Sgaw Karen language

Karen
K’nyaw
စှီၤ/ကညီကျိာ်
Pronunciation	[sɣɔʔ]
Native to	Myanmar, Thailand
Region	Kayin State, Eastern Myanmar, Western Thailand
Ethnicity	Karen people
Native speakers	(4 million cited 1983–2011)
Language family	Sino-Tibetan Karenic Sgaw–Bghai Karen
Writing system	Myanmar script S'gaw Karen Script (Karen alphabet) Latin script Karen Braille
Official status
Official language in	Kayin State
Recognised minority language in	Thailand  Myanmar
Language codes
ISO 639-2	kar
ISO 639-3	– inclusive code Individual codes:  – S'gaw  – Paku  – Mopwa  – Wewaw
Glottolog	sout1554
Karen
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S'gaw (စှီၤ/ကညီကျိာ်), Sgaw Karen or Sgaw Kayin, commonly known as Karen is a language spoken chiefly by the Sgaw Karen people in Myanmar and Thailand. A Karenic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family, Sgaw Karen is spoken by over four million people in Tanintharyi Region, Ayeyarwady Region, Yangon Region, and Bago Region in Myanmar, and about 200,000 in northern and western Thailand along the border near Kayin State. It is written using the S'gaw Karen alphabet, derived from the Burmese script although a Latin-based script is also in use among the Sgaw Karen in northwestern Thailand.

Various divergent dialects are sometimes seen as separate languages: Paku in the northeast, Mopwa (Mobwa) in the northwest, Wewew, and Monnepwa.

The Sgaw, commonly known as the Karen language belongs to the Karenic branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Sgaw language has been used as the official language in the Karen National Union (KNU) organization who have waged a war against the Burmese government since early 1949. A Bible translation was published in 1853.

S'gaw is spoken in Ayeyarwady delta area, in the Ayeyarwady, Bago, Kayin, and Rangon Regions. S’gaw speakers are frequently interspersed with Pwo Karen speakers.

S'gaw dialects are:

Paku is spoken in:

Paku dialects are Shwe Kyin, Mawchi, Kyauk Gyi, Bawgali, the names of which are based on villages.

Mobwa is spoken in 9 villages at the western foot of the Thandaung Mountains in Thandaung township, Kayin State. There are also some in Taungoo township, Bago Region.