Jorai is the language of the Jrai people of Vietnam’s Central Highlands. Its speakers call it Jrai; it is also written Jarai, and in Vietnamese Gia Rai.
Where it is spoken
Most Jorai speakers live on the plateau around Pleiku in Gia Lai, with communities in neighbouring Kon Tum and Đắk Lắk. Jorai is also spoken across the border in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, and by Jorai families who live further away.
Its family
Jorai is an Austronesian language of the Chamic branch, a family whose other members include Rhade (Êđê), Cham, Raglai and Chru. Chamic languages share many everyday words. Jorai ia and Rhade êa both mean water; Jorai hrơi and Rhade hruê both mean day; Jorai tơlơi often stands where Rhade has klei, a word or matter.
How it is written
Jorai is written in Latin letters with a set of marks that change the sound and the meaning of a word. Vowels can carry a breve (ă ĕ ĭ ŏ ŭ), a circumflex (â ê ô) or a horn (ơ ư); the short vowels ô̆, ơ̆ and ư̆ add a breve on top. Four letters have a stroke, a caron or a tilde: ƀ, č, đ and ñ. The pairs dj and ng count as single letters.
Why spelling matters
A missing mark can turn one word into another. The dictionary therefore writes each word exactly as the 2016 Jorai Bible does, and lists words in the Jorai alphabet order rather than the English one. Search is more forgiving: it finds a word even when you type it without its marks.