Phonetic Systems of Kri Phoong Language in Vietnam
Abstract
The Kri Phoọng language of Vietnam belongs to the Viet (Vietic) subgroup of the Mon-Khmer branch within the Austroasiatic language family. Its phonological template may be represented as C1vC2C3VC4+T. The tonal system of Kri Phoọng comprises five tones:in sonorant-final syllables: [44], [25ʔ], [52ʔ]; and in non-sonorant-final syllables: [13], [35]. With respect to onset and rhyme structure, the language exhibits the following initial consonants: /p; t; ʈ; c; k; ʔ; pʰ; tʰ; kʰ; ɓ; ɗ; s; ʂ; h; v; z; ʑ; m; n; ɲ; ŋ; l; r/. Consonant clusters in the onset include a second element drawn from /l/, /w/, or /r/. In the main syllable,the nuclear vowel inventory comprises the monophthongs /i, iː; ɯ, ɯː; u, uː; e, eː; ɤ, ɤː; o, oː; ɛ, ɛː; a, aː; ɔ, ɔː/ and the three diphthongs /iɤ, ɯɤ, uɤ/. The coda inventory includes /p; t; c; k; m; n; ɲ; ŋ; w; l; j; h; r/, with a single complex coda /jh/ attested in the language. Within the broader typological evolution observed among Southeast Asian languages and the Vietic subgroup in particular, Kri Phoọng preserves a relatively archaic phonological profile, exhibiting characteristics intermediate between “old” and “middle” typological stages of isolating languages, the coexistence of sesquisyllabicity and tonal distinctions. The findings in this study are intended to contribute to the preservation of this language.
