnese is the modern English name spelling and the bibliographical standard, and Acehnese people use the spelling Acehnese when writing in English. Achinese is an antiquated spelling of the English language tradition. {{Lang|nl|Atjehnese}} is the Dutch spelling and an outdated Indonesian one. The spelling Achehnese originates from a 1906 English translation of the Dutch-language {{Lang|nl|Studien over atjesche klank- en schriftleer. Tijdschrift voor Indische Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 35.346-442}} by Christiaan Snouck Hurgronje, 1892. In Acehnese the language is called {{Transliteration|ace|Basa/Bahsa Acèh}}. In Indonesian it is called {{Lang|id|Bahasa Aceh}}.{{harvcoltxt|Durie|1988a|page=104}}

File:Chamic language.jpg

Acehnese belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of Austronesian. Acehnese's closest relatives are the other Chamic languages, which are principally spoken in Vietnam and Cambodia. The distant relative of the Chamic family is the Malayic language family, which includes languages also spoken in Sumatra such as Minangkabau as well as the national language, Indonesian.

Paul Sidwell notes that Acehnese likely has an Austroasiatic substratum.{{Cite journal |last=Sidwell |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Sidwell |date=2006 |title=Dating the separation of Acehnese and Chamic by etymological analysis of the Aceh-Chamic lexicon |url=http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/sidwell2006dating.pdf |journal=Mon-Khmer Studies |volume=36 |pages=187–206 |access-date=2012-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108030716/http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf8/sidwell2006dating.pdf |archive-date=2014-11-08 |url-status=live }}(, [http://rilca.mahidol.ac.th/e-resources/documents/05-MonKhmer/36/sidwell2006dating.pdf Alternate] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108021744/http://rilca.mahidol.ac.th/e-resources/documents/05-MonKhmer/36/sidwell2006dating.pdf |date=2014-11-08 }}, )

Linguist Paul Sidwell wrote that "Sometime during this early phase of language shift, perhaps before the beginning of Common Era, the Chamic speakers who were to become the Acehnese left the mainland on a journey that would ultimately end in northern Sumatra." Basing on Graham Thurgood's thesis, Sidwell argues that Acehnese likely had been long separated from Chamic around the first to second century BCE.{{Cite journal |last=Sidwell |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Sidwell |date=2005 |title=Acehnese and the Aceh-Chamic Language Family|url=https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/254229/1/PL-569.211.pdf|journal=Pacific Linguistics|volume=7 |pages=211–246|doi=10.15144/PL-569.211 |access-date=2024-01-20}}

Acehnese language is spoken primarily in coastal region of Aceh. This language is spoken in thirteen regencies and four cities in Aceh, which are:

City

1. Sabang
2. Banda Aceh
3. Lhokseumawe
4. Langsa

North-East Coast

1. Aceh Besar
2. Pidie
3. Pidie Jaya
4. Bireuen
5. North Aceh
6. East Aceh (except in three districts, Serba Jadi, Peunaron and Simpang Jernih, where the Gayo language is spoken)
7. Aceh Tamiang (mostly Manyak Payet and Kuala Simpang District; the rest of the Regency speaks Tamiang Malay)

West-South Coast

1. Aceh Jaya
2. West Aceh
3. Nagan Raya
4. Southwest Aceh (except in Susoh District where the Jamee language is spoken)
5. South Aceh (mixed with Kluet language and Aneuk Jamee)

{{Main|Acehnese phonology}}

File:Ie Beuna Narit Aceh.JPG

Oral monophthong vowels in Acehnese are shown in the table below.{{Harvcoltxt|Pillai|Yusuf|2012|p=1031}}, citing {{Harvcoltxt|Asyik|1987|p=17}}

In addition to the modern 26 letter basic Latin alphabet, Acehnese uses the supplementary letters è, é, ë, ô, and ö, making a total of 31 letters in its orthography.

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Handgeschreven boek in Acehs schrift TMnr 2454-4a.jpg

The table below shows the Acehnese consonant phonemes and the range of their realizations.{{Harvcoltxt|Asyik|1982|p=3}}

Notes:

• The stop /t/ is slightly retroflex.{{Cite thesis |last=Asyik |first=Abdul Gani |title=A Contextual Grammar of Acehnese Sentences (Complementation). |date=1987 |hdl=2027.42/161507 |degree=Thesis |url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/161507 |language=English}}
• Syllable-final orthographic {{angbr|k}} always represents {{IPA|/ʔ/}} save in certain recent loans
• {{IPA|/z/}}, {{IPA|/f/}}, and {{IPA|/ʃ/}} are borrowed sounds, and are often replaced by {{IPA|d}} and the clusters {{IPA|ph}} and {{IPA|ch}}, respectively
• The nasals {{IPA|/m/}}, {{IPA|/n/}}, {{IPA|/ɲ/}}, {{IPA|/ŋ/}} are realized as post-oralized nasals (also called "funny nasals") before oral vowels and consonants.{{harvcoltxt|Durie|1985|page=24}}{{Harvcoltxt|Asyik|1982|p=2}}, citing {{Harvcoltxt|Lawler|1977}} They are distinct from the nasal–plosive sequences {{IPA|/mb/}}, {{IPA|/nd/}}, {{IPA|/ɲɟ/}}, {{IPA|/ŋɡ/}}, e.g. in {{IPA|[banᵈa]}} 'port' vs {{IPA|[mandum]}} 'all'.Long & Maddieson (1993) "Consonantal evidence against Quantal Theory", UCLA Working Papers in Phonetics 83, p. 144.

Acehnese features a split ergative system. Intransitives that align with the agent of a transitive verb (Sa) always show agreement by a proclitic (1). Meanwhile, intransitives that align with the patient of a transitive verb (Sp) may optionally show agreement by an enclitic (2). Volitionality is the determining factor for whether an intransitive verb is Sa or Sp.Durie, Mark (1988). "Preferred argument structure in an active language", Lingua 74: 1–25. Cited in Donohue, Mark (2008). "Semantic alignment systems: what's what, and what's not". In Donohue, Mark & Søren Wichmann, eds. (2008). The Typology of Semantic Alignment. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 36

{{interlinear|number=(1)

| Jih ka{{=}}ji{{=}}jak.

| he INCHO{{=}}3{{=}}go

| "He has gone."|lang=ace}}

{{interlinear

| number = (2)|Gopnyan ka{{=}}sakét{{=}}geuh.|he INCHO{{=}}sick{{=}}3|"He is sick."

| lang = ace

}}

Formerly, the Acehnese language was written in an Arabic script called Jawoë or Jawi in the Malay language. The script is less common nowadays.{{Citation needed|date=July 2013}} Since colonization by the Dutch, the Acehnese language has been written in the Latin script, with the addition of supplementary letters. The diacritical letters are é, è, ë, ö and ô.{{Cite web|url=https://bahasaaceh.com/2008/11/12/ejaan-bahasa-aceh/|title=Ejaan Bahasa Aceh|date=November 12, 2008}} The sound {{IPA|/ɨ/}} is represented by {{Grapheme|eu}} and the sound {{IPA|/ʌ/}} is represented by {{Grapheme|ö}}, respectively. The letter 'ë' is used exclusively to represent the schwa sound which forms the second part of diphthongs. The letters f, q, v, x, and z are only used in loanwords.

Acehnese language is rich with literature. The oldest manuscript written in Acehnese is Hikayat Seumau'un from 1658 CE. Most Acehnese literatures consist of poetic works, very little written in prose form.{{Cite journal |last=Durie |first=Mark |date=1996 |title=Framing the Acehnese Text: Language Choice and Discourse Structures in Aceh |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3623033 |journal=Oceanic Linguistics |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=113–137 |doi=10.2307/3623033 |jstor=3623033 |issn=0029-8115|url-access=subscription }}

Before the Dutch colonial period, almost all Acehnese literature was in the form of poetry, either as hikayat or nazam. Very few works were in prose, one of which was Kitab Bakeu Meunan, a translation of the book Qawaa'id al-Islaam. After the arrival of the Dutch, Acehnese prose works began to emerge in the 1930s, such as Lhee Saboh Nang, written by Aboe Bakar and De Vries. Following that, more prose works appeared, although poetry in the form of hikayat continued to dominate.

The first encyclopedia in Acehnese, the Acehnese Wikipedia, was launched on August 12, 2009 {{Cite web |date=13 August 2009 |title=Akhirnya, Wikipedia Berbahasa Aceh Lahir |url=https://acehkita.com/akhirnya-wikipedia-berbahasa-aceh-lahir/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=acehkita.com}}{{Cite web |date=13 August 2024 |title=12 Agustus jadi Hari Kelahiran Wikipèdia bahsa Acèh |url=https://www.seputaraceh.com/12-agustus-jadi-hari-kelahiran-wikipedia-bahsa-aceh/ |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=seputaraceh.com}} A prose translation of the Quran in Acehnese was published by the Ministry of Religious Affairs on December 13, 2018.{{Cite web |last=Riwat |first=Nat |date=13 December 2018 |title=Kemenag Luncurkan Alquran Terjemah Bahasa Aceh |url=https://uin.ar-raniry.ac.id/index.php/id/posts/kemenag-luncurkan-alquran-terjemah-bahasa-aceh |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=uin.ar-raniry.ac.id}} As of now, there is no newspaper published in Acehnese. In 2020, the first Acehnese-language magazine, Majalah Neurôk, was launched, initiated by an Acehnese cultural figure, Ayah Panton.{{Cite web |last=Dani |first=Subur |date=14 October 2020 |title=Neurok, Majalah Berbahasa Aceh Pertama Diluncurkan |url=https://aceh.tribunnews.com/2020/10/14/neurok-majalah-berbahasa-aceh-pertama-diluncurkan |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=aceh.tribunnews.com}} Google Translate added the Acehnese language translation feature on June 27, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Heriansyah |first=Dedy |date=9 July 2024 |title=Terjemahan Bahasa Aceh Sudah Tersedia di Google Translate |url=https://www.rri.co.id/banda-aceh/iptek/813463/terjemahan-bahasa-aceh-sudah-tersedia-di-google-translate |url-status=live |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=Radio Republik Indonesia}}

At least ten Acehnese dialects exist: Pasè, Peusangan, Matang, Pidië, Buëng, Banda, Daya, Meulabôh, Seunagan, and Tunong.{{Cite book |title=Kedudukan dan Fungsi Bahasa Aceh di Aceh |last=Sulaiman |first=B. |publisher=Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa |year=1981 |location=Jakarta}}

At least three major dialects exist: Baet Lambuot, Mesjid Punteut and Panthe Ketapang.{{Cite book |title=Inilah Bahasa-Bahasa Di Aceh |last=Tim Balai Bahasa Banda Aceh |pages=22–23|url=https://repositori.kemdikbud.go.id/11930/1/bAHASA%20DI%20%20aCEH.pdf|publisher=Balai Bahasa Banda Aceh |year=2012 |location=Banda Aceh}} Baet Lambuot dialect spoken in Aceh Besar regency.{{citation |title=Aceh - Peta Bahasa |url=https://petabahasa.kemdikbud.go.id/infobahasa.php?idb=1 |website=kemdikbud.go.id}} Mesjid Punteut dialect spoken in Simpang Ulim district, East Aceh regency. Panthe Ketapang dialect spoken in Jaya district, Aceh Jaya regency.

Geographical dialects: Aceh Besar,{{Cite book |title=Bahasa Aceh |last=Sulaiman |first=Budi |page=4 |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/227146136.pdf |publisher=Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa |year=1979 |location=Jakarta}}{{cite thesis |last=Rahma|first=Siti |date=2020 |title=Penuturan Bahasa Aceh di Kalangan Masyarakat Sibreh Kecamatan Sukamakmur |degree=S.Hum |publisher=Universitas Islam Negeri Ar-Raniry|pages=25–28| url=https://repository.ar-raniry.ac.id/id/eprint/14156/1/Penuturan%20Bahasa%20Aceh%20di%20Kalangan%20Masyarakat%20Sibreh%20Kecamatan%20Sukamakmur.pdf}} Pidie, Peusangan, Pasai, East Aceh (Aceh Timur) and West Aceh (Aceh Barat), North Aceh (Aceh Utara), Bireun, Aceh Jaya

West coast dialects (dialek pesisir barat): Tunong, Seunagan, Meulabôh, Daya.{{Cite book |title=Ejaan Bahasa Aceh |last=Berri |first=Muhammad Nabil |page=2 |url=https://bahasaaceh.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/ejaan-bahasa-aceh.pdf |year=2008 |location=}}

{{cladogram|title=Dialects

|caption=Dialects

|cladogram={{clade| style=font-size:85%;line-height:75%;width:600px;

|label1=Acehnese

|1={{clade

|label1=Banda Aceh--Aceh Besar dialects

|1={{clade

|1=Banda Aceh dialect

|2=Aceh Besar dialect

|label3=Pidie dialect (in Pidie and Pidie Jaya regency)

|3=

|label4=Pasai/Pase dialect (in North Aceh regency)

|4=

|label5=Meulaboh/Barat-Selatan dialect

|5=

|label6=West coast dialects

|6={{clade

|1=Tunong dialect

|2=Seunagan dialect

|3=Meulabôh dialect

|4=Daya dialect

|label6=North Aceh dialects

|6={{clade

|1=Peusangan dialect

|label7=East Aceh (Aceh Timur) dialect

|7=

|label8=West Aceh (Aceh Barat) dialect

|8=

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}

}}{{Clear}}

The following texts are excerpts from the official translations of article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Acehnese, along with the original declaration in English.

• Acehnese text sample:

::Original text{{cite web |title=Peunyata Umum Hak-hak Azasi Manusia Ban Sigom Dônja |url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/human-rights/universal-declaration/translations/achehnese |website=OHCHR |language=ace |trans-title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights}}

::"{{lang|ace|Bandum ureuëng lahé deungon meurdéhka, dan deungon martabat dan hak njang saban. Ngon akai geuseumiké, ngon haté geumeurasa, bandum geutanjoë lagèë sjèëdara. Hak dan keumuliaan}}."

::

::Using standard spelling

::"{{lang|ace|Bandum ureuëng lahé deungön meurdéka, deungön martabat ngön hak nyang saban. Ngön akai geuseumiké, ngön até geumeurasa, bandum geutanyoë lagèë cèëdara. Hak ngön keumuliaan}}."

• The original English version of the text:{{cite web |title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights: English |url=http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/Language.aspx?LangID=eng |website=OHCHR}}

::"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Handgeschreven boek in Acehs schrift TMnr 2454-1.jpg|Hikayat Akhbarul Karim

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Handgeschreven boek in Acehs schrift TMnr 2454-2.jpg|Hikayat Banta Beuransah

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Handgeschreven boek in Acehs schrift TMnr 2454-4a.jpg|Hikayat Prang Sabi

{{reflist}}

• {{citation

|last = Al-Harbi

|first = Awwad Ahmad Al-Ahmadi

|year=2003

|title = Acehnese coda condition: An optimality-theoretic account

|journal =Umm Al-Qura University Journal of Educational and Social Sciences and Humanities

|volume = 15

|issue = 1

|pages = 9–21

|url = http://roa.rutgers.edu/files/594-0403/594-0403-AL-HARBI-0-0.PDF

}}

• {{Citation

|last1=Pillai

|first1=Stefanie

|last2=Yusuf

|first2=Yunisrina Qismullah

|year=2012

|title=An instrumental analysis of acehnese oral vowels

|journal=Language and Linguistics

|volume=13

|issue=6

|pages=1029–1050

|url=http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/files/publication/j2012_6_01_6901.pdf

|access-date=2014-10-31

|archive-date=2017-10-11

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011130231/http://www.ling.sinica.edu.tw/files/publication/j2012_6_01_6901.pdf

|url-status=dead

}}

• {{citation

|last=Asyik

|first=Abdul Gani

|title=The agreement system in Acehnese

|year=1982

|journal=Mon-Khmer Studies

|volume=11

|pages=1–33

|url=http://www.lc.mahidol.ac.th/Documents/Publication/MKS/11/abdul1982agreement.pdf

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220014334/http://www.lc.mahidol.ac.th/Documents/Publication/MKS/11/abdul1982agreement.pdf

|archive-date=2012-02-20

}}

• {{cite book

|last = Durie

|first = Mark

|title = A grammar of Acehnese: on the basis of a dialect of North Aceh

|series = Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 112

|year = 1985

|publisher = Foris Publications

|location = Dordrecht

|isbn = 90-6765-074-9

|url = https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/handle/1885/138059

}}

• {{Cite journal |last=Durie |first=Mark |author-link=Mark Durie |date=1988a |title=The So-Called Passive of Acehnese |journal=Language |volume=64 |issue=1 |pages=104–113 |doi=10.2307/414788 |jstor=414788 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Lawler |first=John M. |title=Grammatical Relations |date=1977 |publisher=Academic Press |editor-last=Cole |editor-first=P. |series=Syntax and Semantics 8 |location=New York |pages=219–248 |language=en |chapter=A Agrees with B in Achenese: A Problem for Relational Grammar |doi=10.1163/9789004368866_010 |editor2-last=Sacock |editor2-first=J.}}

• {{Cite thesis |last=Daud |first=Bukhari |title=Writing and reciting Acehnese: perspectives on language and literature in Aceh |date=1997 |degree=PhD |publisher=The University of Melbourne |url=https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/handle/11343/37197 |hdl=11343/37197 }}
• {{Cite book |title=Kamus basa Acèh/Kamus bahasa Aceh/Acehnese-Indonesian-English thesaurus |last1=Daud |first1=Bukhari |last2=Durie |first2=Mark |date=1999 |publisher=Pacific Linguistics |isbn=0-85883-506-1 |series=Pacific Linguistics Series C, Volume 151 |location=Canberra |doi=10.15144/PL-C151 |hdl=1885/146590 |doi-access=free |hdl-access=free }}
• {{Cite thesis |last=Durie |first=Mark |title=A grammar of Acehnese |date=1984 |degree=PhD |publisher=Australian National University |doi=10.25911/5d6fa25bcc31c |hdl=1885/138059 |hdl-access=free }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Durie |first=Mark |date=1985a |title=Control and decontrol in acehnese |journal=Australian Journal of Linguistics |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=43–53 |doi=10.1080/07268608508599335 }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Durie |first=Mark |date=1987 |title=Grammatical Relations in Acehnese |journal=Studies in Language |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=365–399 |doi=10.1075/sl.11.2.05dur }}
• {{citation |last=Durie |first=Mark |url=http://www.acehbooks.org/pdf/00438.pdf |title=Proto-Chamic and Acehnese mid vowels: towards Proto-Aceh-Chamic |date=1988 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224235149/http://www.acehbooks.org/pdf/00438.pdf |url-status=usurped |archive-date=2010-12-24 }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Lawler |first=John M. |date=1988 |title=On the Questions of Acehnese 'Passive' |url=http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/acehnesequestions.pdf |journal=Language |volume=64 |issue=1 |pages=114–117 |doi=10.2307/414789 |jstor=414789 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140703061334/http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/acehnesequestions.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-03 |access-date=2012-03-23 |url-status=live }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Legate |first=Julie Anne |author-link=Julie Anne Legate |date=2012 |title=Subjects in Acehnese and the Nature of the Passive |url=https://www.ling.upenn.edu/~jlegate/88legate.pdf |journal=Language |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=495–525 |jstor=23251862|doi=10.1353/lan.2012.0069 |s2cid=7254201 }}
• {{citation

|last=Thurgood

|first=Graham

|title=The Historical Place of Acehnese: The Known and the Unknown

|year=2007

|url=http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/docs%5CAceh-project%5Cfull-papers%5Caceh_fp_grahamthurgood.pdf

|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080119135359/http://www.ari.nus.edu.sg/docs/Aceh-project/full-papers/aceh_fp_grahamthurgood.pdf

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=2008-01-19

}}

• {{Cite web|title=The Austroasiatic substratum of Acehnese {{!}} Linguistics|url=https://lx.berkeley.edu/publications/austroasiatic-substratum-acehnese|access-date=2021-08-24|website=lx.berkeley.edu}}

{{Portal|Indonesia|Malaysia|Languages}}

{{InterWiki|code=ace}}

• [http://bahasaaceh.com Learning Acehnese in Indonesian]
• [http://basaaceh.org BasaAceh.org]
• [http://meurunoe.nasabe.com Learning Acehnese in English and Indonesian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229155835/http://meurunoe.nasabe.com/ |date=2019-12-29 }}
• [http://tambeh.wordpress.com Acehnese literature resources]
• [https://omniglot.com/writing/acehnese.htm Acehnese at Omniglot]
• {{WALS|ace}}
• {{UDHR|ace|Acehnese}}
• PARADISEC archive of Ache language includes three collections; [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/MD4?items_page=4 MD4], [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/MD5 MD5], and [http://catalog.paradisec.org.au/collections/MD6 MD6]. These collections focus on different varieties of Achenese.
• [http://globalrecordings.net/langcode/ace Listen to a sample of Achinese from Global Recordings Network]

{{Languages of Indonesia}}

{{Chamic languages}}

{{Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian languages}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acehnese Language}}

Category:Languages of Indonesia

Category:Languages of Aceh

Category:Chamic languages