Kri Phoong Tonal System in Vietnam

Abstract

In the classification of the origin of languages in Vietnam, Kri Phoong (also known as Kha Phong, Coi, Kri...) belongs to the Vietic group (Viet-Muong) of the Mon-Khmer subfamily within the Austroasiatic family. Outside of Vietnam, Kri Phoong is also spoken in Laos (where it is called Kri). While Kri Phoong is often mentioned in studies on the history of the Vietic language group (Chamberlain J. R, 2018; Ferlus M., 1996; Hoanh N.H, 2022, Sidwell P. and Alves M., 2021), synchronic descriptions of Kri Phoong remain limited. The most notable work is the article “Phonology and sketch grammar of Kri, a Vietic language of Laos” (Enfield N.J. & Diffloth G, 2009). Different from Kri in Laos, Kri Phoong in Vietnam exhibits a tonal system. This article will describe the Kri Phoong tone system in Huong Vinh commune, Huong Khe district, Ha Tinh province. The description is based on the  auditory perception with the support of speech analysis programs such as PRAAT, SA. The article aims to: (a) describe the phonetic and phonological characteristics of the Kri Phoong tone system; (b) provide materials for researching the phonetic history of Vietnamese in particular and languages of the Vietic group in general; (c) contribute to preserving the Kri Phoong language – an endangered language with a very small spoken population in Vietnam.