The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by the Vietic peoples of Laos and Vietnam. The group's main divisions are Viet-Muong, which includes Vietnamese and Muong, along with the Cuoi, Thavung and Chut languages, and Vietnamese is by far its most widely spoken member. Vietic populations are concentrated around the Nakai-Nam Theun Conservation Area in Laos and in north-central Vietnam, including communities identified as Muong, Nha Lang and Nguon peoples. The linguist La Vaughn Hayes proposed the name Vietic to distinguish this broader grouping from the narrower Viet-Muong subgroup, and many Vietic languages retain tonal or phonational systems intermediate between Viet-Muong and the Austroasiatic branches that saw less influence from Chinese or Tai.
Facts
Partially Attested
Speaker CountThis figure counts only Vietnamese, the dominant member of the branch; a combined total across the whole Vietic branch, including Muong, Cuoi, Thavung and the Chut languages, is not established in the sources reviewed. RegionMainland Southeast Asia: Laos and Vietnam 1 Proto-Language StatusA proto-language, Proto-Vietic, has been reconstructed for the branch; estimates for its time depth range from about 2,000 to 2,500 years ago (Chamberlain 1998) to around 3,000 years (Alves 2020) or 3,500 years (Peiros 2004). 1 Connections
In Family
Source Wikipedia: Vietic Languages
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Vietic Languages
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, first sentence
The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by the Vietic peoples in Laos and Vietnam.
Origins section
The time depth of the Vietic branch dates back at least 2,500 years to 2,000 years (Chamberlain 1998); 3,500 years (Peiros 2004); or around 3,000 years (Alves 2020).
In Family: Austroasiatic, Lead section, first sentence (branch-of-family clause)
The Vietic languages are a branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by the Vietic peoples in Laos and Vietnam.
View the Source 2. Wikipedia: Vietnamese Language
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia Vietnamese language article, lead sectionQuote, Wikipedia Vietnamese language article, lead section
Vietnamese is spoken natively by around 86 million people, and as a second language by 11 million people, several times as many as the rest of the Austroasiatic family combined.
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