Dr. Edmondson and Dr. Kenneth J. Gregerson, also from UTA, are currently collaborating with the Linguistics Institute of Vietnam to study the people and languages of the Vietnamese borderland provinces. Beginning in September 1995, seven expeditions have been made and more than 30 languages have been studied for their phonological, lexical and grammatical features.
Linguistic traits help trace the migration behavior and origins of the groups.
The Nung Ven language is spoken in Cao Bang Province by about 200 people believed to be descended from a family moving south from Guangxi Province in China several generations ago. Xapho or Laghuu is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by a few hundred in Lao Cai Province. The Edmondson and Gregerson research is believed to be the first look by outsiders at these understudied groups in half a century. Linguistic study has been hampered by the virtually unbroken series of armed conflicts during the last 50 years, and many of the groups live in geographical areas that are difficult to access. Edmondson is expected back at UTA from his latest Asian expedition on July 10.