The Mnong language (also known as Pnong or Bunong) (Bunong: ឞូន៝ង) belongs to the
Austro-Asiatic
The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered throughout parts of Thailand, Laos, India, Myanmar, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Nepal, and southern China and are th ...
language family. It is spoken by the different groups of
Mnong in
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
and a
Pnong
The Bunong (alternatively Phnong, Punong, or Pnong)Smith, P. (2010). ''The Bunong Culture of Silence: Exploring Bunong perspectives on participation at the interface between Bunong culture and development organisations.'' are an Indigenous peo ...
group in
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
.
Distribution
In Vietnam, Mnong is spoken in the districts of
Đăk Song,
Đăk Mil,
Đăk R'Lấp,
Krông Nô,
Gia Nghĩa
Gia Nghĩa is the capital city of Đắk Nông Province, in the Central Highlands (Vietnam), Central Highlands of Vietnam. It is located on the main road northward to Buôn Ma Thuột.Jonathan D. London ''Education in Vietnam '' 2011 Page 178 " ...
, and other nearby locations in
Đắk Nông Province (Nguyễn & Trương 2009).
Varieties
According to
Ethnologue
''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'' (stylized as ''Ethnoloɠue'') is an annual reference publication in print and online that provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world. It is the world's most comprehensiv ...
, four major dialects exist: Central, Eastern and Southern Mnong (all spoken in Vietnam), and Kraol (spoken in Cambodia). Within a dialect group, members
do not understand other dialects. The Mnong language was studied first by the linguist Richard Phillips in the early 1970s.
Lê, et al. (2014:234-235)
[Lê Bá Thảo, Hoàng Ma, et al.; Viện hàn lâm khoa học xã hội Việt Nam - Viện dân tộc học. 2014. ''Các dân tộc ít người ở Việt Nam: các tỉnh phía nam''. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản khoa học xã hội. ] lists the following subgroups of Mnong and their respective locations.
*Mnông Gar: in northwestern
Lâm Đồng Province and southern
Lak Lake
Lak Lake ( vi, Hồ Lắk) is a freshwater lake in Liên Sơn Township, Lắk district, Đắk Lắk province, Vietnam. It covers an area of about and is the largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands. It is also the second largest natur ...
.
*Mnông Nong: in
Đắk Nông District and
Đắk Min District
*Mnông Kuênh: in
Krông Pắk District
*Mnông Pré: mainly in
Đắk Nông District and
Đắk Min District, and a few at
Lak Lake
Lak Lake ( vi, Hồ Lắk) is a freshwater lake in Liên Sơn Township, Lắk district, Đắk Lắk province, Vietnam. It covers an area of about and is the largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands. It is also the second largest natur ...
.
*Mnông Prâng: scattered in
Đắk Nông District and
Đắk Min District, and a few in southern
Lak Lake
Lak Lake ( vi, Hồ Lắk) is a freshwater lake in Liên Sơn Township, Lắk district, Đắk Lắk province, Vietnam. It covers an area of about and is the largest freshwater lake in the Central Highlands. It is also the second largest natur ...
and in Bản Đon,
Ea Súp District
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
.
*Mnông Rlâm: in
Lắk District. Many have close relationships with the Ê-đê people.
*Mnông Bu-đâng: in Bản Đon,
Ea Súp District
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
*Mnông Chỉl: in
Lắk District. Many have close relationships with the Ê-đê people. Some also live in
Lạc Dương District and
Đức Trọng District
Because of Germany's long history before 1871 as a non-united region of distinct tribes and states, there are many widely varying names of Germany in different languages, more so than for any other European nation. For example, in the German ...
of
Lâm Đồng Province.
*Mnông Bu Nor: in
Đắk Nông District and
Đắk Min District
*Mnông Dih Bri: very small population in
Đắk Nông District; Êa Krông.
*Mnông Đíp:
Đắk Min District and the northern part of former
Sông Bé Province.
*Mnông Biat: small population in former
Sông Bé Province. Majority living around the Vietnam-Cambodia border.
*Mnông Bu Đêh: in former
Sông Bé Province and
Đắk Lắk Province
*Mnông Si Tô: a group of
Mạ (Mạ Tô) people in
Đắk Nông District who have become assimilated into the Mnông population ("Mnông-ized" Mạ people)
*Mnông K’ah: a group of
Ê-đê people scattered across
Đắk Nông District,
Lắk District, and
M'Đrăk District who have become assimilated into the Mnông population ("Mnông-ized" Ê-đê people)
*Mnông Phê Đâm: small population living only in Quảng Tín
commune,
Đắk Nông District.
Other minor Mnong
ethnic group
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
s include the Mnông Rơ Đe, Mnông R’Ông, and Mnông K’Ziêng.
Nguyễn & Trương (2009) cover the following M'Nông dialects.
*M'Nông Preh
*Kuênh
*Mạ
*M'Nông Nâr (Bu Nâr)
*M'Nông Noong (Bu Noong)
*M'Nông R'Lâm
*M'Nông Prâng
Numerals
The following comparative numerals from various Mnong dialects are from Nguyễn & Trương (2009).
References
Further reading
* Blood, Henry Florentine. ''A Reconstruction of Proto-Mnong''. Waxhaw, N.C.: Wycliffe-JAARS Print Shop, 1968.
* Nguyễn Kiên Trường & Trương Anh. 2009. ''Từ Điển Việt - M'Nông''. Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất Bản Từ Điển Bách Khoa.
External links
Mnong at www.peoplesoftheworld.org
{{Austro-Asiatic languages
Bahnaric languages