1. Languages of Asia Part 1: East and Southeast Asia ASIAN 401 Spring 2009 ASIAN 401 Spring 2009

2. 2 Relationships Among Languages  Languages can be classified in different ways:  Genetic (common ancestor)  Typological (common features)  Areal (common geography)  Languages can be classified in different ways:  Genetic (common ancestor)  Typological (common features)  Areal (common geography)

3. 3 Genetic Relationship  Languages descended from a common ancestor language belong to the same language family and are genetically related  Example: The Romance languages are a family of languages descended from Latin  Languages descended from a common ancestor language belong to the same language family and are genetically related  Example: The Romance languages are a family of languages descended from Latin

4. 4 Languages Families  There are five major language families of East and Southeast Asia  If we add North Asia, we get one (or several) more  There are also some language isolates  There are five major language families of East and Southeast Asia  If we add North Asia, we get one (or several) more  There are also some language isolates

5. 5 Languages of Asia  There are hundreds of languages spoken in Asia, by over 2 billion people  You should memorize the major families, and at least two languages in each  You should also know isolates  There are hundreds of languages spoken in Asia, by over 2 billion people  You should memorize the major families, and at least two languages in each  You should also know isolates

6. 6 EAST ASIA SOUTH ASIA SOUTHEAST ASIA NORTH ASIA peninsular insular CENTRAL ASIA

7. 7 EAST ASIA China Korea Japan Japanese: Isolate Korean: Isolate Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, etc.): Sino-Tibetan family Hmong, Mien: Hmong-Mien family

8. 8 SOUTHEAST ASIA China Malaysia Indonesia Thai, Lao: Tai- Kadai Family Malaysian, Indonesian, Tagalog: Austronesian family Burmese: Sino- Tibetan family Vietnamese, Khmer: Austroasiatic family Philippines Vietnam Burma Thailand

9. 9 NORTH ASIA China Mongolian: Altaic family Uighur: Altaic family Mongolia Russia

10. 10 Languages Families  Altaic: Mongolia, China, “stans”  Sino-Tibetan: China, Tibet, Burma, Himalayas  Hmong-Mien: China, Vietnam  Tai-Kadai: China, Thailand, Laos  Austroasiatic: Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, India  Austronesian: Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaii …  Altaic: Mongolia, China, “stans”  Sino-Tibetan: China, Tibet, Burma, Himalayas  Hmong-Mien: China, Vietnam  Tai-Kadai: China, Thailand, Laos  Austroasiatic: Cambodia, Vietnam, Burma, India  Austronesian: Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Hawaii …

11. 11 Sample Languages  Altaic: Mongolian, Uighur  Sino-Tibetan: Chinese, Tibetan, Burmese  Hmong-Mien: Hmong, Mien  Tai-Kadai: Thai, Lao, Zhuang  Austroasiatic: Khmer, Vietnamese, Munda  Austronesian: Malaysian, Indonesian, Tagalog  Altaic: Mongolian, Uighur  Sino-Tibetan: Chinese, Tibetan, Burmese  Hmong-Mien: Hmong, Mien  Tai-Kadai: Thai, Lao, Zhuang  Austroasiatic: Khmer, Vietnamese, Munda  Austronesian: Malaysian, Indonesian, Tagalog

12. 12 Altaic  ~60 languages, ~350 million speakers  Consists of Mongolic, Tungusic, and Turkic languages; perhaps also Japanese and Korean  Mongolia, NW China, “stans”, Turkey  Simple syllables, vowel harmony  ~60 languages, ~350 million speakers  Consists of Mongolic, Tungusic, and Turkic languages; perhaps also Japanese and Korean  Mongolia, NW China, “stans”, Turkey  Simple syllables, vowel harmony

13. 13 Sino-Tibetan  >300 languages, >1 billion speakers  Sinitic (= Chinese) in China, hundreds of lgs in SE, W, S Asia  In E and SE Asia, these languages tend to be tonal and monosyllabic  >300 languages, >1 billion speakers  Sinitic (= Chinese) in China, hundreds of lgs in SE, W, S Asia  In E and SE Asia, these languages tend to be tonal and monosyllabic

14. 14 Hmong-Mien  ~35 languages, ~10 million speakers  Southern China, northern parts of SE Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Laos)  Tonal, many complex consonant clusters as in mpzha ‘ear’  ~35 languages, ~10 million speakers  Southern China, northern parts of SE Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Laos)  Tonal, many complex consonant clusters as in mpzha ‘ear’

15. 15 Tai-Kadai  ~60 languages, ~50 million speakers  Southern China, Thailand, Laos  Tonal  ~60 languages, ~50 million speakers  Southern China, Thailand, Laos  Tonal

16. 16 Austroasiatic  >100 languages, ~100 million speakers  Spoken throughout peninsular SE Asia  Large numbers of vowels (> 20 in some lgs)  voice register distinctions  >100 languages, ~100 million speakers  Spoken throughout peninsular SE Asia  Large numbers of vowels (> 20 in some lgs)  voice register distinctions

17. 17 Austronesian  ~1000 languages, ~300 million speakers  Spoken on Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Pacific islands  Inclusive/Exclusive 2nd person plural pronouns  ~1000 languages, ~300 million speakers  Spoken on Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Pacific islands  Inclusive/Exclusive 2nd person plural pronouns

18. 18 End