kjp ISO 639
ဖၠုံ (Phlou) Autonyms
Karen, Pwo Eastern
Visualizations
A language of Myanmar
- ISO 639
- kjp
- Alternate Names
- Moulmein Pwo Karen, Phlong, Pho
- Autonym
- ဖၠုံ (Phlou)
- Population
- 1,000,000 in Myanmar (1998). Total users in all countries: 1,050,000.
- Location
- Bago region: Bago and Toungoo townships; Kayin state and Tanintharyi region: a large area near the Thailand border.
- Language Maps
- Eastern Central Myanmar, Northern Thailand, Southern Myanmar, Southern Thailand
- Language Status
- 5 (Developing).
- Classification
- Sino-Tibetan, Tibeto-Burman, Karenic, Peripheral
- Dialects
- Pa’an (Inland Eastern Pwo Karen, Moulmein), Kawkareik (Eastern Border Pwo Karen), Tavoy (Southern Pwo Karen). Not intelligible with Pwo Western Karen [pwo]. Reportedly fairly high comprehension among Eastern Pwo Karen dialects. Likely intelligible but politically and sociolinguistically distinct from Pwo Eastern Karen [kjp] in Thailand. Lexical similarity: 91%–97% among dialects; 63%–65% with Pwo Western Karen [pwo].
- Typology
- SVO.
- Language Use
- Vigorous. All domains. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use Burmese [mya]. Used as L2 by S’gaw Karen [ksw].
- Language Development
- Grammar. Texts. Bible: 1883–1926.
- Writing
- Leke (Chicken-Scratch) script [Leke], developed between 1830–1860, used by adherents to the Leke Millenarian sect. Myanmar (Burmese) script [Mymr], primary usage, a variety of orthographies are in use. Thai script [Thai], developed by expatriates around 2000, used in Thailand by West Central Thailand Pwo Karen community, limited usage.
- Other Comments
- Eastern Pwo Karen [kjp] Christians use the Pwo Karen Bible. Buddhist, Christian.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Karen, Pwo Eastern
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ratchaburi, Suphan Buri, and Uthai Thani provinces; Tak province: Umphang and Phop Phra districts. Kanchanaburi dialect is north, Ratchaburi-Phetchaburi dialect is south.
- Dialects
- Kanchanaburi Pwo Karen, Ratchaburi Pwo Karen (Phetchaburi Pwo Karen). Likely intelligible but politically and sociolinguistically distinct from Pwo Eastern Karen in Myanmar.
- Language Status
- 7 (Shifting)
- Language Use
- Shifting to Thai [tha] (Dawkins and Phillips 2009b).
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L2: 15%–50%.
- Other Comments
- Buddhist. View other languages of Thailand
Language Name
Karen, Pwo West-Central Thailand
User Population
50,000 in Thailand (1998). Total Karen: 441,000 (2010 census.
