Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Have questions or resources regarding Khmer Culture? This forum is all about the Kingdom of Cambodia's culture. Khmer language, Cambodian weddings, French influence, Cambodian architecture, Cambodian politics, Khmer customs, etc? This is the place. Living in Cambodia can cause you to experience a whole new level of culture shock, so feel free to talk about all things related to the Khmer people, and their traditions. And if you want something in Khmer script translated into English, you will probably find what you need.
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Felgerkarb
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by Felgerkarb »

Jamie_Lambo wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 10:41 pm jeez i can see why not many people write it
Crazy script, eh? I knew a PhD candidate who lived here who could read and write that. /boggle
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by bobsboots »

Kampoochie wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:24 pm I've only seen Cham in actual use once: on a sign at Phnom Oudoung.

If you're unfamiliar with the language and script, here's what their writing looks like — https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cham.htm — and here's some info on it — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cham_alphabet.

The Cambodian variant of Cham is Western Cham, the Eastern Cham apparently being Vietnamese and relatively much more prevalent.

I haven't been to Kampong Cham, so I suspect this would be where you'd see clusters of it in actual use, primarily.

Anyone spotted it around PP? I know many Cham people live north up the Mekong in Kandal.

Any other examples of it you've spotted would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a hazy memory and a location.
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by bobsboots »

Sorry, forgot to say. The above picture is on 178, near the corner of 19.
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

bobsboots wrote:
Kampoochie wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:24 pm I've only seen Cham in actual use once: on a sign at Phnom Oudoung.

If you're unfamiliar with the language and script, here's what their writing looks like — https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cham.htm — and here's some info on it — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cham_alphabet.

The Cambodian variant of Cham is Western Cham, the Eastern Cham apparently being Vietnamese and relatively much more prevalent.

I haven't been to Kampong Cham, so I suspect this would be where you'd see clusters of it in actual use, primarily.

Anyone spotted it around PP? I know many Cham people live north up the Mekong in Kandal.

Any other examples of it you've spotted would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a hazy memory and a location.
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That is just normal Khmer in a squiggly font Image


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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by Kampoochie »

bobsboots wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:33 am
Kampoochie wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:24 pm I've only seen Cham in actual use once: on a sign at Phnom Oudoung.

If you're unfamiliar with the language and script, here's what their writing looks like — https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cham.htm — and here's some info on it — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cham_alphabet.

The Cambodian variant of Cham is Western Cham, the Eastern Cham apparently being Vietnamese and relatively much more prevalent.

I haven't been to Kampong Cham, so I suspect this would be where you'd see clusters of it in actual use, primarily.

Anyone spotted it around PP? I know many Cham people live north up the Mekong in Kandal.

Any other examples of it you've spotted would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a hazy memory and a location.
Image
That's stylized Khmer, no? It does have more of the look of Cham to it, for sure.
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by Jamie_Lambo »

Kampoochie wrote:
bobsboots wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:33 am
Kampoochie wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:24 pm I've only seen Cham in actual use once: on a sign at Phnom Oudoung.

If you're unfamiliar with the language and script, here's what their writing looks like — https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cham.htm — and here's some info on it — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cham_alphabet.

The Cambodian variant of Cham is Western Cham, the Eastern Cham apparently being Vietnamese and relatively much more prevalent.

I haven't been to Kampong Cham, so I suspect this would be where you'd see clusters of it in actual use, primarily.

Anyone spotted it around PP? I know many Cham people live north up the Mekong in Kandal.

Any other examples of it you've spotted would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a hazy memory and a location.
Image
That's stylized Khmer, no? It does have more of the look of Cham to it, for sure.
Yeah i just posted that too, but yeah does like it has some influence from it


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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by Dilby »

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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by epidemiks »

Jamie_Lambo wrote:
Kampoochie wrote:
bobsboots wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:33 am
Kampoochie wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 9:24 pm I've only seen Cham in actual use once: on a sign at Phnom Oudoung.

If you're unfamiliar with the language and script, here's what their writing looks like — https://www.omniglot.com/writing/cham.htm — and here's some info on it — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cham_alphabet.

The Cambodian variant of Cham is Western Cham, the Eastern Cham apparently being Vietnamese and relatively much more prevalent.

I haven't been to Kampong Cham, so I suspect this would be where you'd see clusters of it in actual use, primarily.

Anyone spotted it around PP? I know many Cham people live north up the Mekong in Kandal.

Any other examples of it you've spotted would be greatly appreciated, even if it's just a hazy memory and a location.
Image
That's stylized Khmer, no? It does have more of the look of Cham to it, for sure.
Yeah i just posted that too, but yeah does like it has some influence from it


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That type is KH Sombor Preykuk. Not sure if the Chams were around Kampong Thom? http://www.selapa.net/khmerfonts/fontinfo.php?font=1433

I'm in Kampong Cham now, passing through dozens of villages. Very little signage whatsoever in Cham villages. Where there is, it's in Khmer, advertising their bull. On the mosques, it's Arabic and English transliteration of Arabic,and very rarely, some Khmer.

The old Cham script is basically extinct, still used only in some villages, from what I've been told.
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by explorer »

I have been talking to people, and Cham script is still used in Cambodia.

However, it is only used for internal correspondence between Cham people, as other people dont understand it.

There are some Cham villages where it is taught. Some Cham people learn it.

I dont know of any public signs using it.
Kampoochie wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:55 am Finding a Cham village in Cambodia where Cham — the script, not just the spoken language — is predominant, that's a holy grail of mine.
Why your interest in this?

If you are serious it can be found.

You could go to a village and meet people who read, write and speak a language you dont understand.

These people also speak Khmer. Many also read and write Arabic, but most dont know enough Arabic to have a conversation with an Arab. A few also learn English. Very few speak English well.
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Re: Cham Script in the Wild | Where have you spotted it?

Post by Kampoochie »

explorer wrote: Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:45 pm I have been talking to people, and Cham script is still used in Cambodia.

However, it is only used for internal correspondence between Cham people, as other people dont understand it.

There are some Cham villages where it is taught. Some Cham people learn it.

I dont know of any public signs using it.
Kampoochie wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 12:55 am Finding a Cham village in Cambodia where Cham — the script, not just the spoken language — is predominant, that's a holy grail of mine.
Why your interest in this?

If you are serious it can be found.

You could go to a village and meet people who read, write and speak a language you dont understand.

These people also speak Khmer. Many also read and write Arabic, but most dont know enough Arabic to have a conversation with an Arab. A few also learn English. Very few speak English well.
I'm hyperbolizing a bit (a lot) by calling it my holy grail — agreed, if I cared enough, I'd have already found someone using it. I don't have any scholarly purpose to do so, though. I worked as a designer for a long time so I have an interest in advertising, vernacular signage, and non-Latin scripts, especially ones like Western Cham that are extremely rare.

Thanks for looking into this and the info you've found out.
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