Mảng language

Not to be confused with Maang language.

For the Miao language called Mang, see Mashan Miao.

Mảng (autonym: [maŋ35]; Chinese: 莽语; pinyin: Mǎngyǔ) is an Austroasiatic language of Vietnam, China, and Laos. It is spoken mainly in Lai Châu Province, Vietnam and across the border in Jinping County, China. It was first documented only in 1974.

Mảng
Native to	Vietnam, China
Ethnicity	Mảng
Native speakers	(4,900 (2007 – 2009 census) 3,200 cited 1999 – 2007? census)[1]
Language family	Austroasiatic Mang–Pakanic? Mảng
Language codes
ISO 639-3	zng
Glottolog	mang1378
ELP	Mang

In China, the Mảng people are also called Chaman (岔满), Abi (阿比), Mengga (孟嘎), Bageran (巴格然), and Mo (莫).^[2] They are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Bulang (布朗族) (Jinping County Gazeteer 1994).

Distribution

In Lai Châu Province, Vietnam, Mảng is spoken by 2,200 people in the districts of Sìn Hồ, Mường Tè, Phong Thổ, and in other nearby areas,^[2] including in Nậm Ban Township, Sìn Hồ District, Lai Châu Province.^[3][4] In China, Mảng speakers numbered 606 people in 1999. The Mảng of China claim to have migrated from Vietnam in recent times. Gao's (2003) Mảng data is from Xinzhai (新寨), Nanke Village (南科村), and Jinshuihe Township (金水河镇^[5]).

The Jinping County Gazetteer from the Republic of China period lists 12 Mảng villages: Gongdaniu (公打牛^[6]), Luowuzhai (落邬寨), Pinghe (坪河, in Xiazhai 下寨,^[7] Zhongzhai 中寨,^[8] Shangzhai 上寨), Hetouzhai (河头寨), Guanmuzhai (管木寨), Naxizhai (纳西寨), Bianjiezhai (边界寨), Longshuzhai (龙树寨), Caoguoping (草果坪), and Nanke (南科^[9]).

Vocabulary comparison

Comparison of some basic vocabulary words in Mảng with other branches of Austroasiatic:^[10]

Gloss	Mảng	proto-Waic / proto-Palaungic	Khmu	Bolyu	Bugan	proto-Vietic	Mon / Old Mon
‘I’	ʔuː⁴	*ʔɨʔ / *ʔɔːʔ	ʔoʔ	ʔaːu⁵⁵	ɔ³¹	*soː	ʔoa / ʔɔj
‘water’	ʑum¹	*rʔom / *ʔoːm	ʔom	nde⁵³	nda²⁴	*ɗaːk	dac / ɗaik
‘two’	ʑɨəj⁴	*ləʔar / *ləʔaːr	baːr	mbi⁵⁵	bi³¹	*haːr	ba / ɓar
‘fire’	ɲɛ²	*ŋɒl / *ŋal	pʰrɨə	mat³³	a̠u³¹	*guːs	kəmot / –
‘blood’	haːm¹	*hnam / *snaːm	maːm	saːm⁵³	sa⁴⁴	*ʔasaːmʔ	chim / chim
‘five’	han²	*phɒn / *pəsan	(Tay Hat sɔːŋ)	me³¹	mi⁴⁴	*ɗam	pəsɔn / sun
‘eye’	mat⁷	*ʔŋaj / *ˀŋaːj	mat	mat⁵³	mɛ̱³³	*mat	mòt / mɔt

Morphosyntax

Mảng is an analytic SVO language. However, unlike surrounding Kra-Dai and Hmong-Mien languages which are entirely absent of inflections, Mảng retains Austroasiatic derivational morphology and case-marking on nouns.^[11]

ɵɔ

dog

cǎp

chase

ta-ɲo

ACC-cat

ɵɔ cǎp ta-ɲo

dog chase ACC-cat

"The dog chases the cat."

ʔu

1SG

ʔo

give

lam

rice

ʔæŋ-ciəj

DAT-chicken

ʔu ʔo lam ʔæŋ-ciəj

1SG give rice DAT-chicken

"I give rice to the chicken."