Nyahkur
| Nyahkur ( ชาว บน ) | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Spoken in |
Thailand | |
| speaker | 1,500 (decreasing) | |
| Linguistic classification |
|
|
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-3 | ||
Nyahkur (Nyah Kur) is an Austro-Asian language spoken by descendants of the Mon in the northeast of present-day Thailand , Isan , and in central Thailand, and whose speakers use the Thai script . The Mon settled in Isan until the 11th century , before they were overrun by the Khmer and most of them had to flee. They live in the Thai provinces of Phitsanulok , Nakhon Ratchasima , Chaiyaphum and Phetchabun .
The speakers of Nyahkur are called chao bon ( Thai ชาว บน ) in Thailand . Nyahkur and the Mon language are the only two representatives of the Mon branch of the Mon Khmer languages ; both have evolved independently of one another from ancient Mon for about a millennium and are very closely related. Linguists discovered Nyahkur in the early 20th century, but the connection with Mon was not recognized until about 70 years later.
The number of speakers of the Nyahkur is rapidly decreasing , which is also due to the Thaiization , which is constantly being pursued by the Thai governments. There are at least two dialects, Phetchabun and Chaiyaphum; Chaiyaphum speakers find it difficult to understand Phetchabun.
literature
- G. Diffloth: The Dvaravati Old-Mon Language and Nyah Kur . Chulalongkorn Printing House, Bangkok 1984, ISBN 974-563-783-1 .
- FE Huffmann: Burmese Mon, Thai Mon and Nyah Kur: a synchronic comparison . (Mon-Khmer Studies; 16-17), pp. 31-64.
- Theraphan L. Thongkum: Nyah Kur (chao bon) - Thai-English dictionary. (Monic Language Studies; 2). Chulalongkorn University Printing House, Bangkok 1984, ISBN 974-563-785-8 .
Web links
- with an overview of the development of the Mon and Nyah Kur ( memento from October 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )