Karen languages
| Karen | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity: | Karen people |
| Geographic distribution: |
Myanmar and across the border into Thailand |
| Linguistic classification: |
Sino-Tibetan
|
| Subdivisions: |
|
| ISO 639-2 / 5: | |
| Glottolog: | kare1337 |
The Karen /kəˈrɛn/ or Karenic languages are tonal languages spoken by some seven million Karen people. They are of unclear affiliation within the Sino-Tibetan languages. The Karen languages are written using the Burmese script. The three main branches are Sgaw, Pwo, and Pa'o. Karenni (also known Kayah or Red Karen) and Kayan (also known as Padaung) are related to the Sgaw branch. They are unusual among the Sino-Tibetan languages in having a subject–verb–object word order; other than Karen, Bai, and the Chinese languages, Sino-Tibetan languages have a subject–object–verb order. This is likely due to influence from neighboring Mon and Tai languages. The Karen languages are also considered unusual for not having any Chinese influence.
Because they differ from other Tibeto-Burman languages in morphology and syntax, Benedict (1972: 2–4, 129) removed the Karen languages from Tibeto-Burman in a Tibeto-Karen branch, but this is no longer accepted.
The internal structure of the family is as follows:
Manson (2011) classifies the Karen languages as follows. The classifications of Geker, Gekho, Kayaw, and Manu are ambiguous, as they may be either Central or Southern.
Manson (2011) defines phonological innovations for each primary branch of Karenic.
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