mon-khmer
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Proper noun A major branch of the Austro-Asiatic language family, spoken primarily in mainland Southeast Asia and parts of India and Bangladesh. The Mon-Khmer languages are characterized by their use of register (a phonation contrast in vowels) and are predominantly non-tonal.
Usage
The term "Mon-Khmer" is used as a linguistic classification. It functions as a singular proper noun when referring to the language branch as a whole. * The Mon-Khmer language family includes Vietnamese and Khmer. * Scholars study the historical development of Mon-Khmer. * This phonological feature is common to many Mon-Khmer languages.
Advanced Usage
- In linguistic typology: The term is used to group languages for comparative analysis, often in contrast to the Munda branch, the other primary branch of the Austro-Asiatic family.
- The Austro-Asiatic family is divided into Mon-Khmer and Munda.
Variants and Related Words
- Mon-Khmer languages (noun phrase): The specific languages that belong to this branch.
- Khmer, Vietnamese, and Mon are all Mon-Khmer languages.
- Austro-Asiatic (proper noun): The larger language family to which Mon-Khmer belongs.
Synonyms
- Austroasiatic languages (Note: This is a broader synonym for the entire family, not a precise synonym for the Mon-Khmer branch alone. Context is key.)
Noun
- a branch of the Austro-Asiatic languages