Maleng language

Maleng (autonym: /malɛ̤ŋ²/^[2]), also known as Pakatan and Bo, is a Vietic language of Laos and Vietnam.

Maleng
Pakatan
Bo
Native to	Laos, Vietnam
Native speakers	(3,700 cited 2000–2007)[1]
Language family	Austroasiatic Vietic Chutic Maleng
Dialects	Atel Thémarou Arao Makang Malang Maleng Tơe
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: pkt – Pakatan bgl – Bo
Glottolog	male1282  Maleng bola1249  Bo-Maleng
ELP	Maleng

Maleng has the four-way register system of Thavung augmented with pitch.^[3]

Malieng, despite having the same name as Maleng, is a dialect of Chut (Chamberlain 2003, Sidwell 2009).

Varieties

Maleng consists of three dialect clusters:^[2]

• Maleng (Mã Liềng); Kha Pakatan; Malang; Arem/Harème (Rivière 1902).^[4] Sub-varieties include Kha Muong Ben and Kha Bo (Fraisse 1950).^[5]
• Ma Lieng, also known as Pa Leng (Đặng Nghiêm Vạn et al. 1986)^[6]
• Kha Phong (formerly an exonym, but now also used as an autonym); Maleng Kari; Maleng Bro. Also known as Kha Nam Om (Fraisse 1949).^[7] The Kha Phong live in 2 to 3 villages in Laos, and in one village in Hà Tĩnh province, Vietnam. Strongly influenced by Lao. Maleng Bro was documented by Michel Ferlus in 1992 (see Ferlus 1997^[8]), and also by the 2012-2013 Russian-Vietnamese Linguistic Expedition.

Distribution

Maleng is spoken in the following villages of Laos and Vietnam.^[9]

• Khammouane province, Laos
  • Nậm Huay
  • Pung Kợt
  • Song Khon
  • Upper Nrong River
  • Xang Huay E An
• Quảng Bình province (500+ people) and Hà Tĩnh province (in Hương Khê district; 133 people in 2012), Vietnam^[2]
  • Hương Lâm
  • Hương Liên
  • Lâm Hóa