Mảng (autonym: ; ) 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.
In China, the Mảng people are also called Chaman (å²Â满), Abi (é¿æ¯Â), Mengga (Ã¥ÂÂÃ¥ÂÂ), Bageran (å·´æ ¼ç¶), and Mo (è«). They are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Bulang (å¸ÂæÂÂæÂÂ) (Jinping County Gazetteer 1994).
In Lai Châu Province, Vietnam, Mảng is spoken by 2,200 people in the districts of Sìn Há»Â, Mðá»Âng Tè, Phong Thá»Â, and in other nearby areas, including in NáºÂm Ban Township, Sìn Há» District, Lai Châu Province. 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 (æ°寨), Nanke Village (Ã¥ÂÂç§ÂæÂÂ), and Jinshuihe Township (éÂÂæ°´æ²³éÂÂ).
The Jinping County Gazetteer from the Republic of China period lists 12 Mảng villages: Gongdaniu (å ¬æÂÂçÂÂ), Luowuzhai (è½é¬寨), Pinghe (åª河, in Xiazhai ä¸Â寨, Zhongzhai ä¸Â寨, Shangzhai ä¸Â寨), Hetouzhai (河头寨), Guanmuzhai (管æ¨寨), Naxizhai (纳西寨), Bianjiezhai (è¾¹çÂÂ寨), Longshuzhai (é¾Âæ Â寨), Caoguoping (èÂÂæÂÂåª), and Nanke (Ã¥ÂÂç§Â).
Diphthongs iàand ïàare only found in closed syllables, while ua are more common in open syllables.
Mang is described as having five tones distributed in unchecked sonorant-final syllables and another two tones in checked syllables.
The basic cardinal numbers from 1 to 1000 (transcribed in IPA) are:
Comparison of some basic vocabulary words in Mảng with other branches of Austroasiatic:
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.