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 to | Vietnam and Cambodia |
Region | throughout 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 639-3 | Variously:cmo – Central Mnongmng – Eastern Mnongmnn – Southern Mnongrka – Kraol |
Glottolog | mnon1259 |
ELP | Central 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).
Gloss | Preh | Bu Noong | Bu Nâr | Prâng | R'Lăm | Mạ | Kuênh |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | du, ngoay, hŏ | muay | waay | dul | ju, ƀơn, muei | dul | đu |
2 | bar | bar | ra'r | baar | bar | bar | par |
3 | pê | pê | per | păi | pei | pê | |
4 | puăn | puăn | waam | puô | puan, puôn | puôn | |
5 | prăm | prăm | t'rơ̆m, năm | prăm, năm | prăm, pram | jorăm, sơ năm | snăm |
6 | prau | pro | |||||
7 | poh | poh | pops | pŏh | poh | poh | pêh |
8 | pham | pham | |||||
9 | dŭm, sĭn | sĭn | chĭnh | sin | sư̆n, sĭn | sin | |
10 | jât | jât | dư | joơt | măt | jơt |
References
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.