Khmer, Northern | Ethnologue

A language of Thailand

ISO 639: kxm
Alternate Names: Khmer Lue, Thailand Khmer, Upper Khmer
Autonym: เขมรถิ่นไทย‎ (khmĕ :n thìn thai)
Population: 1,400,000 (2006 Mahidol University), decreasing. Very few monolinguals.
Location:: Surin, Buriram, Chanthaburi, Sisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani provinces.
Language Status: 5* (Developing).
Classification: Austro-Asiatic, Mon-Khmer, Eastern Mon-Khmer, Khmer
Dialects: Buriram, Surin, Sisaket. Different from Khmer [khm]. Dialects mutually intelligible. Many local varieties.
Typology: SVO; prepositions; genitives, modifiers, relatives after noun heads; 1 prefix; CV, CVC, CCV; nontonal.
Language Use: Vigorous in towns; replaced by Northeastern Thai [tts] and Thai [tha] in cities. A few Chinese shopkeepers speak it. Education, media, religious services, commerce. Positive attitudes. Also use Khmer [khm]. Also use Northeastern Thai [tts]. Also use Thai [tha]. Used as L2 by Kuay [kdt].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 50%–75%. 1,000 can read Northern Khmer, 100 can write it. Bible: 2003.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Khmer, Northern
Writing: Khmer script [Khmr]. Thai script [Thai].
Other Comments: Buddhist, Christian.

Location: Surin, Buriram, Chanthaburi, Sisaket, and Ubon Ratchathani provinces.