Mon-Khmer languages

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Mon-Khmer
Geographic distribution:	Indo-China
Genetic classification:	Austro-Asiatic Mon-Khmer
Subdivisions:	Eastern Northern Southern unclassified

The Mon-Khmer languages are the autochthonous language family of Indo-China. Together with the Munda languages of India, they are one of the two traditional primary branches of the Austroasiatic family. However, several recent classifications have abandoned this dichotomy, either reducing the scope of Mon-Khmer (Diffloth 2005) or breaking it up entirely (or equivalently reclassifying Munda as a branch of Mon-Khmer: Peiros 1998). See Austroasiatic languages.

[edit] Mon-Khmer languages

This classification is based on Diffloth's widely cited 1974 Encyclopedia Britannica article.

Eastern
- Khmer (or Cambodian) in Cambodia, southern Vietnam, and northeastern Thailand (15 to 22 million)
- Pearic in southern Cambodia.
- Bahnaric in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos
- Katuic in central Laos
- Vietic in Vietnam (66 to 73 million speakers)

Some linguists [1] have questioned the inclusion of Pearic so close to Khmer.

Northern
- Khasi in Meghalaya, India.
- Palaungic in the upper Salween, Sino-Burmese border, northern Thailand
- Khmuic in northern Laos
- Mang in Vietnam and China
- Palyu in China

Mang and Palyu were not known when the original classification was made.

Southern
- Monic in the lower Salween, Burma (1 million).
- Aslian in peninsular Malaysia, split into three groups, Jahaic, Senoic and Semelaic.
- Nicobarese on the Nicobar Islands.
Unclassified These languages were not known when the original classification was made
- Bugan in China
- Buxinhua in China
- Kemiehua in China
- Kuanhua in China

[edit] References

Shorto, Harry L. edited by Sidwell, Paul, Cooper, Doug and Bauer, Christian (2006). A Mon-Khmer comparative dictionary. Canberra: Australian National University. Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 0-85883-570-3