Pearic languages
Encyclopedia
The Pearic languages are a group of endangered languages of the Eastern Mon–Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by Pear people
(the Por, the Samré, the Samray, the Suoy, and the Chong) living in western Cambodia
and southeastern Thailand
.
Pearic languages are remnants of the aboriginal languages of much of Cambodia
, but have dwindled in numbers due to assimilation. "Pear" is a pejorative term meaning slave or caste
.
proposed the following classification of the Pearic languages in (Sidwell 2009:137), synthesizing analyses from Headley (1985), Choosri (2002), Martin (1974), and Peiros (2004) He divides Pearic into two primary branches (Pear and Chong), with Chong being further divided into four groups.
Pear (people)
The Pear people are an indigenous group living a sparse existence after years of conflict in Cambodia and Thailand.-Ethnography:Pears call themselves: Samré in Pursat Province; Samray in Battambang; Chong and Chong-Samré in the Trat Province of eastern Thailand; and Chong la and Chong heap, in...
(the Por, the Samré, the Samray, the Suoy, and the Chong) living in western Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
and southeastern 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...
.
Pearic languages are remnants of the aboriginal languages of much of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, but have dwindled in numbers due to assimilation. "Pear" is a pejorative term meaning slave or caste
Caste
Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...
.
Classification
Paul SidwellPaul Sidwell
Paul Sidwell is a researcher and director at the Centre for Research in computational Linguistics and the Australian National University. Sidwell is a leading specialist in Mon-Khmer languages, especially the Katuic and Bahnaric branches.-Publications:...
proposed the following classification of the Pearic languages in (Sidwell 2009:137), synthesizing analyses from Headley (1985), Choosri (2002), Martin (1974), and Peiros (2004) He divides Pearic into two primary branches (Pear and Chong), with Chong being further divided into four groups.
- PearPear languagePear is an endangered Mon-Khmer language of Cambodia. "Pear" is a pejorative term for the historical slave caste of the Khmer, but nonetheless is the usual term in the literature....
of Kompong Thom (Baradat ms.) - Chong
- Southern
- SuoiSuoy languageSuoy is an endangered Pearic language of Cambodia spoken by a decreasing number of people, mainly older adults....
of Kampong Speu (Pannetier ms., Baradat ms.) - SaochSa'och languageSa'och is an endangered Pearic language of Cambodia spoken by a decreasing number of people, mainly older adults....
of Veal RenhPrey Nob DistrictPrey Nob is one of three districts in Sihanoukville, an urban province of Cambodia. According to the 2008census of Cambodia, it had a population of 89,238.-Notes:...
in Kampong Som (Pannetier ms.) - Chung of Kampong Som (Isara Chooseri 2007)
- Chung of KanchanaburiKanchanaburiKanchanaburi ) is a town in the west of Thailand and the capital of Kanchanaburi province. In 2006 it had a population of 31,327...
(Isara Chooseri 2007)
- Suoi
- Western (ChongChong languageChong, or more specifically Western Chong , is an endangered language spoken in Cambodia and southeastern Thailand. It is a Western Pearic language in the Eastern Mon–Khmer language family branch. Chong is currently the focus of a language revitalization project in Thailand.The Chong language is...
)- Chong of Chantaburi (Baradat ms.)
- (Branch)
- Chong həəp (Martin 1974)
- Khlong Phlu Chong (Siripen Ungsitibonporn 2001)
- (Branch)
- Chong lɔɔ (Martin 1974)
- Wang Kraphrae Chong (Siripen Ungsitibonporn 2001)
- Chong (Huffman 1983)
- Central (SamreSamre languageSamre, or Central Chong, is a Pearic language of Cambodia. The dialects are as follows:*Samre of Pursat*Samre *Chong *Chong of Trat...
)- Samre of Pursat
- Samre (Pornsawan Ploykaew 2001)
- Chong (Baradat ms.)
- Chong of TratTrat ProvinceTrat is a province of Thailand. It is located in the east of Thailand, and has borders with Chanthaburi Province to the northwest, Cambodia to the east, and the Gulf of Thailand to the south.Trat is most famous for gemstone mining and trading....
(Pannetier ms., Isarangura 1935) - Kasong (Noppawan Thongkham 2003)
- Northern (SomraySomray languageSomray, or Northern Chong, is a Pearic language of Cambodia. The dialect of Battambang is still spoken, while that of Siem Reap is extinct....
)- Somray of BattambangBattambangBattambang is the capital city of Battambang province in northwestern Cambodia.Battambang is the second-largest city in Cambodia with a population of over 250,000. Founded in the 11th century by the Khmer Empire, Battambang is well known for being the leading rice-producing province of the country...
(Baradat ms.) - Somre of Siem ReapSiem ReapSiem Reap is the capital city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia, and is the gateway to Angkor region.Siem Reap has colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter, and around the Old Market...
[extinct] (Moura 1883)
- Somray of Battambang
- Southern