Nyah Kur language
Encyclopedia
The Nyah Kur language is an Austroasiatic language
spoken by a remnant of the Mon people
of Dvaravati
, the Nyah Kur people, who live in present-day Thailand
. It is known as Chao-bon in Thai.
of (Sidwell 2009:113-114):
branch of the Mon–Khmer language family, Mon
and Nyah Kur are very closely related.
overran their empire in the 9th and 11th centuries. Consequently, modern Mon and Nyah Kur have both developed directly from Old Mon independently for almost a millennium.
Nyah Kur was discovered by linguists early in the 20th century, but was not recognized as being related (in fact a "sister" language) to Mon for nearly 70 years.
Due to integration into Thai society, the number of speakers of Nyah Kur as a first language is rapidly decreasing and some predict the language to become extinct within the next century unless the current course is reversed.
Austro-Asiatic languages
The Austro-Asiatic languages, in recent classifications synonymous with Mon–Khmer, are a large language family of Southeast Asia, also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. The name Austro-Asiatic comes from the Latin words for "south" and "Asia", hence "South Asia"...
spoken by a remnant of the Mon people
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
of Dvaravati
Dvaravati
The Dvaravati period lasted from the 6th to the 13th centuries. Dvaravati refers to both a culture and a disparate conglomerate of principalities.- History :...
, the Nyah Kur people, who live in present-day Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. It is known as Chao-bon in Thai.
Distribution
Nyah Kur is spoken by a few thousand people in the central and northeastern provincesProvinces of Thailand
Thailand is divided into 76 provinces , which are geographically grouped into 6 regions. The capital Bangkok is not a province but a special administrative area and is included as the 77th province since it is administered at the same level as the other 76 provinces. The name of the provinces are...
of (Sidwell 2009:113-114):
- Phetchabun ProvincePhetchabun ProvincePhetchabun is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Khon Kaen, Chaiyaphum, Lopburi, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit and Phitsanulok.- Geography :...
- Phitsanulok ProvincePhitsanulok ProvincePhitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....
(Nakhon Thai district) - Chaiyaphum ProvinceChaiyaphum ProvinceChaiyaphum is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi and Phetchabun.- Etymology :...
- Nakhon Ratchasima ProvinceNakhon Ratchasima ProvinceNakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand...
(Dan Khun Thot, Pak Thong Chai, and Khon districts)
Classification
Being the only languages of the MonicMonic languages
The Monic languages are a branch of the Austro-Asiatic language family descended from the Old Monic language of the kingdom of Dvaravati in what is now central Thailand...
branch of the Mon–Khmer language family, Mon
Mon language
The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. Mon, like the related language Cambodian—but unlike most languages in Mainland Southeast Asia—is not tonal. Mon is spoken by more than a million people today. In recent years, usage of Mon has...
and Nyah Kur are very closely related.
History
The modern-day speakers of Nyah Kur are the descendants of the Mon who did not flee west when the KhmerKhmer Empire
The Khmer Empire was one of the most powerful empires in Southeast Asia. The empire, which grew out of the former kingdom of Chenla, at times ruled over and/or vassalized parts of modern-day Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, and Malaysia. Its greatest legacy is Angkor, the site of the capital city...
overran their empire in the 9th and 11th centuries. Consequently, modern Mon and Nyah Kur have both developed directly from Old Mon independently for almost a millennium.
Nyah Kur was discovered by linguists early in the 20th century, but was not recognized as being related (in fact a "sister" language) to Mon for nearly 70 years.
Due to integration into Thai society, the number of speakers of Nyah Kur as a first language is rapidly decreasing and some predict the language to become extinct within the next century unless the current course is reversed.
External links
- Development of Modern Mon and Nyah Kur Paul Sidwell, Australian National University (accessed May 11, 2006)
- SEALANG Brief discussion outlining development of Mon and Nyah Kur from Old Mon (accessed May 11, 2006)
Further reading
- Theraphan L. Thongkum. (1984). Nyah Kur (Chao bon)–Thai–English dictionary. Monic language studies, vol. 2. Bangkok, Thailand: Chulalongkorn University Printing House. ISBN 9745637858