Karenic Languages
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Karenic Languages
The Karen () or Karenic languages are tonal languages spoken by some 4.5 million Karen people. They are of unclear affiliation within the Sino-Tibetan languages. The Karen languages are written using the Karen script. The three main branches are Sgaw (commonly known as Karen), Pwo and Pa'O. Karenni (also known as Kayah or Red Karen) and Kayan (also known as Padaung) are a branch of Karen languages. They are unusual among the Sino-Tibetan languages in having a subject–verb–object word order; other than Karen, Bai and the Chinese languages, Sino-Tibetan languages have a subject–object–verb order. This is likely due to influence from neighboring Mon and Tai languages. Classification Because they differ from other Tibeto-Burman languages in morphology and syntax, Benedict (1972: 2–4, 129) removed the Karen languages from Tibeto-Burman in a Tibeto-Karen branch, but this is no longer accepted. A common geographical classification distinguishes three groups: ;Nort ...
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Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has a population of about 55 million. It is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its northwest, China to its northeast, Laos and Thailand to its east and southeast, and the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal to its south and southwest. The country's capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city is Yangon (formerly Rangoon). Early civilisations in the area included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Myanmar and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Myanmar. In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy River, Irrawaddy valley, and following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language and Culture of Myanmar, culture and Buddhism in Myanmar, Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the co ...
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Eastern Kayah Language
Karenni or Red Karen (Kayah Li: ; ), known in Burmese as Kayah (), is a Karen dialect continuum spoken by over half a million Kayah people (Red Karen) in Burma. The name ''Kayah'' has been described as "a new name invented by the Burmese to split them off from other Karen". Eastern Kayah is reported to have been spoken by 260,000 in Burma and 100,000 in Thailand in 2000, and Western Kayah by 210,000 in Burma in 1987. They are rather divergent. Among the Western dialects are Yintale and kayahManu (''Manumanaw'' in Burmese). Distribution and varieties Eastern Kayah is spoken in: * Shadaw township, Kayah State (east of the Thanlwin River) * Langkho district, Shan State Eastern Kayah dialects are Upper Eastern Kayah and Lower Eastern Kayah, which are mutually intelligible. The speech variety of Huai Sua Thaw village (Lower Eastern) is prestigious for both dialect groups. The Eastern Kayah have difficulty understanding the Western Kayah. Western Kayah is spoken in Kayah State and ...
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Yintale Language
Karenni or Red Karen (Kayah Li: ; ), known in Burmese as Kayah (), is a Karen dialect continuum spoken by over half a million Kayah people (Red Karen) in Burma. The name ''Kayah'' has been described as "a new name invented by the Burmese to split them off from other Karen". Eastern Kayah is reported to have been spoken by 260,000 in Burma and 100,000 in Thailand in 2000, and Western Kayah by 210,000 in Burma in 1987. They are rather divergent. Among the Western dialects are Yintale and kayahManu (''Manumanaw'' in Burmese). Distribution and varieties Eastern Kayah is spoken in: * Shadaw township, Kayah State (east of the Thanlwin River) * Langkho district, Shan State Eastern Kayah dialects are Upper Eastern Kayah and Lower Eastern Kayah, which are mutually intelligible. The speech variety of Huai Sua Thaw village (Lower Eastern) is prestigious for both dialect groups. The Eastern Kayah have difficulty understanding the Western Kayah. Western Kayah is spoken in Kayah State a ...
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Lahta Language
Lahta, or Zayein, is a Karenic language of Burma. Distribution Lahta is spoken in: *Shan State: Pekhon (Phaikum)Shintani Tadahiko. 2014. ''The Zayein language''. Linguistic survey of Tay cultural area (LSTCA) no. 102. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA). and Pinlaung townships *Mandalay Region: Pyinmana township Zayein Lahta is spoken in between Mobye and Phekon towns in southern Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia .... Zayein may be a dialect of Lahta. References Sources *Ywar, Naw Hsa Eh. 2013. A Grammar of Kayan Lahta''. Master’s thesis, Payap University. *Shintani Tadahiko. 2014. ''The Zayein language''. Linguistic survey of Tay cultural area (LSTCA) no. 102. Tokyo: Research Institute for Languages and Cul ...
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S'gaw Karen Language
S'gaw Karen or S'gaw K'nyaw, commonly known simply as Karen, is a Sino-Tibetan language spoken by the S'gaw Karen people of Myanmar and Thailand. A Karenic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, S'gaw Karen is spoken by over 2 million people in Tanintharyi Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Yangon Region, and Bago Region in Myanmar, and about 200,000 in northern and western Thailand along the border near Kayin State. It is written using the S'gaw Karen alphabet, derived from the Burmese script, although a Latin-based script is also in use among the S'gaw Karen in northwestern Thailand. Additionally, the Kwekor script is used in Hlaingbwe Township. Various divergent dialects are sometimes seen as separate languages: Paku in the northeast, Mopwa (Mobwa) in the northwest, Wewew, and Monnepwa. History S'gaw belongs to the Karenic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The S'gaw language has been used as the official language in the Kayin State of Myanmar and of the Karen ...
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Pwo Karen Language
The Pwo Karen language is one of the main groups of the Karen languages, alongside the S'gaw Karen language and Pa'O. The Pwo Karen language contains four different dialects, which are at best marginally mutually intelligible: * Eastern Pwo (code: kjp) * Western Pwo (code: pwo) * Northern Pwo (code: pww) * Phrae Pwo (code: kjt) The people who speak the language are referred to by many names, notably "Pwo Karen" or simply "Karen". The people call themselves Ploan Sho. The Pwo Karen people have lived in the eastern part of Burma for centuries, and in the western and northern parts of Thailand for at least seven or eight centuries. The population of “Pwo karen” is 1,525,300 in Myanmar. The endonym An endonym (also known as autonym ) is a common, name for a group of people, individual person, geographical place, language, or dialect, meaning that it is used inside a particular group or linguistic community to identify or designate them ... is ''Phlou'' or ''Ka Phlou ...
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Geba Karen Language
Geba, also known as Eastern Bwe, is a Karen language of Burma. Distribution *Northern Kayin State: Thandaunggyi township (140 villages) *Bago Region *Mandalay Region: Pyinmana township *Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...: Pekon and Pinlaung townships * Kayah State Dialects *Sawkho *Gerkho-Geba *Thamitaik (Sawkeepho) Phonology The consonant inventory of Geba is presented below. The consonants in parentheses occur rarely and confirming whether they are phonemes would require further research. References *Naw, Hsar Shee. 2008. A Descriptive Grammar of Geba Karen''. Master's thesis, Payap University. External linksGeba Karen basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database {{Languages of Burma Karenic languages ...
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Bwe Karen Language
Bwe, also known as Bwe Karen and Bghai (Baghi), is a Karen language of Burma. It shares 82 to 100% lexical similarity with Geba Karen language. Distribution *Kayin State: Thandaung township (about 100 villages) * Kayah State: Hpruso township *Bago Region: Taungoo and Hpa-An Hpa-an (, ; ; , also spelled Pa-an) is the capital and largest city of Kayin State (Karen State), Myanmar (Burma). The population of Hpa-an as of the 2014 census was 421,575. Most of the people in Hpa-an are of the Karen ethnic group. Legend Le ... townships Dialects Dialects are Western Bwe Karen and Eastern Bwe Karen. Most comprehend the Western Bwe Karen dialect. Phonology * /cʰ/ may be an allophone of /tʰ/, appearing before the vowels /i ɪ/. * /ʔ/ only appears in the onset when vowels occur word-initially. * /x/ appears rarely. * /ə/ only appears in unstressed syllables. Bwe Karen also has three tones; high, mid, and low. References External linksBwe Karen basic lexicon at the Globa ...
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Kayaw Language
Brek, also known as Brek Karen, Bre, and Kayaw, is a Karen language of Burma. Distribution *eastern Kayah State (30 villages) *northeastern Kayin State: Yado area *southern Shan State: Pekon Pekon (, also spelt Pekhon, Phekhon) is a town in far southern Shan State, eastern Myanmar on the shores of the Mobye Reservoir near the border with Kayah State. It is the seat of the Pekon Township in the Kalaw District. It is divided into 7 war ... township Dialects *Bwe-Kayaw *Upper Kayaw (standardized variety used for literature) *Lower Kayaw Writing system References Works cited * {{Languages of Burma Karenic languages ...
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Pa'o Language
The Pa'O language (also spelled Pa-O or Pa-oh; , ); ), sometimes called Taungthu, is a Karen language spoken by close to 900,000 Pa'O people in Myanmar. The language is primarily written using a Burmese script alphabet devised by Christian missionaries, and many of the materials now available for it on the Internet derive from Christian missionary involvement, although most of the Pa'O are generally reported to be Buddhists (without real statistics, etc.). The language is also referred to by the exonyms "Black Karen" and "White Karen", both of which are terms used in contrast to " Red Karen" (Karenni), also of Myanmar. Dialects include Taunggyi and Thaton. Phonology The following displays the phonological features of the Pa'O (Taungthu) language: Consonants * /p, t, k, ʔ/ and /m, n, ŋ/ can occur as final consonants. Stops may also be heard as unreleased ̚, t̚, k̚ Vowels Writing system Pa'O is written using a modified version of the Mon-Burmese script. ...
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