Padaung language


Kayan, also known as, Padaung or Padaung Karen) is a Karen language of Burma, spoken by the Kayan people. The Kayan dialects share more than 90% lexical similarity. Padaung is 71% to 76% lexically similar to Lahta.

Distribution

The Kayan languages are spoken in Kayah State, southern Shan State, and northern Karen State. There are four branches according to Shintani, namely:
  • Kangan
  • Kakhaung
  • Lawi
  • Latha
Nangki, documented in Shintani, is one of the Kayan languages belonging to the Kakhaung subgroup. It is spoken only in one village.
Pekong Kayan is documented in Manson.
Sonkan Kayan and Dosanbu Kayan are documented in Shintani. Shintani has also documented:by families or by villages as below:
  • Phulon Kayan
  • Lagu Kayan
  • Totan Kayan
  • Dokhoncon Kayan
  • Natwei Kayan
  • Pimon Kayan
  • Sonplao Kayan
  • Dolan Kayan
  • Thaoku Kayan
  • Diklon Kayan
  • Pulon Kayan
  • Kabla Kayan
  • Kathan Kayan
  • Kalondei Kayan
  • Ramaku, Subao, Kadu, Huason, Hanti, Sonpu Kayan
Dimawso Kayan, a Kayan variety spoken in Wanbanbalo village, Dimawso township, Kayah State, Myanmar, is described in Lew.
Ethnologue lists Padaung dialects as:
  • Standard Pekon
  • Kayan Lahwi
  • Kayan Kangan

    Phonology

Consonants

  • Voiced stops /b, d/ can also range to pre-glottalized stops in free variation among speakers.
  • /θ/ shows fluctuation to in some closely related dialects.
  • /ɾ/ is heard as a glide in syllable-medial position. It is heard as a tap elsewhere.

    Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Mid
Low