Kim Mun language

Mienic language of Asia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kim Mun (Chinese: 金門方言; also Lanten or Landian 蓝靛) is a Mienic language spoken by 200,000 of the Yao people in the Chinese provinces of Guangxi, Hunan and Yunnan, with about 61,000 of the speakers in Hainan Province.[1] There are also speakers in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand.

Native speakers
(ca. 400,000 cited 1995–1999)[1]
Official languagein
China (Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County)
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Kim Mun
Native toChina, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand
Native speakers
(ca. 400,000 cited 1995–1999)[1]
Hmong–Mien
Official status
Official language in
China (Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County)
Language codes
ISO 639-3mji
Glottologkimm1245
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Iu Mien and Kim Mun are similar to each other, having a lexical similarity percentage of 78%.

Distribution

In China, Kim Mun is spoken in the following counties (Mao 2004:304-305).[2]

Ethnologue lists several counties in Vietnam where Kim Mun is spoken (in Bac Giang province, Ha Giang province, Lao Cai province, Quang Ninh province, Tuyen Quang province and Yen Bai province).. Van Ban district of Lao Cai province is one of the primary areas where Kim Mun is spoken in Vietnam. In Vietnam, Dao people belonging to the Quần Trắng, Thanh Y, and Áo Dài subgroups speak Kim Mun.[3] Kim Mun speakers are also found in northern Laos (in Luang Namtha province, Oudomxai province and in Bokeo province).

Daniel Arisawa has performed fieldwork with an isolated speaker of Kim Mun (originally from Laos) in Lampang province, northern Thailand (along the border of Mae Mo district and Ngao district).[4]

Phonology

Consonants

  • Lateral-released sounds are also present as /pˡ, bˡ, tˡ, dˡ, kˡ, ɡˡ/.
  • Fricative sounds /θ, θʲ, ð, ðʲ/ are realized as affricate sounds [tθ, tθʲ, dð, dðʲ] in the Liangzi dialect.[5]
  • /d/ may also be heard as a retroflex [ɖ] in free variation in the Liangzi dialect.
  • /s/ may also be heard as [ɕ] in different positions in the Liangzi dialect.
  • Palatalized sounds /kʲ/, /ɡʲ/, /hʲ/; can also be heard as palatal sounds [c], [ɟ], [ç]; in free variation.
  • Sounds /b, d, ȡ/ are more stiff-voiced [b̬, d̬, d̠̬ʲ] in free variation.
  • Sounds /p, t, k/ are heard as unreleased [p̚, t̚, k̚] in word-final position.

Vowels

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  • /ɐ/ is heard as [ə] in the Laos dialects of Kim Mun.
  • /i, u/ can be heard as [ɪ, ʊ] when in closed syllables.
  • /o/ may be labialized as [oʷ] in word-final position.
  • /e/ may have a palatal off-glide as [eʲ] in word-final syllables.
  • /ɔ/ when before a velar consonant can be heard as a diphthong [aʊ].
  • /o, ɔ/ may also be heard as lowered [ɔ̞, ɒ] in free variation in the Laos dialects.[6][7]

Notes

References

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