Mnong language

The Mnong language (also known as Pnong or Bunong) (Bunong: ឞូន៝ង) belongs to the Austro-Asiatic language family. It is spoken by the different groups of Mnong in Vietnam and a Pnong group in Cambodia.

Mnong
Bunong, ឞូន៝ង
Native toVietnam and Cambodia
Regionthroughout Tây Nguyên region, especially in Đắk Lắk, Lâm Đồng, Đắk Nông and Bình Phước provinces; Mondulkiri in Cambodia
Native speakers
130,000 (2002–2008)[1]
Austroasiatic
Khmer
Latin (Vietnamese alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3Variously:
cmo – Central Mnong
mng – Eastern Mnong
mnn – Southern Mnong
rka – Kraol
Glottologmnon1259
ELPCentral Mnong
 Kraol[2]

Distribution

In Vietnam, Mnong is spoken in the districts of Đăk Song, Đăk Mil, Đăk R'Lấp, Krông Nô, Gia Nghĩa, and other nearby locations in Đắk Nông Province (Nguyễn & Trương 2009).

Varieties

According to Ethnologue, four major dialects exist: Central, Eastern and Southern Mnong (all spoken in Vietnam), and Kraol (spoken in Cambodia). Within a dialect group, members do not understand other dialects. The Mnong language was studied first by the linguist Richard Phillips in the early 1970s.[3][4]

Lê, et al. (2014:234-235)[5] lists the following subgroups of Mnong and their respective locations.

  • Mnông Gar: in northwestern Lâm Đồng Province and southern Lak Lake.
  • Mnông Nong: in Đắk Nông District and Đắk Min District
  • Mnông Kuênh: in Krông Pắk District
  • Mnông Pré: mainly in Đắk Nông District and Đắk Min District, and a few at Lak Lake.
  • Mnông Prâng: scattered in Đắk Nông District and Đắk Min District, and a few in southern Lak Lake and in Bản Đon, Ea Súp District.
  • Mnông Rlăm: in Lắk District. Many have close relationships with the Ê-đê people.
  • Mnông Bu-đâng: in Bản Đon, Ea Súp District
  • Mnông Chỉl: in Lắk District. Many have close relationships with the Ê-đê people. Some also live in Lạc Dương District and Đức Trọng District of Lâm Đồng Province.
  • Mnông Bu Nor: in Đắk Nông District and Đắk Min District
  • Mnông Dih Bri: very small population in Đắk Nông District; Êa Krông.
  • Mnông Đíp: Đắk Min District and the northern part of former Sông Bé Province.
  • Mnông Biat: small population in former Sông Bé Province. Majority living around the Vietnam-Cambodia border.
  • Mnông Bu Đêh: in former Sông Bé Province and Đắk Lắk Province
  • Mnông Si Tô: a group of Mạ (Mạ Tô) people in Đắk Nông District who have become assimilated into the Mnông population ("Mnông-ized" Mạ people)
  • Mnông K’ah: a group of Ê-đê people scattered across Đắk Nông District, Lắk District, and M'Đrăk District who have become assimilated into the Mnông population ("Mnông-ized" Ê-đê people)
  • Mnông Phê Đâm: small population living only in Quảng Tín commune, Đắk Nông District.

Other minor Mnong ethnic groups include the Mnông Rơ Đe, Mnông R’Ông, and Mnông K’Ziêng.

Nguyễn & Trương (2009) cover the following M'Nông dialects.

  • M'Nông Preh
  • Kuênh
  • Mạ
  • M'Nông Nâr (Bu Nâr)
  • M'Nông Noong (Bu Noong)
  • M'Nông R'Lâm
  • M'Nông Prâng

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t c k ʔ
aspirated pʰ tʰ cʰ kʰ
prenasal ᵐp ⁿt ᶮc ᵑk
implosive ɓ ɗ (ʄ) (ɠ)
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Fricative ç h
Rhotic r
Approximant plain w l j
preglottal ʔw ʔj
  • Implosives /ʄ, ɠ/ may vary across dialects.[6]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i iː ɨ ɨː u uː
Mid e eː ə əː o oː
Open ɛ ɛː a aː ɔ ɔː

Numerals

The following comparative numerals from various Mnong dialects are from Nguyễn & Trương (2009).

GlossPrehBu NoongBu NârPrângR'LămMạKuênh
1du, ngoay, hŏmuaywaaydulju, ƀơn, mueidulđu
2barbarra'rbaarbarbarpar
3pêpêperpăipeipê
4puănpuănwaampuôpuan, puônpuôn
5prămprămt'rơ̆m, nămprăm, nămprăm, pramjorăm, sơ nămsnăm
6praupro
7pohpohpopspŏhpohpohpêh
8phampham
9dŭm, sĭnsĭnchĭnhsinsư̆n, sĭnsin
10jâtjâtdưjoơtmătjơt

References
  1. Central Mnong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Eastern Mnong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Southern Mnong at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Kraol at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Endangered Languages Project data for Kraol.
  3. Harry Leonard Shorto; Jeremy Hugh Chauncy; Shane Davidson (1991). Austroasiatic Languages. Routledge. ISBN 0-7286-0183-4.
  4. "Language Family Trees". ethnologue.com. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  5. Lê Bá Thảo, Hoàng Ma, et al.; Viện hàn lâm khoa học xã hội Việt Nam - Viện dân tộc học. 2014. Các dân tộc ít người ở Việt Nam: các tỉnh phía nam. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản khoa học xã hội. ISBN 978-604-90-2436-8
  6. Butler, Becky (2015). Bunong. In Paul Sidwell and Mathias Jenny (eds.), The Handbook of Austroasiatic Languages: Leiden: Brill. pp. 719–745.

Further reading
  • Blood, Henry Florentine. A Reconstruction of Proto-Mnong. Waxhaw, N.C.: Wycliffe-JAARS Print Shop, 1968.
  • Nguyễn Kiên Trường & Trương Anh. 2009. Từ Điển Việt - M'Nông. Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất Bản Từ Điển Bách Khoa.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.