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Karenic languages
Language family / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Karen languages" redirects here. For other uses, see Karen.
The Karen (/kəˈrɛn/)[2] or Karenic languages are tonal languages spoken by some 4.5 million Karen people.[1] They are of unclear affiliation within the Sino-Tibetan languages.[3] The Karen languages are written using the Karen script.[4] The three main branches are Sgaw (commonly known as Karen), Pwo and Pa'O. Karenni (also known as Kayah or Red Karen) and Kayan (also known as Padaung) are a branch of Karen languages. They are unusual among the Sino-Tibetan languages in having a subject–verb–object word order; other than Karen, Bai and the Chinese languages, Sino-Tibetan languages have a subject–object–verb order.[5] This is likely due to influence from neighboring Mon and Tai languages.[6]
Quick Facts Ethnicity, Geographic distribution ...
Karenic | |
---|---|
Ethnicity | Karen people |
Geographic distribution | South-eastern Myanmar, Western Thailand |
Native speakers | 4.5 million (2017)[1] |
Linguistic classification | Sino-Tibetan
|
Proto-language | Proto-Karenic |
Subdivisions | |
ISO 639-2 / 5 | kar |
Glottolog | kare1337 |
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