| Austro-Asiatic Austroasiatic | ||
|---|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: | South and Southeast Asia | |
| Genetic classification: | One of the world's major language families | |
| Subdivisions: | ||
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The Austro-Asiatic languages are a large language family of Southeast Asia, and also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Mon-Khmer languages are the autochthonous Language family of Southeast Asia. The Munda languages are a Language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. "Nicobarese" redirects here For the indigenous peoples see Nicobar Islands. List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially The name comes from the Latin word for "south" and the Greek name of Asia, hence "South Asia". Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Among these languages, only Vietnamese, Khmer, and Mon have a long recorded history, and only Vietnamese and Khmer have official status (in Vietnam and Cambodia, respectively). Vietnamese ( tiếng Việt, or less commonly Việt ngữ) formerly known under French colonization as Annamese ( see Annam) Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. The rest of the languages are spoken by minority groups.
Austro-Asiatic languages have a disjunct distribution across India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, separated by regions where other languages are spoken. It is widely believed that the Austro-Asiatic languages are the autochthonous languages of Southeast Asia and the eastern Indian subcontinent, and that the other languages of the region, including the Indo-European, Tai-Kadai, Dravidian, and Sino-Tibetan languages, are the result of later migrations of people. An indigenous language or autochthonous language is a Language that is native to a region and spoken by Indigenous peoples but has been reduced This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. The Tai-Kadai languages, also known as Kadai, Kradai, or Kra-Dai languages and in China as Zhuang-Dong languages are a tonal The Dravidian family of languages includes approximately 73 languages (including the four literary languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada The Sino-Tibetan languages form a Language family composed of at least the Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of Human migration denotes any movement by Humans from one locality to another sometimes over long distances or (There are, for example, Austro-Asiatic words in the Tibeto-Burman languages of eastern Nepal. ) Some linguists have attempted to prove that Austro-Asiatic languages are related to Austronesian languages, thus forming the Austric superfamily. The Austric language superfamily is a large theoretical grouping of languages primarily spoken in Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the eastern Indian subcontinent
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Classification
Linguists traditionally recognize two primary divisions of Austro-Asiatic: the Mon-Khmer languages of Southeast Asia, Northeast India and the Nicobar Islands, and the Munda languages of East and Central India and parts of Bangladesh. The Mon-Khmer languages are the autochthonous Language family of Southeast Asia. North-East India refers to the easternmost region of India consisting of the contiguous Seven Sister States and Sikkim. The Nicobar Islands are an island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean, and are part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India The Munda languages are a Language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. This article refers to the region in the Indian subcontinent. Ethnologue identifies 168 Austro-Asiatic languages, of which 147 are Mon-Khmer and 21 are Munda. Ethnologue Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics a Christian However, no evidence for this classification has ever been published, and it is possible that the linguistic classification has been influenced by researchers' subjective perception of a racial dichotomy between the speakers of languages that have traditionally been classified as Mon-Khmer and those that have traditionally been classified as Munda.
Each of the families that is written in boldface type below is accepted as a valid clade. However, the relationships between these families within Austro-Asiatic is debated; in addition to the traditional classification, two recent proposals are given, neither of which accept traditional Mon-Khmer as a valid unit. It should be noted that little of the data used for competing classifications has ever been published, and therefore cannot be evaluated by peer review.
Gérard Diffloth (1974)
This is the widely cited classification used in the Encyclopædia Britannica. Gérard Diffloth is a retired Austro-Asiatic Languages professor formerly of the University of Chicago, Chicago Illinois, and Cornell University The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc Several languages that were not known of at the time are missing.
Ilia Peiros (2004)
Peiros is a lexicostatistic classification, based on percentages of shared vocabulary. The Munda languages are a Language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. The Mon-Khmer languages are the autochthonous Language family of Southeast Asia. Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. The Pearic languages are a group of endangered languages of the Eastern Mon-Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by Pear people (the The Bahnaric languages are a group of about thirty Mon-Khmer languages spoken by about 700000 people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. The fifteen Katuic languages form a branch of the Austroasiatic languages spoken by about 1 The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic Language family. Khasi is an Austro-Asiatic language spoken primarily in Meghalaya state in India. Meghalaya is a small state in north-eastern India. The word "Meghalaya" literally means "The Abode of Clouds" in Sanskrit and India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country The nearly thirty Palaungic or Palaung-Wa languages form a branch of the Austro-Asiatic languages. Khmuic languages are a subgroup of the Mon-Khmer languages. Khao ( Khao, Bit) Mlabri ( Mlabri, The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. The Aslian languages are the languages of the Orang Asli, the aboriginal inhabitants of Malaya and peninsular Thailand, and a branch of Peninsular Malaysia ( Semenanjung Malaysia) also known as Malaya or West Malaysia, is the part of Malaysia which lies on "Nicobarese" redirects here For the indigenous peoples see Nicobar Islands. The Nicobar Islands are an island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean, and are part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India Lexicostatistics is an approach to Comparative linguistics that involves quantitative comparison of lexical Cognates. This means that a language may appear to be more distantly related than it actually is due to language contact, so it is only a starting point for a proper genealogical classification. Language contact occurs when speakers of distinct speech varieties interact
- Nicobarese
- Munda-Khmer
Gérard Diffloth (2005)
Rather than counting cognates, Diffloth compares reconstructions of various clades, and attempts to classify them based on shared innovations. "Nicobarese" redirects here For the indigenous peoples see Nicobar Islands. The Munda languages are a Language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. The Mon-Khmer languages are the autochthonous Language family of Southeast Asia. Khasi is an Austro-Asiatic language spoken primarily in Meghalaya state in India. The Palyu languages, also known as Pakanic, form a branch of the Austro-Asiatic language family. The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic Language family. The nearly thirty Palaungic or Palaung-Wa languages form a branch of the Austro-Asiatic languages. Khmuic languages are a subgroup of the Mon-Khmer languages. Khao ( Khao, Bit) Mlabri ( Mlabri, Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. The Pearic languages are a group of endangered languages of the Eastern Mon-Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by Pear people (the The Aslian languages are the languages of the Orang Asli, the aboriginal inhabitants of Malaya and peninsular Thailand, and a branch of The Monic languages are a branch of the Austro-Asiatic Language family descended from the Old Monic language of the kingdom of Dvaravati in what is now The fifteen Katuic languages form a branch of the Austroasiatic languages spoken by about 1 The Bahnaric languages are a group of about thirty Mon-Khmer languages spoken by about 700000 people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
- Koraput: 7 languages
- Core Munda languages
- Kharian-Juang: 2 languages
- North Munda languages
- Korku
- Kherwarian: 12 languages
- Khasi-Khmuic languages
- Khasian: 3 languages of eastern India and Bangladesh. The Munda languages are a Language family spoken by about nine million people in central and eastern India and Bangladesh. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Korku is a little-known Tribe of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in India. The Khasic or Khasian languages are a family of Northern Mon-Khmer languages. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country ( Bengali: বাংলাদেশ inc-Latn Bangladesh) officially
- Palaungo-Khmuic languages
- Khmuic: 13 languages of Laos and Thailand. Khmuic languages are a subgroup of the Mon-Khmer languages. Khao ( Khao, Bit) Mlabri ( Mlabri, Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj
- Palaungo-Pakanic languages
- Pakanic or Palyu: 2 languages of southern China
- Palaungic: 21 languages of Myanmar, southern China, and Thailand, plus Mang of Vietnam. The Palyu languages, also known as Pakanic, form a branch of the Austro-Asiatic language family. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The nearly thirty Palaungic or Palaung-Wa languages form a branch of the Austro-Asiatic languages. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially
- Nuclear Mon-Khmer languages
- Khmero-Vietic languages
- Vieto-Katuic languages
- Vietic: 10 languages of Vietnam and Laos, including the Vietnamese language, which has the most speakers of any Austro-Asiatic language. The Mon-Khmer languages are the autochthonous Language family of Southeast Asia. The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic Language family. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Vietnamese ( tiếng Việt, or less commonly Việt ngữ) formerly known under French colonization as Annamese ( see Annam) These are the only Austro-Asiatic languages to have highly developed tone systems.
- Katuic: 19 languages of Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand. The fifteen Katuic languages form a branch of the Austroasiatic languages spoken by about 1 Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj
- Khmero-Bahnaric languages
- Bahnaric: 40 languages of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The Bahnaric languages are a group of about thirty Mon-Khmer languages spoken by about 700000 people in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially Laos (ˈlɑːoʊs or /ˈlaʊs/ officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a Landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East
- Khmeric languages
- The Khmer dialects of Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Khmer (ភាសាខ្មែរ or Cambodian, is the language of the Khmer people and the official language of Cambodia. The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially
- Pearic: 6 languages of Cambodia. The Pearic languages are a group of endangered languages of the Eastern Mon-Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by Pear people (the The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East
- Nico-Monic languages
- Nicobarese languages: 6 languages of the Nicobar Islands, a territory of India. "Nicobarese" redirects here For the indigenous peoples see Nicobar Islands. The Nicobar Islands are an island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean, and are part of the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
- Asli-Monic languages
- Aslian: 19 languages of peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. The Aslian languages are the languages of the Orang Asli, the aboriginal inhabitants of Malaya and peninsular Thailand, and a branch of For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj
- Monic: 2 languages, the Mon language of Myanmar and the Nyahkur language of Thailand. The Monic languages are a branch of the Austro-Asiatic Language family descended from the Old Monic language of the kingdom of Dvaravati in what is now The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. The Nyah Kur language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by a remnant of the Mon people of Dvaravati, the Nyah Kur people, who live in present-day The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj
There are in addition several unclassified languages of southern China. Unclassified languages are languages whose genetic affiliation has not been established mostly due to lack of reliable data
References
- Peck, B. M. , Comp. (1988). An Enumerative Bibliography of South Asian Language Dictionaries.
- Peiros, Ilia. 1998. Comparative Linguistics in Southeast Asia. Pacific Linguistics Series C-142. Canberra, Australian National University.
- Zide, Norman H. , and Milton E. Barker. Studies in Comparative Austroasiatic Linguistics. Indo-Iranian monographs, v. 5. The Hague: Mouton, 1966.
- Byomkes Chakrabarti,A Comparative Study of Santali and Bengali, 1994
External links
Dr Byomkes Chakrabarti (also spelled Byomkesh Chakraborty or Byomkesh Chakrabarty) (1923–1981 was a BengaliDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic