Nùng language (Tai)

NÃÂ¹ng is a KraÃ¢ÂÂDai language spoken mostly in Cao BÃ¡ÂºÂ±ng and LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ng SÃÂ¡n provinces in Vietnam and also in China and Laos. It is also known as Nong, Tai NÃÂ¹ng, Tay, and TÃÂ y NÃÂ¹ng. NÃÂ¹ng is the name given to the various Tai languages of northern Vietnam that are spoken by peoples classified as NÃÂ¹ng by the Vietnamese government. The NÃÂ¹ng were originally Zhuang people who migrated to Vietnam in the 16th and 18th centuries.

Speakers

In the 1999 census, it had about 856,000 speakers. It had about 968,800 speakers in the 2009 census.

Distribution

In Vietnam, NÃÂ¹ng is spoken in all of the Northeast Region (except Phu Tho Province) and parts of the South Central Region (Dak Lak, Gia Lai and Lam Dong Provinces).

In China, NÃÂ¹ng is spoken in the Wenshan Prefecture of Yunnan and Jinxi, Guangxi. Speakers of the NÃÂ¹ng language in China are classified as Zhuang.

The NÃÂ¹ng people of Laos are believed to have originated from a border crossing in Vietnam to Laos. NÃÂ¹ng speakers in Laos are located in the Xiengngeun district of Luang Prabang Province. An alternative name for Nung in Laos is Nong.

Phonology

The following are the sounds of the NÃÂ¹ng language:

Consonants

Vowels

Tone

The NÃÂ¹ng language has six tones:

Varieties

NÃÂ¹ng consists of many varieties, some of which are listed below.

NÃÂ¹ng PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slinh (Nohng FÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slihng) is spoken in eastern LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ng SÃÂ¡n Province. It is spoken by approximately 100,000 people (Freiberger 1976a). Freiberger (1976a) is based on NÃÂ¹ng PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slinh as spoken by refugees from BÃ¡ÂºÂ¯c Giang Province who had moved to LÃÂ¢m ÃÂÃ¡Â»Âng Province in 1954 (then known as TuyÃÂªn ÃÂÃ¡Â»Â©c Province, which consisted of ÃÂÃÂ LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡t, ÃÂÃÂ¡n DÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng District, ÃÂÃ¡Â»Â©c TrÃ¡Â»Âng District, LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡c DÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng District). Freiberger (1976) also reported NÃÂ¹ng PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slinh refugees in BiÃÂªn HÃÂ²a Province and Long KhÃÂ¡nh Province, which were former administrative divisions in South Vietnam.
NÃÂ¹ng ChÃÂ¡o is spoken around LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ng SÃÂ¡n city. It is identical with William J. Gedney's Lungchow.
NÃÂ¹ng Inh is spoken in western LÃ¡ÂºÂ¡ng SÃÂ¡n Province. It is identical with William J. Gedney's Western NÃÂ¹ng of MÃÂ°Ã¡Â»Âng KhÃÂ°ÃÂ¡ng, LÃÂ o Cai Province.
NÃÂ¹ng An is spoken in and around QuÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng UyÃÂªn, QuÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng HÃÂ²a District, Cao BÃ¡ÂºÂ±ng. Like the Long'an (Ã©ÂÂÃ¥Â®Â) speakers of Guangxi, it has a mixture of Northern and Central Tai features.
NÃÂ¹ng Giang is spoken in HÃÂ QuÃ¡ÂºÂ£ng District, Cao BÃ¡ÂºÂ±ng. It is also spoken across the border in Pingmeng (Ã¥Â¹Â³Ã¥ÂÂÃ©ÂÂ), Jingxi County, Guangxi.

NÃÂ¹ng VÃÂªn (En), a language formerly undistinguished from surrounding Central Tai (NÃÂ¹ng) dialects, was discovered to be a Kra language by HoÃÂ ng VÃÂn Ma and Jerold A. Edmondson in 1998. Its speakers are classified as NÃÂ¹ng by the Vietnamese government.

References

Freiberger, Nancy; Vy ThÃ¡Â»Â BÃÂ© (1976a). SÃ¡ÂºÂ¹c mÃ¡ÂºÂ¡hn SlÃ¡Â»Â© Nohng FÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slihng: NgÃ¡Â»Â¯ vÃ¡Â»Â±ng NÃÂ¹ng PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slinh (Nung Fan Slihng Vocabulary). Series 64 E72. Summer Institute of Linguistics (ViÃ¡Â»Ân ChuyÃÂªn KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£o NgÃ¡Â»Â¯ HÃ¡Â»Âc).
Freiberger, Nancy (1976b). ThÃÂ²i cÃ¡Â»Â§ cÃÂ°hn Nohng FÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slihng: Phong tÃ¡Â»Â¥c tÃ¡ÂºÂp quÃÂ¡n cÃ¡Â»Â§a ngÃÂ°Ã¡Â»Âi NÃÂ¹ng PhÃ¡ÂºÂ¡n Slinh (Culture and Folklore of the Nung Fan Slihng). Series 64 E16. Summer Institute of Linguistics (ViÃ¡Â»Ân ChuyÃÂªn KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£o NgÃ¡Â»Â¯ HÃ¡Â»Âc), Mainland Southeast Asia Branch.
Vy ThÃ¡Â»Â BÃÂ©; Janice E. Saul; Nancy Freiberger Wilson (1982). Nung Fan Slihng - English Dictionary. Manila: Summer Institute of Linguistics (ViÃ¡Â»Ân ChuyÃÂªn KhÃ¡ÂºÂ£o NgÃ¡Â»Â¯ HÃ¡Â»Âc).