貢語

貢語，或稱Ugong，Ugong，拉瓦（Lawa）或Ugawng（其中的U的意思是人），是泰國西部一種瀕臨滅絕的藏緬語，在烏泰他尼府和素攀武裡府幾個孤立的方言島還有人會說。

**歷史**
1920年代，西方人第一次瞭解到貢人，那時這種語言就被認為處於嚴重衰退的狀態（Kerr 1927）。1970年代， David Bradley 開始研究這門語言，當時僅僅只有幾個地方還有人會說這種語言了，甚至比大約50年前發現的時候還要少2個。由於Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand要在Khwae Yai河和Khwae Noi河上上建設大壩，貢人被迫從兩個村莊離開，。本來會說種語言的人就在不斷減少，語言學家們認為這種語言已經脆弱到即將滅絕了。1970年代，還有會說這種語言的兒童，但現在孩子們已經把泰語作為第一語言。

**分類**
貢語在藏緬語內部的分類還沒有確定，雖然布拉德利（1989）認為它在緬彝語群中非常獨特，既不適合放在緬語支，也不適合放在彝語支。

**方言**
貢語有兩種方言（根據Ethnologue的說法）。
*Khok Khwai village, Uthai Thani Province (moribund); documented by Rujjanavet (1986)
*Kok Chiang village, Suphan Buri Province (endangered and now dispersed); documented by Thawornpat (2006) and David Bradley
曾經在北碧府也有人會說貢語，但現在已經滅絕了。兩種貢語方言（namely Lawa of Kwê Yai and Lawa of Kwê Noi）的詞彙表是由A. F. G Kerr（1927）在北碧府收集的。

**分佈**
貢人現在居住在下面三個村莊。
*Lawa Wang Khwai village, Wang Yao Subdistrict (วังยาว), Dan Chang District, Suphanburi Province （3戶）。
*Kok Chiang village, Huai Khamin Subdistrict (ห้วยขมิ้น), Dan Chang District, Suphanburi Province （36戶）。
*Khok Khwai village (คอกควาย), Thong Lang Subdistrict (ทองหลาง), Huai Khot District, Uthai Thani Province （15戶）。reported as Baan Lawa village 3 in Wright, et al. (1991).5
有大約500個貢人和50個還會說貢語。在他們生活的區域也有很多Lao Krang人。

**以前生活的地方**
貢人以前分佈的更加廣闊，在Khwae Noi River, Khwae Yai River和Bo Phloi River流域都能找到 It was reportedly spoken in locations including:。
據報告包括以下這些地方：
*Kanchanaburi Province
**Lat Ya (northwest of Kanchanaburi town)
**Thong Pha Phum District (located along the Khwae Noi River)
**Ban Lawa (located several kilometres downriver along the Khwae Noi River, from the former location of Sangkhlaburi near the Three Pagodas Pass)
**Sao Hong, 10 kilometres south of Bo Phloi
**Phanom Thuan District
**Bo Phloi, Nong Pling, Lam Iso, Nong Li (หนองรี), and Nong Plue
**Khlot Khoi
*Suphanburi Province
**Tumakok, Dan Chang District, Suphanburi Province (now an ethnic Karen township; originally settled by Gong people from Talao/Hin Hak during the 1800's)
**Sanakphai, Suphanburi Province
**Wang Khwai (known in Ugong as Kabe and in Lao as Kapheun), Suphanburi Province
*Uthai Thani Province
**Ban Bung (บ้านบึง), Ban Rai District (near district headquarters)
**Thong Lang, Huai Khot District
**Iphung, Cawat, and Huai Haeng (exact locations uncertain)
在北碧府，很多貢人和克倫人和孟人通婚。由於大壩的建設，Sisawat and Sangkhlaburi已經被水淹沒，會說這種語言的人也四散到其他地方。到1991年，北碧府已經二三十年沒有會說貢語的人了，大部分的貢人改說泰語或克倫語。

**語法**
貢語是SOV語序。

**參見**
貢語詞彙表 （維基詞典）

**註釋和參考資料**
Daniel Nettle and Suzanne Romaine. Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the World's Languages. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000. Page 10.
*Thawornpat, Mayuree. 2006. Gong: An endangered language of Thailand. Doctoral dissertation, Mahidol University.
*Thawornpat, Mayuree. 2007. Gong phonological characteristics. The Mon-Khmer Studies Journal 37. 197-216.

**延伸閱讀**
 Bradley, David. 1993.  Body Parts Questionnaire (Ugong) date=20210128052153 . (unpublished ms. contributed to STEDT). 
*isbn=9780521324052
*Bradley, David (1989). Dying to be Thai: Ugong in western Thailand. La Trobe Working Papers in Linguistics 2:19-28- Kerr, A. F. G. 1927. "Two 'Lawā' vocabularies: the Lawā of the Baw Lūang plateau; Lawā of Kanburi Province." Journal of the Siam Society 21: 53-63.- Rujjanavet, Pusit. (1986). The Phonology of Ugong in Uthaithani Province. M.A. Thesis in Linguistics, Faculty of Graduate Studies, Mahidol University.- Thawornpat, Mayuree. "Gong phonological characteristics", in Mon-Khmer studies: a journal of Southeast Asian languages and cultures, Thailand: Mon-Khmer Studies, 2007.

**外部鏈接**
 Proto-Gong reconstruction date=20201022005425  (Sino-Tibetan Branches Project)