PEARIC LANGUAGES

a branch of the Mon-Khmer family of languages, which is itself a part of the Austroasiatic stock. The Pearic languages include Chong, Samre (Eastern Pear), Samrai (Western Pear), Chung (Sa-och), Song of Trat, Song of Kampong Speu, and Pear of Kampong Thom. All but the last are located in western Cambodia and southeastern Thailand. All are spoken by very small populations and are in imminent danger of extinction. They have sometimes been thought to be closely related to Khmer for geographic reasons, or even to be a form of Old Khmer. When Old Khmer borrowings are set aside, the Pearic branch can be shown to be clearly distinct historically from the Khmeric branch. It has a very unusual phonology where four registers (types of voice) are distinguished.