Chong language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Chong | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in | Thailand/Cambodia | |
| Region | Southeast Asia | |
| Total speakers | 5,500 | |
| Language family | Austro-Asiatic
|
|
| Writing system | Thai, Khmer | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1 | None | |
| ISO 639-2 | – | |
| ISO 639-3 | cog | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
The Chong language (also referred to as Chawng, Shong, or Xong) is an endangered language spoken in Cambodia and southeastern Thailand. It is a Western Pearic language in the Eastern Mon-Khmer language family branch.[1] Chong is currently the focus of a language revitalization project in Thailand.
The Chong language is marked by its unusual 4-way contrast in register. Its grammar has not been extensively studied, but it is unrelated to the Thai language which is in the Kradai language family. Chong had no written form until 2000, when researchers at Mahidol University used a simplified version of standard Thai characters to create a Chong writing system, after which the first teaching materials in the language appeared.[2] Chong is currently considered to be at stage 7 in Joshua Fishman's Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), where stage 8 is the closest to extinction.[3]
The language only has about 5500 speakers remaining, 5000 in Cambodia and 500 in Thailand. The Chong community in Thailand is primarily located in and around Chanthaburi.[2] While the language spoken in Thailand has been studied recently, the Chong language in Cambodia has not been investigated yet.
[edit] Further reading
- Isarangura, N. N. (19XX.). Vocubulary of Chawng words collected in Krat Province. [S.l: s.n.].
[edit] References
- ^ "Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Eastern Mon-Khmer, Pearic". ethnologue. http://www.ethnologue.com/show_family.asp?subid=91040. Retrieved 2007-10-12.
- ^ a b Lim Li Min (October 23, 2006). "Saving Thailand's Other Languages". International Herald Tribune. http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/23/features/lang.php. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
- ^ "Chong Language Revitalization Project (PDF)". June 2005. http://www.unescobkk.org/fileadmin/user_upload/aims/Pattaya_SCB_Jun05/Chong_Language_-_Part_1.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-24.
