Kháng (Chinese: 抗语), also known as Mang U’, is an Austroasiatic language of Vietnam.[2] It is closely related to the Bumang language of southern Yunnan, China.

Kháng
Mang U’
Native toVietnam
RegionSơn La and Lai Châu provinces
EthnicityKhang
Native speakers
14,000 (2009 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3kjm – inclusive code
Individual code:
xao – Khao
Glottologkhan1274
ELPKháng

Classification

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Paul Sidwell (2014)[3] classifies Khang as Palaungic, although Jerold Edmondson (2010) suggests it is Khmuic.

Kháng is most closely related to Bumang (Edmondson 2010).

Distribution

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Kháng speakers are an officially recognized ethnic group in Vietnam,[4] and officially numbered 10,272 in 1999.

The Kháng are distributed in the following districts of northwest Vietnam in Sơn La Province and Lai Châu Province:[5]

Tạ (2021) contains a phonology and word list of the Kháng dialect of Nậm Mu village, Phình Sáng commune, Tuần Giáo district, Điện Biên province.[6]

Phonology

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Consonants[6]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p t k ʔ
Implosive ɓ ɗ
Fricative s h
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Approximant w l j
Vowels[6]
Front Central Back
High i ɯ u
Mid-high e ɤ ɤː o
Mid-low ɛ ɔ
Low a

Additionally, the following diphthongs can be found: /iɤ/, /ɯɤ/, /uɤ/.

Kháng also has eight tones in total, six of which appear on "live syllables" - open syllables or syllables ending with sonorants, and the other two are limited to "dead syllables" - syllables ending in the oral stops /p t k/.[6] Each tone also carries with it a specific register affecting the phonation of the syllable.

The live syllable tones are as follows:

  • [ ˥ ] - high, level, modal voice
  • [ ˩ˀ] - low, level, ending in a glottal stop
  • [ ˧˥ˀ] - high-rising, ending in a glottal stop
  • [ ˧˩ˀ] - low-falling, ending in a glottal stop
  • [ ˧˨˧ ] - mid-dipping, modal voice
  • [ ˨˩˨ ] - low-dipping, creaky voice

The dead syllable tones are as follows:

  • [ ˦˧ ] - high-falling
  • [ ˩˨ ] - low-rising

References

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  1. ^ Kháng at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Khao at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
  3. ^ Sidwell, Paul. 2014. "Khmuic classification and homeland Archived 2016-02-03 at the Wayback Machine". Mon-Khmer Studies 43.1:47-56
  4. ^ "Documenting and Preserving the Khang Language in Vietnam". United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 2016-08-29.
  5. ^ Edmondson, Jerold A. (2010). "The Kháng language of Vietnam in comparison to Ksingmul (Xinh-mun)" (PDF). In McElhanon, Kenneth A.; Reesink, Ger (eds.). A Mosaic of languages and cultures: studies celebrating the career of Karl J. Franklin. SIL e-Books. SIL International, Dallas. p. 140.
  6. ^ a b c d Tạ, Quang Tùng (2021). "A Phonology and Lexicon of Khang in Vietnam". Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society. 14 (2). hdl:10524/52487. ISSN 1836-6821. Retrieved 2023-06-30.

Further reading

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  • Dao, Jie 刀洁. 2007. Bumang yu yanjiu 布芒语研究 [A study of Bumang]. Beijing: Minzu University.
  • Ferlus, Michel. 1996. Langues et peuples viet-muong [Viet-Muong languages and peoples]. Mon-Khmer Studies 26. 7–28
  • Mikami, Naomitsu. 2003. "A Khang phonology and wordlist." Reports on Minority Languages in Mainland Southeast Asia, ed. by Ueda Hiromi, 1–42. Endangered Languages of the Pacific Rim. Osaka: Faculty of Informatics, Osaka Gakuin University.
  • Schliesinger, Joachim. 1998. Hill tribes of Vietnam. Vol. Vol. 2. 2 vols. Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd.
  • Tạ, Quang Tùng. 2023. Ngữ âm tiếng Kháng và phương án chữ viết cho người Kháng ở Việt Nam. Thái Nguyên: Nhà xuất bản đại học Thái Nguyên.
  • Thông Tấn Xã Việt Nam [Vietnam News Agency]. 2006. Việt Nam Hình Ảnh Cộng Dồng 54 Dân Tộc [Vietnam Image of the Community of 54 Ethnic Groups]. Hanoi: The Vna Publishing House.
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