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里府幾個孤立的方言島還有人會說。



歷史

1920 年代，西方人第一次了解到貢人，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。由於泰國電力公司要在 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。



分布

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

貢人以前分布的更加廣闊，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）



注釋和參考資料


* 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) （頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館）. (unpublished ms. contributed to STEDT).

* Bradley, David. The disappearance of the Ugong in Thailand. Investigating Obsolescence. 1989: 33–40. ISBN 9780521324052. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511620997.006.

* 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.



外部連結


* Proto-Gong reconstruction （頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館） (Sino-Tibetan Branches Project)