Mon language
The Mon language (/ˈmoʊn/, ⓘ; Mon: ဘာသာမန် [pʰesa mɑn]; Mon-Thai ဘာသာမည် [pʰiəsa moʊn]; Burmese: မွန်ဘာသာ; Thai: ภาษามอญ; formerly known as Peguan and Talaing) is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon people. Mon, like the related Khmer language, but unlike most languages in mainland Southeast Asia, is not tonal. The Mon language is a recognised indigenous language in Myanmar as well as a recognised indigenous language of Thailand.
| Mon | |
|---|---|
| ဘာသာမန် | |
| Pronunciation | [pʰesa mɑn] |
| Native to | Myanmar |
| Region | Lower Myanmar |
| Ethnicity | Mon |
Native speakers | 800,000 – 1 million (2007) |
| Mon–Burmese (Mon alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:mnw – Modern Monomx – Old Mon |
omx Old Mon | |
| Glottolog | monn1252 Modern Monoldm1242 Old Mon |
Mon was classified as a "vulnerable" language in UNESCO's 2010 Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger. The Mon language has faced assimilative pressures in both Myanmar and Thailand, where many individuals of Mon descent are now monolingual in Burmese or Thai respectively. In 2007, Mon speakers were estimated to number between 800,000 and 1 million. In Myanmar, the majority of Mon speakers live in Southern Myanmar, especially Mon State, followed by Tanintharyi Region and Kayin State.