Khmu-Lao-French-English Dictionary

The Kmhmu' of Laos:

The Kmhmu' in Laos number approximately 400 CXX). Especially before the
founding of the PDR, they used to live In the highland areas of the whole northern part of
Laos (11 provinces), approximately from the latitude of Vientiane northwards, practicing
mostly slash and bum agriculture and raising a few domestic animals. They were also
hunters and gatherers, supplying an important part of their diet from the forest. They do not
normally dress in a distinct way, for >Miich reason they are often mistaken for losMand Lao.
Outvs^rd recognition of the Kmhmu' is possible, however, by their faces or more simply by
the way they carry their back baskets suspended by a band going around the forehead,
(trait \Miich they share with a few other ethnic groups of the North.) Today the Kmhmu' and
other ethnic groups of Laos tend to move from the mountains to the plains v^ere they take
on the lifestyle of the people of the plains.

The largest concentration of Kmhmu' Is found in the Provinces of Luang Prabang
with a population of 140 000 out of a total population of about 350, 000), arKJ Udomsay,
where they outnumber all other ethnic groups.

Language:

The Kmhmu* language belongs to the northern branch of the Mon-Khmer language-
family. In Laos Kmhmu' can be separated into three dialect groups. They differ considerably
from each other, due to geographical and socio-ecohbmical factors which caused the
dialects to develop separately: They boniowed words from sunxxinding languages
independently from each other and adjusted to evolutionary trends of lariguages spoken
around them. (The tv^ northern dialect clusters developed phonation effects including tone
in various ways along vMth the replacement of voiced/voiceless initial consonant contrast
found in the dialect spoken by the majority of Kmhmu'.)

The dialect cluster represented in this work may be considered the mtiln
Kmhmu' dialed in the sense that it is spoken most broadly by the largest number
(perhaps as many as two thirds) of speakers of Kmhmu' , namely in eight provinces:
Xieng Khouang, Hua Phanh, Bollkhamsay, Vientiane, Luang Pra|>ang, Sayabuly,
Phongsaly and the southeastern part of Udomsay, (formerly belonging to Luang
Prabang) .

We have tried to include local variations vAMn this dialect cluster as much as
possible, but the basis of the dictionary remains the Xieng Khuang -Hua Phanh -Vientlane-

so

Bolikhamsay dialect.^ In a later edition we may Include more of the local variations of the
Phongsaly and south-eastern Udomsay dialects, to which we didn't have sufficient access at
this time. This dictionary does not take into account any distinctive fomris from the tonal
Nam Tha and Bokeo. West-Udomsav dialect group, nor does it include variants from a
third, very small, (also tonal) variety of Kmhmu*, found near the border, roughly where
Udomsay, Sayabuly and the Nan Province of Thailand meet. ^ ^

Ministry of Information and Culture: Institute of Research on Culture
MInlstere de rinformatlon et de la Culture: Institut de Recherche sur la Culture

Kmhmu' - Lao - French - English Dictionary

Dictionnaire kmhmu' - lao - frangais - anglais

Suksavang Sima na' Somseng Sayavong Elisabeth Preisig