Kháng language

Not to be confused with Tay Khang language.

Kháng (Chinese: 抗语), also known as Mang U’, is an Austroasiatic language of Vietnam.^[2] It is closely related to the Bumang language of southern Yunnan, China.

Kháng
Mang U’
Native to	Vietnam
Region	Sơn La and Lai Châu provinces
Ethnicity	Khang
Native speakers	14,000 (2009 census)[1]
Language family	Austroasiatic Khasi–Palaungic Palaungic Bit–Khang Kháng
Language codes
ISO 639-3	kjm – inclusive code Individual code: xao – Khao
Glottolog	khan1274
ELP	Kháng

Classification

Paul Sidwell (2014)^[3] classifies Khang as Palaungic, although Jerold Edmondson (2010) suggests it is Khmuic.

Kháng is most closely related to Bumang (Edmondson 2010).

Distribution

Kháng speakers are an officially recognized ethnic group in Vietnam,^[4] and officially numbered 10,272 in 1999.

The Kháng are distributed in the following districts of northwest Vietnam in Sơn La Province and Lai Châu Province:^[5]

• Sơn La Province (along the Black River)
  • Thuận Châu (including Bản Ná Lai village)
  • Quỳnh Nhai
  • Mường La
• Lai Châu Province
  • Phong Thổ
  • Mường Tè
  • Than Uyên
• Điện Biên Province
  • Mường Lay (alternatively Mường Chà)
  • Tuần Giáo

Tạ (2021) contains a phonology and word list of the Kháng dialect of Nậm Mu village, Phình Sáng commune, Tuần Giáo district, Điện Biên province.^[6]

Phonology

Consonants^[6]

	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive	pʰ p	tʰ t	tʃ	kʰ k	ʔ
Implosive	ɓ	ɗ
Fricative		s			h
Nasal	m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Approximant	w	l	j

Vowels^[6]

	Front	Central	Back
High	i	ɯ	u
Mid-high	e	ɤ ɤː	o oː
Mid-low	ɛ		ɔ
Low		a aː

Additionally, the following diphthongs can be found: /iɤ/, /ɯɤ/, /uɤ/.

Kháng also has eight tones in total, six of which appear on "live syllables" - open syllables or syllables ending with sonorants, and the other two are limited to "dead syllables" - syllables ending in the oral stops /p t k/.^[6] Each tone also carries with it a specific register affecting the phonation of the syllable.

The live syllable tones are as follows:

• [ ˥ ] - high, level, modal voice
• [ ˩ˀ] - low, level, ending in a glottal stop
• [ ˧˥ˀ] - high-rising, ending in a glottal stop
• [ ˧˩ˀ] - low-falling, ending in a glottal stop
• [ ˧˨˧ ] - mid-dipping, modal voice
• [ ˨˩˨ ] - low-dipping, creaky voice

The dead syllable tones are as follows:

• [ ˦˧ ] - high-falling
• [ ˩˨ ] - low-rising