Jahaic languages
Encyclopedia
The Jahaic languages are a group of Aslian languages
spoken by about 5,000 people in inland areas of Peninsular Malaysia
, with a few pockets in southern Thailand
. The most distinctive language in the group is Chewong, which is spoken south of Semai
. The other languages of the group can be split into two divisions:
Aslian languages
The Aslian languages are the original languages of the Orang Asli, the aboriginal inhabitants of Malaya and peninsular Thailand, and a branch of the Mon–Khmer languages, in the Austro-Asiatic language family...
spoken by about 5,000 people in inland areas of Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia , also known as West Malaysia , is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula. Its area is . It shares a land border with Thailand in the north. To the south is the island of Singapore. Across the Strait of Malacca to the west lies the island of Sumatra...
, with a few pockets in southern Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
. The most distinctive language in the group is Chewong, which is spoken south of Semai
Semai
The Semai are a semisedentary people living in the center of the Malay Peninsula in Southeast Asia, known especially for their nonviolence . They speak Semai, a Mon-Khmer language. The Senai belong to the Senoi ethnic group....
. The other languages of the group can be split into two divisions:
- Chewong
- Jahaic proper
- Eastern: Batek, JehaiJehai languageJahai is an aboriginal Mon–Khmer language spoken in Malaya. The small number of speakers is increasing.-Further reading:*Burenhult, N. . A grammar of Jahai. Pacific linguistics, 566. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics. ISBN 0858835541...
, Minriq, Mintil - Western: Maniq, Kintaq, KensiuKensiu languageKensiu is a Northern Aslian language, a sub-branch of the Mon–Khmer language family. It is spoken by a small community of 300 in Yala Province in southern Thailand and also reportedly by a community of approximately 300 speakers in Western Malaysia in Perak and Kedah States...
- Eastern: Batek, Jehai