mon-khmer: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C2Academic / Technical
Quick answer
What does “mon-khmer” mean?
A major branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken in parts of Southeast Asia and India.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A major branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken in parts of Southeast Asia and India.
Pertaining to the languages, peoples, or cultures associated with this language family, which includes languages such as Khmer (Cambodian), Vietnamese (in some classifications), and numerous minority languages in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling of the hyphenated compound may occasionally be seen as 'Mon Khmer' (without hyphen) in both varieties, but the hyphenated form is standard.
Connotations
Neutral and technical in both varieties.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general discourse, used almost exclusively in academic contexts (linguistics, anthropology, history).
Grammar
How to Use “mon-khmer” in a Sentence
[Language X] belongs to the Mon-Khmer family.The Mon-Khmer branch includes [language Y].Scholars classify these languages as Mon-Khmer.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “mon-khmer” in a Sentence
adjective
British English
- The Mon-Khmer language family is incredibly diverse.
- He specialises in Mon-Khmer historical phonology.
American English
- Mon-Khmer linguistic studies have expanded recently.
- She is an expert on Mon-Khmer language structures.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Standard term in linguistics, anthropology, and Southeast Asian studies for a language family classification.
Everyday
Extremely rare; unknown to the general public.
Technical
Precise classification term in historical and comparative linguistics.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “mon-khmer”
Neutral
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “mon-khmer”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “mon-khmer”
- Mispronouncing 'Khmer' as /ˈkʌmər/ or /ˈhʌmər/. The 'K' is pronounced, and 'mer' rhymes with 'air'.
- Using it as a synonym for 'Cambodian' (which is just Khmer, one language within Mon-Khmer).
- Writing it as one unhyphenated word 'Monkhmer' is less standard.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a subject of scholarly debate. Traditionally, Vietnamese was classified as Mon-Khmer, but some modern linguistic analyses place it in its own branch within the broader Austroasiatic family.
It refers to the Mon people, an ethnic group primarily inhabiting parts of Myanmar and Thailand, who speak the Mon language.
They are spoken across a wide area of mainland Southeast Asia, including Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, and parts of Malaysia, China, and India.
No, 'Mon-Khmer' is not a single language but a family of languages. Many of the languages within this family, such as Khmer and Vietnamese, are very much alive and spoken by millions.
A major branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken in parts of Southeast Asia and India.
Mon-khmer is usually academic / technical in register.
Mon-khmer: in British English it is pronounced /ˌmɒn ˈkmɛː/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌmɑːn kmɛr/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the MON (from Mon people) and the KHMER (from Cambodia) as the two most prominent members of this language family.
Conceptual Metaphor
A BRANCH on the family tree of languages.
Practice
Quiz
What is 'Mon-Khmer' primarily a term for?