Bit–Khang languages

The Bit–Khang languages are spoken in southern China, northern Laos, and northwestern Vietnam. The Bit-Khang branch was first proposed by Paul Sidwell (2014).[2]

Bit–Khang
Geographic
distribution		Laos, Vietnam, China
Linguistic classificationAustroasiatic
Glottologkhao1243[1]

The Bit–Khang languages consist of:[2]

Classification

At first, Bit–Khang languages were usually classified as Khmuic, but Sidwell (2014)[2] has since demonstrated the Palaungic affiliation of Bit-Khang, as well as its unity. Paul Sidwell (2014)[2] proposes that these languages constitute a subgroup of Palaungic, since they display lexical innovations characteristic of the Palaungic branch such as 'eye', 'fire', 'blood', and 'laugh'.

GlossProto-Palaungic
lexical innovation[3]
eye*ˀŋaːj
blood*snaːm
fire*ŋal
laugh*kəɲaːs

Sidwell (2014) suggests that Bit–Khang may have originally been Eastern Palaungic, due to various isoglosses shared with Waic, Lametic, and Angkuic, but was later heavily relexified by Khmuic as Bit-Khang speakers migrated eastward into Khmuic territory.

References
  1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Khao–Bit". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  2. Sidwell, Paul. 2014. "Khmuic classification and homeland". Mon-Khmer Studies 43.1:47-56.
  3. Sidwell, Paul. 2015. The Palaungic Languages: Classification, Reconstruction and Comparative Lexicon. München: Lincom Europa.
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