mnw ISO 639
ဘာသာ မန် (bharsar maan) Autonyms
Mon
Visualizations
A language of Myanmar
- ISO 639
- mnw
- Alternate Names
- Aleng, Mou, Mun, Peguan, Raman, Rman, Rmen, Takanoon, Talaing, Taleng, Teguan
- Autonym
- ဘာသာ မန် (bharsar maan)
- Population
- 743,000 in Myanmar (2004), decreasing. Ethnic population: 1,000,000 (Bradley 2007b). Total users in all countries: 851,000.
- Location
- Kayin state and Mon states; Tanintharyi region: north.
- Language Maps
- Northern Thailand, Southern Myanmar, Southern Thailand
- Language Status
- 5 (Developing).
- Classification
- Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Monic
- Dialects
- Martaban-Moulmein (Central Mon, Mon Te), Pegu (Mon Tang, Northern Mon), Ye (Mon Nya, Southern Mon). Intelligibility between Mon varieties high; between Mon in Thailand and Myanmar 99% (Huffman 1976). Varieties in Myanmar and Thailand “mutually intelligible” (Bauer 1990) but lexical borrowings from Thai and Burmese may cause miscommunication (Guillon 1999). Lexical similarity: 69% with Mon and Nyah Kur [cbn] (Huffman 1976).
- Typology
- SVO.
- Language Use
- Vigorous in some rural areas and in Three Pagodas border area. Low or no usage in urban centers; some language shift to Burmese. Many domains in some communities; only among the elderly, in the monastery, or not at all in other communities. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Many also use Burmese [mya].
- Language Development
- Literacy rate in L1: Some literacy among the older generation; very low literacy rates among those under 40. Taught in some Buddhist monasteries in both Myanmar and Thailand. Some literacy efforts made on Thailand-Myanmar border. Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1928.
- Writing
- Myanmar (Burmese) script [Mymr].
- Other Comments
- Remnants of a nation that once spread over south Myanmar and west Thailand. Preferred names: Mon or Raman. Buddhist.
- Language Resources
- OLAC resources in and about Mon
Also Spoken in
- Location
- Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Ratchaburi, and Samut Sakhon provinces.
- Language Status
- 6b (Threatened)
- Language Use
- Low or no usage among long-established groups. Some language shift to Thai. Many also use Thai [tha].
- Other Comments
- Many seemingly integrated with the Thai; in other areas they are separate. Traditional religion, Buddhist. View other languages of Thailand
Language Name
Mon
User Population
108,000 in Thailand (2000). 70,000–120,000, total population (Bauer 1984). 1983 census estimated 100,000; about 50,000 L1 speakers (Foster 1972; Smalley 1994). Ethnic population: 200,000 (Bradley 2007a).
