MNONG LANGUAGE

also called (in Cambodia) Phnong, a language of the Bahnaric branch of the Mon-Khmer family, itself part of the Austroasiatic stock. The terms Mnong and Phnong cover a large group of closely related dialects spoken in the highlands of southern Vietnam and southeastern Cambodia. Speakers of different varieties of Mnong in Vietnam, numbering approximately 70,000, are divided into three groups: Central Mnong, including Bu Dang, Biat, Bu Nar, Bu Dih, and Preh; Eastern Mnong, including Chil, Kuanh, Mnong Gar, and Mnong Rlam; and Southern Mnong, including Prang and Nong.