Khmuic languages

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Subgroup of the Austroasiatic language family

title: "Khmuic languages" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["khmuic-languages"] description: "Subgroup of the Austroasiatic language family" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khmuic_languages" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Subgroup of the Austroasiatic language family ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox language family"]

Field	Value
name	Khmuic
region	Indochina
familycolor	Austro-Asiatic
protoname	Proto-Khmuic
glotto	khmu1236
glottorefname	Khmuic
::

The Khmuic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic languages spoken mostly in northern Laos, as well as in neighboring northern Vietnam and southern Yunnan, China. Khmu is the only widely spoken language in the group.

Homeland

Paul Sidwell (2015) suggests that the Khmuic Urheimat (homeland) was in what is now Oudomxay Province, northern Laos.

Languages

The Khmuic languages are:

Mlabri (Yumbri)
Kniang (Phong 3, Tay Phong)
Ksingmul (Puok, Pou Hok, Khsing-Mul)
Khmu’
Khuen
O’du
Prai
Mal (Thin)
Theen (Kha Sam Liam)

Similarly, Phuoc (Xinh Mul) and Kháng are also sometimes classified as Mangic, and Kháng is classified as Palaungic by Diffloth.

Bumang, formerly classified as Khmuic, is classified as a Palaungic language by Paul Sidwell. Jerold A. Edmondson considers it to be most closely related to Kháng. Also, Quang Lam is a poorly attested language in Vietnam that is closely related to Kháng or Bit. (See Bit–Khang languages)

Khmuic language history and diversity are currently being researched by Nathaniel Hiroz.

Classification

The interrelationships of these languages are uncertain. Ethnologue 19 classifies them as follows:

Khmuic
- Khao: Khao, Bit
- Mlabri: Mlabri
- Xinh Mul: Khang, Phong-Kniang, Puoc
- Mal–Khmu’
  - Khmu’, Khuen, O’du
  - Mal–Phrai: Lua’, Mal, Prai

A provisional classification at SEALang keeps Mal–Phrai, but connects Khao with Khang instead of with Bit, treats Khuen as a dialect of Khmu':

Khmuic
- Bit
- Khao–Khang: Khao, Khang
- Mlabri
- Phong
- Puoc
- Khmu’
- O’du
- Mal–Phrai: Lua’, Mal, Phray, Phai

Diffloth & Proschan (1989)

Chazée (1999), citing Diffloth & Proschan (1989), has the following:

Khmuic
- (Khang?)
- Khmu
- Phray–Pram
  - Mlabri
  - Phay / Mal / T'in
  - - Ksing Moul (Ksongmul)
    - Pramic
      - Tai Hat (Iduh)
      - Tai Then
      - Phong Laan, Phong Phène, Phong Tapouang
      - Kaniang, Phong Piat (Phong Saloey)

However, Gérard Diffloth now considers Pramic (i.e., all Khmuic languages except for Khmu) to be a separate Austroasiatic branch that has come under heavy influence from Khmu.

Peiros (2004)

Ilia Peiros (Peiros 2004:39) gives the following classification:

Khmuic
- Khang
- Bit
- - Mlabri–Pray
    - Mlabri
    - Pray
  - - Kmu
    - - Kxinh Mul
      - Ksinmul
    - - Phong-Kniang
      - Iduh

Sidwell (2014)

Based on developments of Proto-Khmuic *aː₁, Paul Sidwell (2014) classifies the Khmuic languages as follows.

Khmuic
- Khmu
- Mlabri-Pram
  - Mlabri
  - Phay-Pram
    - Phay/Mal/T'in
    - Khsing Mul
    - Pramic
      - Tai Hat
      - Phong Laan, Phong Phène, Phong Tapouang
      - Kniang, Phong Piat (Phong Saloey)
      - Tayten

The developments of Proto-Khmuic *aː₁ according to Sidwell (2014) are:

Proto-Khmuic: *aː₁
- Khmu: *aː
- Proto-Mlabri-Pram: *ɛː
  - Proto-Pray-Pram: *iə
    - Proto-Pramic *iː

References

Sidwell, Paul. 2015. [http://chl.anu.edu.au/research/publications/518/palaungic-languages-classification-reconstruction-and-comparative-lexicon The Palaungic Languages: Classification, Reconstruction and Comparative Lexicon] {{Webarchive. link. (2019-10-23 . München: Lincom Europa.)
(2024). "Nathaniel Hiroz".
[http://sealang.net/sala/mk-class.htm SEALang SALA: Southeast Asian Linguistics Archives]
Sidwell, Paul. 2018. [https://www.academia.edu/36689736/Austroasiatic_Studies_state_of_the_art_in_2018 Austroasiatic Studies: state of the art in 2018] {{Webarchive. link. (2019-05-03 . Presentation at the Graduate Institute of Linguistics, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan, May 22, 2018.)

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