Saek language
Encyclopedia
Saek is a Tai language
spoken in at least ten villages in Khammouane Province, Laos
, and at least four villages in Nakhon Phanom Province
in northeastern Thailand
, just across the Mekong
River. It is spoken by the Saek people.
Saek tonal splits are as follows (See Proto-Tai language#Tones for clarification.).
city. Another is Ban Ba Wa Saek, located further upriver, but inland a few kilometers. However, except for the older generation, the Saek language is all but disappearing as there is a strong tendency for younger generations to use the local trade language Lao
/Isan
, and/or the official Central Thai language as they are assimilated into mainstream Thai society.
William Gedney lists the following Saek villages in Nakhon Phanom Province
, Thailand
.
According to Gedney, abandoned Saek villages in Thailand include:
.
Chamberlain (1998) cites more Saek-speaking villages in Laos:
Morev notes that Saek is also spoken in the following districts
of Khammouane Province, Laos
.
However, Chamberlain (1998) notes that these villages are actually in Laos, not Vietnam.
According to Gedney, abandoned Saek villages in Vietnam include:
Tai languages
The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages are a branch of the Tai–Kadai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including standard Thai or Siamese, the national language of Thailand; Lao or Laotian, the national language of Laos; Burma's Shan language;...
spoken in at least ten villages in Khammouane Province, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, and at least four villages in Nakhon Phanom Province
Nakhon Phanom Province
Nakhon Phanom is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon and Bueng Kan. To the north-east it borders Khammouan of Laos.-Geography:...
in northeastern 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...
, just across the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
River. It is spoken by the Saek people.
Phonology
The Saek tones are:- 1 = /34/ mid level, slight rise at the end
- 2 = /11/ low level
- 3 = /31/ falling to low, with glottal constriction
- 4 = /454/ high rising-falling
- 5 = /52/ high falling
- 6 = /32/ mid level, with slight fall and glottal constriction
Saek tonal splits are as follows (See Proto-Tai language#Tones for clarification.).
| *A | *B | *C | *DS | *DL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspirated | 2, 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Unaspirated | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Glottalized | 1 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Voiced | 4 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Thailand
Two Saek villages are "Ban Asamat" and "Ban Phai Lom," located just off the main river road a few kilometers north of Nakhon PhanomNakhon Phanom
Nakhon Phanom is a town in northeastern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Phanom Province. The town covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang and Nong Saeng and parts of tambon At Samat and Nong Yat, all of Mueang Nakhon Phanom district...
city. Another is Ban Ba Wa Saek, located further upriver, but inland a few kilometers. However, except for the older generation, the Saek language is all but disappearing as there is a strong tendency for younger generations to use the local trade language Lao
Lao language
Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Tai–Kadai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Being the primary language of the Lao people, Lao is also an important second language for...
/Isan
Isan language
Isan language is the collective name for the dialects of the Lao language as they are spoken in Thailand. It is spoken by approximately 20 million people, which is nearly one-third of the entire population of Thailand, predominantly in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand. There are also large...
, and/or the official Central Thai language as they are assimilated into mainstream Thai society.
William Gedney lists the following Saek villages in Nakhon Phanom Province
Nakhon Phanom Province
Nakhon Phanom is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Mukdahan, Sakon Nakhon and Bueng Kan. To the north-east it borders Khammouan of Laos.-Geography:...
, 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...
.
- baan3 ʔaat6 saa1 maat5 (known locally as baan3 khɔɔŋ2). 5 km north of the city of Nakhon Phanom. This is the variant recorded by William Gedney in his Saek language: glossary, texts, and translations. Variant pronunciations: ʔeek6 ʔaa1 saa1 (old name; archaic), ʔa4 sa6 maat5, ʔa6 saa1, ʔaa1 saa1, ʔaa1 sa6 maat5, ʔaa1 saa1 maat5, ʔaat6 sa6 maat5.
- baan3 phay6 lɔɔm3, one mile inland from baan3 ʔaat6 saa1 maat5. Variant name" baan3 saw1 law3.
- baan3 dɔŋ1 sa6 mɔɔ4 in sii1 soŋ1 khraam4 district. Variant pronunciations: dɔɔn1 suʔ6 mɔɔ4, doŋ1 su6 mɔɔ4, doŋ1 sa6 mɔɔ4.
- baan3 baa6 vaa3 in kiŋ6 naa4 vaa3 district. Variant pronunciation: baa1 vaa3.
According to Gedney, abandoned Saek villages in Thailand include:
- baan3 thaa5 vaay4, between baan3 ʔaat6 saa1 maat5 and the city of Nakhon PhanomNakhon PhanomNakhon Phanom is a town in northeastern Thailand, capital of the Nakhon Phanom Province. The town covers the whole tambon Nai Mueang and Nong Saeng and parts of tambon At Samat and Nong Yat, all of Mueang Nakhon Phanom district...
. - baan3 naa4 la?6 vaay4, on the road to Sakon NakhonSakon NakhonSakon Nakhon is a town in Thailand within the Isan region, and capital city of the Sakon Nakhon Province, with a population of approximately 76,000. It has a regional airport in the north, Sakon Nakhon Airport. During World War II, the town became a haven for Free Thais, and a base for Communist...
.
Laos
According to Gedney's texts and notebooks, Saek is spoken in the following locations in LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
- baan3 thaa5 khɛɛ4
- baan3 thɔɔk5
- baan3 phoo4 kham3
- baan3 phaa5 thuŋ1 - completely occupied by Saek
- baan3 phoon3 ŋaam1 - half Lao, half Saek village
Chamberlain (1998) cites more Saek-speaking villages in Laos:
- Khamkeut District, Borikhamxay Province
- Ban Na Kadok, Nam Veo Subdistrict (originally from Phu Quan village, near Đức Thọ, Hà TĩnhHa TinhHà Tĩnh is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital of the Ha Tinh province, in Vietnam's north central coast....
, VietnamVietnamVietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
) - Ban Som Sanouk, Lak Xao Subdistrict
- Ban Nam Phao, Lak Xao Subdistrict
- Ban Houay Toun, Lak Xao Subdistrict
- Ban Na Tham Kwang (or Ban Nam Hoy), Khammmouane Subdistrct
- Ban Na Kadok, Nam Veo Subdistrict (originally from Phu Quan village, near Đức Thọ, Hà Tĩnh
- Nakai DistrictNakai DistrictNakai is a district of Khammouane Province in mid Laos....
, Khammouane Province- Ban Toeng
- Ban Na Meo
- Ban Na Moey
- Ban Beuk
- Gnommarath DistrictYommalath DistrictYommalath is a district of Khammouane Province in mid Laos. The district was badly affected by floods caused by heavy rain in July 2011, affecting rice farmland in the district, inundating almost 700 hectares, destroying dozens of fishponds and killing 112 cattle.-External links:*...
, Khammouane Province- Ban Pha Toung (residents originally from Ban Toeng)
- Ban Khène (residents originally from Ban Toeng)
- Thakhek DistrictThakhek DistrictThakhek is a district of Khammouane Province in mid Laos....
, Khammouane Province: various villages - Hinboun District, Khammouane Province: various villages
Morev notes that Saek is also spoken in the following districts
Districts of Laos
Laos is divided into 16 provinces and 1 prefecture plus capital city municipality . Furthermore, 1 so-called special administrative zone existed between 1994 and 2006, when it was re-merged into its surrounding provinces...
of Khammouane Province, Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
- Nhommarat District
- Mahaxay DistrictMahaxay DistrictMahaxay is a district of Khammouane Province in mid Laos....
- Kham Khet District (in Borikhamxay)
- Tha Khek District
Vietnam
According to Gedney, Vietnam is said to have the two following Saek villages.- baan3 trɤɤŋ3 (actually in Laos according to Chamberlain (1998))
- baan3 tɛɛn1
However, Chamberlain (1998) notes that these villages are actually in Laos, not Vietnam.
According to Gedney, abandoned Saek villages in Vietnam include:
- baan3 bɯk4 naa4 tɤɤ3
- baan3 sin4 naa4 mɤɤy4
- baan3 trɤɤŋ1
- baan3 thruu3
- The phiaŋ4 sɤɤŋ1