Austroasiatic languages
The
Austroasiatic languages, in recent classifications synonymous with
Mon–Khmer, are a large language family of continental Southeast Asia, also scattered throughout India, Bangladesh, and the southern border of China. The name
Austroasiatic comes from the Latin words for "south" and "Asia", hence "South Asia". Among these languages, only Khmer, Vietnamese, and Mon have a long-established recorded history, and only Vietnamese and Khmer have official status. The rest of the languages are spoken by minority groups.
Ethnologue identifies 168 Austroasiatic languages. These form thirteen established families, which have traditionally been grouped into two, as Mon–Khmer and Munda. However, one recent classification posits three groups while another has abandoned Mon–Khmer as a taxon altogether, making it synonymous with the larger family. Austroasiatic languages have a disjunct distribution across India, Bangladesh and Southeast Asia, separated by regions where other languages are spoken.