Monic languages

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Branch of Austroasiatic languages in Southeast Asia

title: "Monic languages" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["monic-languages"] description: "Branch of Austroasiatic languages in Southeast Asia" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monic_languages" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Branch of Austroasiatic languages in Southeast Asia ::

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

Field	Value
name	Monic
region	Indochina
familycolor	Austro-Asiatic
ancestor	Old Mon
glotto	moni1258
glottorefname	Monic
child1	Mon
child2	Nyah Kur
map	Austroasiatic-en.svg
mapcaption
map2	Monic language.jpg
mapcaption2	Monic languages distribution in Thailand and Myanmar.

The Monic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family descended from the Old Monic language of the kingdom of Dvaravati in what is now central Thailand. The Nyahkur people continue directly from that kingdom, whereas the Mon are descendants of those who migrated to Pegu after the 11th century Khmer conquest of Dvaravati.

Classification

Paul Sidwell (2009:114) proposes the following tree ("stammbaum") for Monic, synthesizing past classifications from Theraphan L-Thongkum (1984) and Gérard Diffloth (1984).

Old Mon / Proto-Monic
- Nyah Kur
  - North
  - Central
  - South
- Middle Mon
  - Literary Mon
  - Mon Ro: Northernmost dialect, spoken in the Pegu-Paung-Zin Kyaik area
    - West Mon Ro variety: Spoken from north of Martaban to Thaton
    - East Mon Ro variety: Spoken in a small area on the south bank of the Gyaing River
  - Mon Rao: Spoken around Mawlamyine, extending several hundred kilometers south to Tavoy
    - North Mon Rao
    - Kamarwet area Mon
    - South Mon Rao
    - Ye Mon Rao: This is the southernmost Mon variety.
  - Thai Mon (mix of Mon Ro and Mon Rao)

Proto-language==

Mammals

:{| class="wikitable sortable" ! species !! Proto-Monic !! Proto-Nyah Kur !! Proto-Mon |- | Tupaia sp. || *[c/s]naaʔ || *ɕhna̱aʔ || |- | Panthera tigris corbetti || *klaaʔ || *khla̱aʔ || *kla̱ʔ |- | Lutrogale perspicillata, Lutra lutra nair || *phɛɛʔ || *phɛ̱ɛʔ || *phɛ̱ʔ |- | Bos gaurus readei || *kndiiŋ || *kənti̤iɲ || *kəlɤ̱i̯ɲ |- | Rusa unicolor equinus || *tɓuŋ || *thbu̱ŋ || *ɓɒ̱ɨ̯ŋ |- | Rucervus eldii thamin, Cervus eldi siamensis || *[r]maŋ || *ləma̤ŋ || *mɛ̤a̯ŋ |- | Muntiacus muntjak vaginalis, Muntiacus feae || *pas || *pa̱j̊ || *pɔ̱h |- | Hystrix hodgsoni || *lmliəŋ || *ləmli̤aŋ || *pəli̤ə̯ŋ |- | Ursus thibetanus || *kmu̱m || *khmu̱m || *[k]hmi̱m |}

Birds

:{| class="wikitable sortable" ! species !! Proto-Monic !! Proto-Nyah Kur !! Proto-Mon |- | Corvus splendens || *klʔaak || *kəlʔa̱ak || *həɗa̱i̯c |- | Caprimulgus macrurus || *klwaaʔ || *kəwa̱aʔ || *kəwa̱ʔ |- | Caprimulgus macrurus? || *ʔ[m]blak || *bla̱k || *ʔəplɛ̤a̯k |- | Spizaetus sp. || *liŋ-liəŋ || *liŋ-li̤aŋ || *kəni̤ə̯ŋ |- | Gallus gallus || *tjaaŋ || *chja̱aŋ || *ca̱i̯ɲ |- | Psittacula eupatria avensis, Psittacula finschii? || *kreeɲ || *krə̱əɲ || *krʌ̱i̯ɲ |- | Coturnix sp. || *cgɯt || *cəkɯ̤t || *hək[i̤/ɯ̤]t |- | Pseudogyps bengalensis? || *t-[m]-maat || *tə(m)ma̱at || *[k]əma̱t |- | Oriolus chinensis? || *mit || *mɯ̤t || *mi̤t |- | Treron phoenicopterus viridifrons || *prgum || *pərkṳm || *həkə̤m |- | Eudynamis scolopacea malayana || *t[]wa(a)w || *t()wa̱w || *kəwa̱o̯ |- | Streptopelia orientalis || *puur || *pu̱ur || *pɒ̱u̯ |}

Other animals

:{| class="wikitable sortable" ! species !! Proto-Monic !! Proto-Nyah Kur !! Proto-Mon |- | Periplaneta sp. || *sdɛɛʔ || *ɕətɛ̤ɛʔ || *həte̤ʔ |- | Apis dorsata || *saaj || *ɕa̱aj || *sa̱i̯ |- | Trionyx cartilageneus || *dwiiʔ || *[c/t]həwi̤iʔ || *kwi̤ʔ |- | Fluta alba || *doŋ-nooŋ || *kənto̤oŋ ~ *tṳŋ-to̤oŋ || *hələ̤ɨ̯ŋ |- | Ophiocephalus striatus || *knlɔɔn || *kənlu̱an || *kəno̤n |- | Varanus nebulosus || *trkɔɔt || *təku̱at || *həko̱t |}

Plants

:{| class="wikitable sortable" ! species !! Proto-Monic !! Proto-Nyah Kur !! Proto-Mon |- | Bambusa arundinacea || *ɟrlaaʔ || *chəla̤aʔ || *həlɛ̤ə̯ʔ |- | Antiaris toxicaria || *kɟiiʔ || *kəci̤iʔ || *kji̤ʔ |- | Imperata cylindrica || *cwooʔ || *chwo̱oʔ || *khwɒ̱ɨ̯ʔ |- | Entada rheedei || *ɟnlɛɛʔ || *khənlɛ̤ɛʔ || *həne̤ʔ |- | Eugenia cumini || *kriəŋ || *kri̱aŋ || *kri̱ə̯ŋ |- | Dipterocarpus alatus, Dipterocarpus turbinatus || *g[]jaaŋ || *khəja̤aŋ || *həja̤i̯ɲ |- | Pentace burmanica || *sit-siət || *ɕit-ɕi̱at || *kəsə̱t |- | Berrya mollis || *klwaan || *kəlwa̱an || *kəlwa̱an |- | Spondias mangifera || *[k]ʔiil || *[kh]əʔi̱il || *ʔi̱ |- | Ficus bengalensis, Ficus religiosa || *ɟrəj || *chrə̤j || *sɔ̤e̯ |- | Phyllanthus emblica || *trluuj || *təlu̱uj || *kəlu̱i̯ |}

Lexical innovations

Selected Monic lexical innovations:

::data[format=table]

Gloss	Proto-Austroasiatic	Proto-Monic	Old Mon	Nyah Kur
‘knee’	*psaɲ	*ɟroːm	–	chròːm
‘money’	*swaːʔ	*knuːj	knuj	khǝnúːj
‘chicken’	*ʔiər	*tjaːŋ	tyaiŋ	cháːŋ
‘dog’	*cɔːʔ	*clur	kløw	chúr
::

Footnotes

References

Sidwell, Paul (2009). Classifying the Austroasiatic languages: history and state of the art. LINCOM studies in Asian linguistics, 76. Munich: Lincom Europa.

References

[[Gérard Diffloth. Diffloth, Gérard]]. 1984. ''The [[Dvaravati]] [[Old Mon]] languages and [[Nyah Kur language. Nyah Kur]]''. Monic Language Studies. [[Chulalongkorn University]] Printing House, Bangkok.
Sidwell, Paul. (2021). "The Languages and Linguistics of Mainland Southeast Asia". De Gruyter.

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