Laha () is a Kra language spoken by approximately 1,400 people out of a total population of 5,686 Laha. It is spoken in Lào Cai and Sán La provinces, Vietnam. Laha dialects had been documented in 1986 by Russian linguists and in 1996 by American linguist Jerold A. Edmondson. Many Laha can also converse in the Khmu language, and Laha-speaking areas also have significant Black Thai (Tai Dam), Kháng, Ksongmul (Ksingmul, Xinh-mun), and Hmong populations.
Ostapirat (2000) considers the Laha dialects to form a subgroup of their own (Southern Kra) within the Kra branch.
Geographic distribution
Gregerson & Edmondson (1997) and Wardlaw (2000) report the following locations of two Laha dialects, namely the Wet Laha and Dry Laha dialects.
Wet Laha (Laha Ung, ') of Lào Cai and Lai Châu
Dry Laha (Laha Phlao) of Sán La — around the Sông ÃÂàand NáºÂm Mu Rivers
- Noong Lay and Nặm ÃÂt Communes, ThuáºÂn Châu, Sán La, Vietnam (just south of the Black River; in Bản Muot, etc.) — known as the "Dry Laha"
- Chiá»Ân Xòm, Liá»Âp Tè, Noong Giông, and Nặm ÃÂt in Sán La
- Nặm Giôn, Chiá»Ân Xàng, Chiá»Ân Dong, Pi Toong, and Mðá»Âng Bú of Mðá»Âng La District, Sán La Province. Laha of NàTạy, Pi Toong commune is documented in Hsiu (2017).
- ThuáºÂn Châu, Mðá»Âng La, Quỳnh Nhai districts of Sán La Province
- Bản Bung and Phù Yên near Sán La Province on the north bank of the Black River
Phonology
Consonants
- In both dialects, can be heard as when occurring before front vowels.
Final consonants
Both have the same final consonants, except is only in the Noong Lay dialect.
Vowels
- Vowel sounds can occur long as .
Both dialects have two vowels in final position. They also may be heard as glide sounds .
See also
References
- Benedict, Paul K. 1992. "Laha Reexamined." In Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area, 15, no. 2: 207âÂÂ218.
- Diller, Anthony, Jerold A. Edmondson, and Yongxian Luo ed. The TaiâÂÂKadai Languages. Routledge Language Family Series. Psychology Press, 2008.
- Gregerson, Kenneth and Jerold A. Edmondson. 1997. "Outlying Kam-Tai: Notes On Ta Mit Laha." In Mon-Khmer Studies, 27: 257âÂÂ269.
- Ostapira, Weera. 1995. "Notes on Laha final -l". In Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 173âÂÂ181.
- Wardlaw, Terrance Randall. A phonological comparison between two varieties of Laha: Syllable constituents and tone in Ta Mit and Noong Lay Laha. M.A. Thesis, The University of Texas at Arlington, 2000.
External links