Moklenic languages


The Moklenic or Moken–Moklen languages consist of a pair of two closely related but distinct languages, namely Moken and Moklen. Larish establishes the two languages as forming two distinct subgroups of a larger Moken–Moklen branch. Larish suggests Moklenic as an alternative name for Moken–Moklen, the latter term which was originally used by Larish.

Languages

There are two Moklenic languages.
  • Moken, spoken by about 2,500-3,000 Moken people or "Sea Gypsies" of Thailand and Myanmar.
  • Moklen, spoken by 2,500-3,000 Moklen people of southern Thailand.
Moken and Moklen are linguistically and culturally related but distinct from each other, with Moken speakers primarily being sea-based hunter-gatherers, while Moklen speakers are land-based people living in villages and towns of southern Thailand. Comparative studies of Moken and Moklen include those of Leerabhandh, Makboon, and Larish.
The Moklenic languages are spoken along a 650-kilometer stretch of the west coast of southern Myanmar and southern Thailand, from Tavoy Island, Burma to Phi [Phi Island], Thailand. Moken has a very wide distribution, while Moklen is exclusively spoken on the western coast of southern Thailand. Moklen displays heavy Southern Thai influence and is more endangered than Moken.
Urak Lawoi’ is spoken by another group of Sea Gypsies in southern Thailand. It is one of the Malayic languages, and is not a Moklenic language. On Phuket Island, Urak Lawoi’ is in contact with Moken.

External relationships

Larish (1999, 2005)

Larish considers Moklenic to be a sister of the Chamic and Malayic languages rather than as part of them. Moklenic languages have also been strongly influenced by Austroasiatic languages, with many of those Austroasiatic loanwords, such as 'bird', also found in Chamic.
Larish classifies the two languages Moken and Moklen as part of a larger Moklenic–Acehnese-Chamic-Malayic subgroup.
;Moklenic–Acehnese-Chamic-Malayic
While the Acehnese-Chamic-Malayic languages display a Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *q > *h sound change, Moklenic languages instead display a Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *q > *k sound change. In Duano, although belongs to the Malayic branch, *q changes into *k instead of usual *h, shared with Moklenic.
Larish also speculates that the unknown extinct language of the Funan Empire in southern Vietnam may have been an early split from Proto-Moklenic–Acehnese-Chamic-Malayic.

Smith (2017)

In a recent classification of the western Malayo-Polynesian languages, Smith argues based on phonological evidence that Moklenic is a primary branch from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian.

Reconstruction

Proto-Moken-Moklen has been reconstructed by Larish.