Kri language
| Kri | |
|---|---|
| Krìì | |
| Native to | Laos or Vietnam |
Native speakers | 250 (2009)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aem |
pkt-kha [2] | |
| Glottolog | khap1242 |
| ELP | Kri |
Kri (Krìì) is a recently described Vietic language. Kri speakers live in the Upper Ñrong (Nam Noy) valley of Khammouane Province, Laos, as well as other locations within the Nakai-Nam Theun Biodiversity Conservation Area. It is mutually intelligible with Pròòngq, which is spoken in several villages downstream from the Kri (Enfield & Diffloth 2009).
The Kri call themselves mleeng Kri, and their language meengq Kri. They are swidden cultivators who move every 2–3 years among pre-existing village sites (Chamberlain 1998).[3] Houses are torn down after the death of a household member, and the housing materials are then used to construct a new house in a different location. Other than the Kri language, many adults, especially men, are also fluent in Vietnamese, Saek, Bru, and Lao.
Phonology
Consonants
The consonants in Kri are:
| Labial | Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | [p] | [t] | [ʈʂ] | [c] | [k] | [ʔ] | |
| aspirated | [pʰ] | [tʰ] | [ʈʂʰ] | [kʰ] | |||
| voiced | [ɓ] | [ɗ] | [ʄ ] | ||||
| Fricative | [s] | [ɣ] | [h] | ||||
| Nasal | [m] | [n] | [ɲ] | [ŋ] | |||
| Approximant | [w] | [l] , [r~ʐ] | [j~ʝ] | ||||
Finals
These are the consonants that may come at the end of a syllable in Kri:
| Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checked | [pˀ] | [tˀ] | [kˀ] | |
| Nasal | [m] | [n] | [ɲ] | [ŋ] |
| Oral | [w] | [l] , [r] | [j] | Vowel |
Do note that they are all contrastive, and that vowels, nasal consonants, and oral consonants may have checked endings. The Oral endings also may become voiceless.
Morphology
Kri has a few morphological features, less than Khmu but more than Vietnamese.
Causative Infix
The -a- infix may be inserted into words with two initial consonants, between them. This infix turns intransitive verb into a transitive verb, adding an agent. It can also turn a noun into a verb. Here are some examples:
praang - to cross over
paraang - to take someone across.
slôôj- to be washed away by running water
salôôj- to discard into flowing water, to let something be washed away.
kleeh- to fall off
kaleeh- to pick off
blang- of the eyes, to become open (like a young dog's)
balang- to open one's eyes
ckaang- a hand span
cakaang- to measure something by hand spans
Nominalising Infix
The -rn- infix is placed after a single initial consonant. This infix makes a noun from a verb:
sat- to get one's foot stuck
srnat- a foothold
koq- to live
krnoq- a house
This shortens to -r- when between consonants:
kadôôlq- to rest the head on something
krdôôlq- a pillow
Reduplication
References
- ^ The Kri language
- ^ Names/varieties are listed as Kha Phong, Maleng Kari, Maleng Bro, Kha Nam Om, Phong, Phòòngq
- ^ Chamberlain, J.R. 1998, "The origin of Sek: implications for Tai and Vietnamese history", in The International Conference on Tai Studies, ed. S. Burusphat, Bangkok, Thailand, pp. 97-128. Institute of Language and Culture for Rural Development, Mahidol University.
- ^ http://pubman.mpdl.mpg.de/pubman/item/escidoc:107912:5/component/escidoc:204877/Enfield_2009_Phonology%20and%20sketch%20grammar%20of%20Kri.pdf
- Enfield, N.J.; Diffloth, Gérard (2009). "Phonology and sketch grammar of Kri, a Vietic language of Laos" (PDF). Cahiers de Linguistique Asie Orientale. 38 (1): 3–69. doi:10.1163/1960602809x00063.