| Kra | |
|---|---|
| Kadai (Ethnologue), Geyang (Chinese) | |
| Geographic distribution: |
Southern China, Northern Vietnam |
| Linguistic classification: | Tai–Kadai
|
| Proto-language: | Proto-Kra |
| Subdivisions: |
—
|
The Kra languages (or Kadai), also called Gēyāng (仡央, short for Kláo–Bouxyaeŋz) in China, are a branch of the Tai–Kadai family spoken in southern China (Yunnan, Guangxi, Hainan) and in northern Vietnam. Out of the entire Tai–Kadai family, the Kra branch is the least studied. Individual Kra languages have only been recently described in any detail.
The name Kra comes from the word *kra C[1] "human", which appears as kra, ka, fa, ha in various Kra languages. Benedict (1942) used the compound Kra–Dai for the Kra and Hlai languages taken together, and the term is retained by Ethnologue, which includes one of the Hlai languages within Kra.
Contents |
Several Kra languages have consonant clusters and disyllabic words, whereas other Kradai languages only have single consonants. One such language, Buyang, has been used to support a proposed connection with the Austronesian family. (See Austro-Tai.) Unlike the Tai and Kam–Sui languages, most Kra languages, including Gelao and Buyang, have preserved the proto-Kadai numerical systems. The only other Tai–Kadai branch that preserves this is Hlai.[2] Most other Tai–Kadai languages adopted Chinese numbers over 1,000 years ago.
As noted by linguist Jerold A. Edmondson, the Kra languages contain words in metalworking, handicrafts, and agriculture that are not attested in any other Tai–Kadai language.[3] This suggests that the Kra peoples may have developed many technological innovations independently of other ethnic groups.
Morphological similarities suggest the Kra languages are closest to the Kam–Sui branch of the family. There are about a dozen Kra languages, depending on how languages and dialects are defined. The best known is perhaps the Gelao (Klao) dialect cluster, with about 8,000 speakers in China out of an ethnic population of approximately 500,000.
The internal classification below is from Ostapirat (2002), which splits the Kra branch into a total of 7 languages.
| Kra |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
According to Edmondson (2002), Laha is too conservative to be in Western Kra, and he makes it a branch of its own. Ethnologue mistakenly includes the Hlai language Cun of Hainan in Kra; this is not supported by either Ostapirat or Edmondson.
The Kra languages have a total of about 22,000 speakers.[3] In Vietnam, officially recognized Kra peoples are the Cờ Lao (Gelao), La Chí (Lachi), La Ha (Laha), and Pu Péo (Qabiao). In China, only the Gelao people have official status. The other Kra peoples are variously classified as Zhuang, Buyi, and Han.
Within China, "hotspots" for Kra languages include most of western Guizhou, the prefecture-level city of Baise in western Guangxi, Wenshan Prefecture (文山壮族苗族自治州) in southeastern Yunnan, as well as Hà Giang Province in northern Vietnam. This distribution runs along a northeast-southwest geographic vector, forming what Jerold A. Edmondson calls a "language corridor."[3]
Multigualism is common among Kra language speakers. For example, many Buyang can also speak the Zhuang language.[4]
| Language | One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six | Seven | Eight | Nine | Ten |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Proto-Austronesian) | *isa | *duSa | *telu | *Sepat | *lima | *enem | *pitu | *walu | *Siwa | *sa-puluq |
| Proto-Kra | *tʂəm C | *sa A | *tu A | *pə A | *r-ma A | *x-nəm A | *t-ru A | *m-ru A | *s-ɣwa B | *pwlot D |
| Buyang, Baha | tɕam45 | θa322 | tu322 | pa322 | m̥a33 | nam31 | ðu33 | mu31 | dʱa33 | pʷat55 |
| Buyang, Ecun | pi53 | θa24 | tu24 | pa24 | ma44 | nam24 | tu44 | ma0 ðu44 | va55 | put55 |
| Buyang, Langjia | am35 | ɕa54 | tu54 | pa54 | ma312 | nam54 | ðu312 | ma0 ðu312 | va11 | put55 |
| Buyang, Yerong | ɔm55 | θau53 | taːi53 | po53 | mo43 | naːm53 | təu31 | ɬəu43 | vo55 | pɔt55 |
| En (Nung Ven) | ʔam332 | θa243 | tu243 | pa33 | ma243 | nəm243 | ʔam332 tu243 | me332 ru33 | wa54 | θət33 |
| Qabiao | tɕia33 | ɕe53 | tau53 | pe53 | ma33 | ma33 nam35 | ma33 tu53 | ma33 ʐɯ33 | ma33 ɕia31 | pət31 |
| Laha, Wet | tɕɐm31 | sa343 | tu343 | pɑ343 | mɑ33 | dɐm343 | tʰo343 | ma33 hu33 | so33 wa24 | pɤt23 |
| Gelao, Bigong | sɿ55 təɯ33 | səɯ31 təɯ33 | tɔ31 | pɔ31 | mɔ31 | nai31 | tʰɔ31 | ʑɔ31 | ʑɔu31 | hui13 |
| Gelao, Moji | tsɿ53 | səu31 | ta31 | pu31 | mlau31 | tɕʰau31 | xei31 | xe31 | kəu31 | tsʰei53 |
| Gelao, Puding | se55 | so55 | tua55 | pu45 | mu53 | naŋ53 | ɕi33 | vra53 | su33 | paɯ33 |
| Gelao, Pudi | sɪ55 | səɯ42 | tji42 | pau42 | mau31 | mjaŋ31 | te42 | ɣe31 | sau13 | ɕye13 |
| Gelao, Red | tsə44 | se33 | tua44 | pu44 | maŋ44 | ɬoŋ44 | te44 | wu35 | ʂe35 | la51 kwe44 |
| Gelao, White[6] | tsɿ33 | sɯn35 | tau55 | pu55 | mlən35 | tɕʰau55 | hi55 | ɕiau55 | ku55 | tɕʰiu33 |
| Gelao, Sanchong | ʂɿ43 | ʂa45 | tau45 | pu45 | mei21 | ȵaŋ21 | tʂau45 | ʑau21 | ʂo43 | sɿ43 pie43 |
| Mulao | tsɿ53 | ɬu24 | ta24 | pʰu24 | mu31 | ȵe31 | sau31 | ɣau31 | so24 | ve53 |
| Lachi | tɕa33 | su11 | te11 | pu11 | m̩11 | ȵiã11 | te24 | ŋuɛ11 | liu24 | pɛ11 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||