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Kam-Tai languages

Eurasian Language Families

Kam-Tai is a proposed primary branch of the Kra-Dai language family, spoken across southern China, mainland Southeast Asia and Hainan. Scholars differ on its boundaries: Chinese-speaking linguists have used the term for the entire Kra-Dai family, other classifications restrict it to the Kam-Sui and Tai branches together with the Be-Tai languages while excluding Kra and Hlai, and a 2021 analysis by Norquest narrows it further still, excluding only Biao and Lakkia.

Facts
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Classification Confidence
Established 1
Reconstructed Ancestor
Reconstructed 2
Region
Southern China, Southeast Asia, Hainan 2
Proto-Language Status
reconstructed as Proto-Kam-Tai 2
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Number of Languages
76 1
Connections

Descends From

Kam-Tai is a major branch of the Kra-Dai (Tai-Kadai) family, grouping the Tai languages (Thai, Lao, Zhuang and others) with the Kam-Sui languages.

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Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Glottolog: Kam-Tai (languoid record)
Glottolog
  • Languoid record: child_language_count
    "child_language_count": 76
  • Languoid record: level and category
    "level": "family", "bookkeeping": false, "category": "Family"
View the Source
2. Kam-Tai languages - Wikipedia
  • Infobox, region
    Southern China, Southeast Asia, Hainan
  • Infobox, protoname
    Proto-Kam-Tai
  • Infobox: protoname
    Proto-Kam-Tai
View the Source
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