Kra–Dai languages

The Kra-dai or Tai-Kadai languages are a family of languages from Southeast Asia. Formerly considered part of the Sino-Tibetan languages, they are today considered as a separate family by most linguists. A relationship with the Austronesian languages has been speculated, their belonging to the Austrian group has even been proposed.

The Kra-Dai languages originated in southern China, which is home to most of the subfamilies of the group. Speakers of Tai languages moved into Southeast Asia in historic times, founding nations that would later become Thailand and Laos. About 93 million people speak Kra-Dai languages, 60% of whom speak Thai. Ethnologue lists 95 languages in the family, with 62 of these in the Thai branch.

Kra-dai languages

• Hlai languages (2)
  • Jiamao (China)
  • Hlai, China

• Kadai (kra) languages (9)
  • Languages bu-rong (1)
    • Yerong (China)
  • Ge-chi languages (3)
    • Gelao (Vietnam)
    • Lachi (Vietnam)
    • White Lachi (Vietnam)
  • Yang-bio languages (5)
    • Buyang (China)
    • Cun (China)
    • In (Vietnam)
    • Laqua (Vietnam)
    • Laha (Vietnam)

• Kam-tai languages (49)
  • Be-tai languages (49)
    • Languages be (1)
      • Lingao, China
    • Tai-sek languages (48)
      • Sek languages (1)
        • Saek (Laos)
      • Tai languages (47), see article
  • Kam-sui languages (9)
    • Ai-Cham (China)
    • Cao Miao (China)
    • Northern Dong (China)
    • Southern Dong (China)
    • Mak, China
    • Mulam, China
    • Maonan, China
    • Sui (China)
    • T'en (China)
  • Lakkja Languages (1)
    • Lakkia (China)

Common features

Phonology

Phonologically, the syllables of the Kra-dai languages are relatively simple, admitting complicated consonant groups only in the syllabic attack. The syllabic nucleus can be formed by a short vowel, a diphthong, or a long vowel. The syllabic coda or syllable final is usually simple and is normally formed at most by a nasal or a non-relaxed plosive. In addition to these characteristics, each syllable can have a tone, for example, in Bangkok Thai there are five distinctive tones:

(low) màak 'areca' / (medium) Maa 'venir' / (high) Maa 'caballo'

(decent) Mâak 'much' / (scendent) măa 'dog'

For proto-tai, three different tones have been reconstructed.

Grammar

Kra-dai languages tend to be isolating languages made up of mostly monosyllabic roots, although there are also polysyllabic words (particularly abundant are Sanskrit loanwords in Cambodian). In general, there is no inflection, although there is derivation, which occurs mainly through composition, as in the following examples from Thai:

#A-taa (lit. face-eye) 'rostro'

kèp-kìw (lit. collect-cut) 'vendimiar'

Total or partial reduplication is also a frequent phenomenon:

Dii 'good' / Dii-dii 'very good'

sànuk-sanâan 'disprove oneself' / sanuk 'to have fun'

In terms of morphology, the Kra-dai languages extensively use prefixes and composition for the formation of new words. Also, like the Sino-Tibetan languages, they use nominal classifiers together with numerals and other demonstratives. They also share with the Sino-Tibetan languages the typological feature that there is little or no difference between adjectival forms and stative verbs. Interrogative and imperative sentences frequently use certain grammatical particles at the end of the sentence.

Lexical comparison

The reconstructed numerals for different groups of Kra-dai languages are:

GLOSA	PROTO-HLAI	PROTO- KRA	Kam-Tai			PROTO- TAI- KADAI
			PROTO- LAKKIA	PROTO- KAM-SUI	PROTO- TAI
'1'	*t *hː	*t *θmC	* covenantinC1		♪B	*(C)its)
'2'	♪	♪A	♪C1	♪A1	*so covenantA	*sa
'3'	♪	♪A	(*saA1)		(*sa sham)	♪
'4'	*haha spent	♪A	(*seiB1)		(* ifB)	♪
'5'	*hma	*r-maA	(* CHEERING)C2)	(*)C2)	*haC	*-ma Agenda
'6'	*hnom	♪A	(l*k)D2)	(*ljukD2)	(*krokD)	*h-nVm
'7'	*thu	*t-ruA	(*thetD1)		(*cetD)	♪
'8'	*ru	*m-ruA	(*pa devotedtD1)	(*pjaD1)	(*pe feltD)	*-ru
'9'	*C-β-・	*s-givingwaB	(*tseuC1)		(*k*wC)	♪
'10'	*futilet	♪D	(*dzepD2)

Many Proto-Tai and Proto-Lakkian numerals after 3 are loanwords from Sino-Tibetan languages, all of which have been placed in parentheses.