The Bunong in Kratie
“The people in Kauv Seima speak differently.”
The village chief of Purang V5 said Bunong in Kauv Seima speak differently; he can understand when they speak but he has a hard time understanding. When asked to be more
specific, he did not give the names of any villages, and then responded that only people with speech impediments speak differently.
The Putang V9 chief included Kaev Seima, along with Ou Reang and Bu Sra, in his “different” list, saying they use different words. An example he gave was once again a
vegetable; in those places, Bunong people speak “hard” when they say the word for pumpkin. Mae Bai, Churi Chan, and Chong Phang speak the same as Putang village.
In Nang Bua, the village in Kaoh Nheaek from which we also elicited Jarai and Tampuan wordlists, the Bunong village chief listed three places in which Bunong is spoken differently:
• Kaev Seima: the Bunong Ra’ong • Sokh Sant: the Bunong Mpiet
• Bu Sra: the Bunong Preah
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The Bunong village chief was from Srae Huy in Sokh Sant as was the chief of Memom, and said that the Bunong in Srae Huy speak the same as in Nang Bua. He also stated that the
Bunong in Nang Bua usually used Lao or Khmer, rather than Bunong.
Other Bunong village reports from Mondul Kiri
In Srae Thom village V13 in Kaoh Nheaek, the chief considered their variety of Bunong to be the same as Bu Chri commune where Putang is located and Ku’un in Kaoh Nheaek.
According to this chief, the village of Srae Thaih in Kaoh Nheaek uses different names for some fruits and vegetables.
The village chief of Memom village, where we elicited the Thmon wordlist, is a Bunong man originally from Srae Huy. We did not collect a Bunong wordlist from this site but, according
to the chief, the villages that speak Bunong differently from Memom are Yulo, Srae Huy, and Neyo.
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Villages that speak the same are Srae Chis in Kratie
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and Obphe.
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In Ou Rona V18, located in southwestern Kaev Seima, the village chief said that no villages speak Bunong even a little differently.
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Villages he specifically mentioned that speak the same are Srae Ktum, Preah, and Puta. Srae Lvei village Group 4 uses just a few words that
are different, but everything is understandable.