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| Karen Karen |
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|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | China, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and USA. | |
| Total speakers: | over 3.2 million[1] | |
| Language family: | Sino-Tibetan Tibeto-Burman Karen |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | kar | |
| ISO 639-3: | variously: kar – Karen (generic) kvl – Karen Brek (Myanmar) bwe – Karen Bwe (Myanmar) kvq – Karen Geba (Myanmar) ghk – Karen Geko (Myanmar) kvt – Karen Lahta (Myanmar) kxf – Karen Manumanaw (Myanmar) blk – Karen Pa'o (Myanmar) pdu – Karen Padaung (Myanmar) kpp – Karen Pwo Eastern (Myanmar) pww – Karen Pwo Northern (Myanmar) pwo – Karen Pwo Western (Myanmar) kjt – Karen Pwo Phrae (Thailand) ksw – Karen S'gaw (Myanmar) kvu – Karen Yinbaw (Myanmar) kvy – Karen Yintale (Myanmar) kxk – Karen Zayein (Myanmar) |
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| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. | ||
The Karen languages are tonal languages spoken by the Karen people and are classified as part of the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan language family.[2] It is written using the Burmese script.[3] The three main branches are Sgaw, Pwo, and Pa'o; they are not considered to be mutually intelligible[4]. Karenni (also known Kayah or Red Karen) and Kayan (also known as Padaung) are related to the Sgaw branch. They are almost unique among the Tibeto-Burman languages in having a Subject Verb Object word order; other than Karen and Bai, Tibeto-Burman languages feature a Subject Object Verb order [5]. This is likely due to influence from neighboring Mon and Tai languages[6]. The languages are also considered unusual for not having any Chinese influence.[7]
See also
References
- ^ "Sgaw language". Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2008-11-08.
- ^ Graham Thurgood, Randy J. LaPolla (2003). The Sino-Tibetan Languages. Routledge. ISBN 0700711295.
- ^ Omniglot
- ^ Lewis, Paul; Elaine Lewis (1984). Peoples of the Golden Triangle. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd. ISBN 0-500-97472-1.
- ^ Description of the Sino-Tibetan Language Family
- ^ Matisoff, James A. (1991). "Sino-Tibetan Linguistics: Present State and Future Prospects". Annual Review of Anthropology (Annual Reviews Inc.) 20: 469–504. doi:.
- ^ Thai Cultural Tourism
External links
- Kawthoolei, meaning ‘a land without evil’, is the Karen name of the land of Karen people. An independent and impartial media outlet aimed to provide contemporary information of all kinds — social, cultural, educational and political
- Karenpeople.org, a non-profit web portal on the Karen peoples
- Karen.org, The website of the Karen National League of Bakersfield, California
- Drum Publication Group, Sgaw Karen language materials available free online. Includes an online English - Sgaw Karen Dictionary.
- http://www.kwekalu.net, The only Karen language news outlet online based in Mergui/Tavoy District of Kawthoolei