Tsat language

Tsat (also known as Utsat, Utset, Huíhuī, or Hainan Cham, simplified Chinese: 回辉语; traditional Chinese: 回輝語; pinyin: Huíhuīyǔ) is a language spoken by 4,500 people in Yanglan (Chinese: 羊栏) and Huixin (Chinese: 回新), two villages on the outskirts of near Sanya, Hainan, China by the Utsuls. Tsat is a member of the Malayo-Polynesian group within the Austronesian language family, and is one of the Chamic languages originating on the coast of present-day Vietnam.

Unusually for an Austronesian language, Tsat has developed into a solidly tonal language, probably as a result of areal linguistic effects and contact with the diverse tonal languages spoken on Hainan including varieties of Chinese such as Hainanese and Standard Chinese, Tai–Kadai languages such as the Hlai languages, and Hmong–Mien languages such as Kim Mun.

Tonogenesis

Hainan Cham tones correspond to various Proto-Chamic sounds.

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