Mnong language

Mnong
Native to	Vietnam, Cambodia and United States
Region	throughout Tây Nguyên region, especially in Đắk Lắk, Lâm Đồng, Đắk Nông and Bình Phước provinces; Mondulkiri in Cambodia
Native speakers	130,000 (2002–2008)
Language family	Austroasiatic Bahnaric South Bahnaric Sre–Mnong Mnong
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: cmo – Central Mnong mng – Eastern Mnong mnn – Southern Mnong rka – Kraol
Glottolog	mnon1259

The Mnong language belongs to the Mon–Khmer language family. It is spoken by the different groups of Mnong in Vietnam and a Mnong group in Cambodia.

Distribution

In Vietnam, Mnong is spoken in the districts of Đăk Song, Đăk Mil, Đăk R'Lấp, Krông Nô, Gia Nghĩa, and other nearby locations in Đắk Nông Province (Nguyễn & Trương 2009).

Varieties

According to Ethnologue, four major dialects exist: Central, Eastern and Southern Mnong (all spoken in Vietnam), and Kraol (spoken in Cambodia). Within a dialect group, members do not understand other dialects. The Mnong language was studied first by the linguist Richard Phillips in the early 1970s.

Nguyễn & Trương (2009) cover the following M'Nông dialects.

• M'Nông Preh
• Kuênh
• Mạ
• M'Nông Nâr (Bu Nâr)
• M'Nông Noong (Bu Noong)
• M'Nông R'Lâm
• M'Nông Prâng

Further reading

• Blood, Henry Florentine. A Reconstruction of Proto-Mnong. Waxhaw, N.C.: Wycliffe-JAARS Print Shop, 1968.
• Nguyễn Kiên Trường & Trương Anh. 2009. Từ Điển Việt - M'Nông. Hà Nội: Nhà Xuất Bản Từ Điển Bách Khoa.

External links

• Mnong at www.peoplesoftheworld.org