Bit–Khang languages
The Bit–Khang languages are spoken in southern China, northern Laos, and northwestern Vietnam. The Bit-Khang branch was first proposed by Paul Sidwell (2014).[2]
Bit–Khang | |
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Geographic distribution | Laos, Vietnam, China |
Linguistic classification | Austroasiatic
|
Glottolog | khao1243[1] |
The Bit–Khang languages consist of:[2]
Classification
At first, Bit–Khang languages were usually classified as Khmuic, but Sidwell (2014)[2] has since demonstrated the Palaungic affiliation of Bit-Khang, as well as its unity. Paul Sidwell (2014)[2] proposes that these languages constitute a subgroup of Palaungic, since they display lexical innovations characteristic of the Palaungic branch such as 'eye', 'fire', 'blood', and 'laugh'.
Gloss | Proto-Palaungic lexical innovation[3] |
---|---|
eye | *ˀŋaːj |
blood | *snaːm |
fire | *ŋal |
laugh | *kəɲaːs |
Sidwell (2014) suggests that Bit–Khang may have originally been Eastern Palaungic, due to various isoglosses shared with Waic, Lametic, and Angkuic, but was later heavily relexified by Khmuic as Bit-Khang speakers migrated eastward into Khmuic territory.
References
- Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Khao–Bit". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- Sidwell, Paul. 2014. "Khmuic classification and homeland". Mon-Khmer Studies 43.1:47-56.
- Sidwell, Paul. 2015. The Palaungic Languages: Classification, Reconstruction and Comparative Lexicon. München: Lincom Europa.