Mon language
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{{Infobox Language |name=Mon |nativename=Phesa Mon |pronunciation=/pʰesa mɑn/ |states=Myanmar, Thailand |region=Southeast Asia |speakers=Burma: 742,900, Total: 850,530 (Ethnologue, 2004) |familycolor=Austro-Asiatic |fam2=Mon-Khmer |fam3=Monic |script=Burmese alphabet (itself derived from the Old Mon Indic-based script) |nation=none, recognised as a minority language in Myanmar and Thailand |iso3=mnw}} The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Myanmar and Thailand.
Contents |
Phonology
Consonants
| Bilabial | Dental | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stops | p, pʰ, ɓ | t, tʰ, ɗ | c, cʰ | k, kʰ | ʔ |
| Fricatives | s | ç 1 | h | ||
| Nasals | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Liquids | w | l, r | j |
Notes
1. ç is only found in Burmese loans.
Vowels
| i | u | |
| e | ʌ | o |
| ɛ | * | ɔ |
| a |
Vocalic Register
Unlike the surrounding Burmese and Thai languages, Mon is not a tonal language. Similar to many Mon-Khmer languages, Mon uses a vowel-phonation or vowel-register system in which the quality of voice in pronouncing the vowel is phonemic. There are two registers in Mon:
- Clear (modal) voice, analyzed by various linguists as ranging from ordinary to creaky
- Breathy voice, vowels have a distinct breathy quality