Chong (Thai: ภาษาชอง, also spelled ''Chawng, Shong, Xong'') is an

endangered language An endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a "dead langu ...

spoken in eastern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

and formerly 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 Thailan ...

by the Chong. It is a Western Pearic language in the Mon–Khmer language family. Chong is currently the focus of a

language revitalization Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community groups, o ...

project in Thailand. The Chong language is marked by its unusual four-way contrast in

register Register or registration may refer to: Arts entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), th ...

. Its grammar has not been extensively studied, but it is unrelated to the Thai language which is in the Tai–Kadai 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 A writing system is a method of visually representing verbal communication, based on a script and a set of rules regulating its use. While both writing and speech are useful in conveying messages, writing differs in also being a reliable fo ...

, after which the first teaching materials in the language appeared. Chong is currently considered to be at stage 7 in

Joshua Fishman Joshua Fishman (Yiddish: שיקל פֿישמאַן — Shikl Fishman; July 18, 1926 – March 1, 2015) was an American linguist who specialized in the sociology of language, language planning, bilingual education, and language and ethnicity. ...

's Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (GIDS), where stage 8 is the closest to extinction. Chong is actually two languages, Western Chong, and Central Chong or Samre. The Western Chong community in Thailand is primarily located in and around Chanthaburi. Central Chong includes the

Kasong dialect Kasong, also previously known as "Chong of Trat", is an endangered Pearic language of the Austroasiatic The Austroasiatic languages , , are a large language family in Mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia. These languages are scattered th ...

of Trat. (See that article for details.) While the language spoken in Thailand has been studied recently, the Chong language in Cambodia has not been investigated yet. David Bradley (2007) reports no remaining speakers.

Classification

A number of

Pearic languages The Pearic languages (alternatively called the Chongic 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 ...

are called "Chong", and they all do not constitute a single language. Chong proper consists of the majority of varieties which Sidwell (2009) labeled "Western Chong". This includes the main dialect around Chanthaburi Province (mostly in southern Khao Khitchakut District and western Pong Nam Ron DistrictChoosri, Isara. 2002. ''Mapping dialects of Chong in Chanthaburi province, Thailand: an application of Geographical Information System (GIS)''. M.A. dissertation, Mahidol University.). on the Thai–Cambodian border. These should not be confused with the variety called "Chong" in Trat Province of western Thailand, nor with "Kasong" Chong, both of which were classified as "Central Chong" along with Samre, and so should perhaps be considered dialects of Samre rather than of Chong. Similarly, the languages called "Chung" in Kanchanaburi Province and in Cambodia are dialects of Sa'och, and were classified as "Southern Chong" along with Suoi. The Western Chong dialects (Chong proper) are as follows:Sidwell, Paul (2009). ''Classifying the Austroasiatic languages: history and state of the art''. LINCOM studies in Asian linguistics, 76. Munich: Lincom Europa. *''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) Isara Choosri (2002) lists the following dialects of Chong spoken in Chanthaburi Province. *Takhian Thong ตะเคียนทอง (Northern Chong): in Ban Khlong Phlu คลองพลู (northernmost location); Ban Nam Khun, Ban Takhian Thong ตะเคียนทอง, Ban Cham Khloh. This is the northernmost dialect; in the past, Chong speakers used to settle as far north as Ban Chankhlem จันทเขลม. A few thousand speakers. Formerly grouped as part of the western dialect also known as ''Chong lɔɔ''. *Phluang พลวง (Southern Chong): in Ban Krathing, Ban Thung Saphan, Ban Thung Ta-In, Ban Phang Kalaeng. Hundreds of speakers. Formerly grouped as part of the western dialect also known as ''Chong lɔɔ''. *Pong Nam Ron โป่งน้ำร้อน (Eastern Chong): in Ban Wang Kraphrae. A few dozen speakers left. Eastern dialect also known as ''Chong həəp''. The Central Chong dialects are, *''Samre'' of

Pursat Pursat ( ; km, ពោធិ៍សាត់, ) is the capital of Pursat Province, Cambodia. Its name derived from a type of tree. It lies on the Pursat River The Pursat River ( km, ស្ទឹងពោធិ៍សាត់, Steung Pursat) al ...

*''Samre'' (Pornsawan Ploykaew 2001) *''Chong'' (Baradat ms.) *'' Kasong'' (Noppawan Thongkham 2003), historically called ''Chong of Trat'' (Pannetier ms., Isarangura 1935)

Classification

Phonology

Consonants

Vowels

References

Further reading