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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > China > Dong, Northern

Dong, Northern

A language of China

ISO 639-3: doc

Population	463,000 in China (2003).
Region	Area where west Hunan and north Guangxi provinces meet, southeast Guizhou (Yuping Autonomous County); Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. 20 contiguous counties. Also in Viet Nam.
Language map	Southern China, reference number 35
Alternate names	Gam, Kam, Tong, Tung, Tung-Chia
Dialects	Zhanglu speech in Rongjiang County, Guizhou Province is standard variety. Reportedly similar to Mulam [mlm]. Lexical similarity: 80% with Northern Dong varieties, 71% with Southern Dong [kmc], 46% with Lakkia [lbc], 29% with Qabiao [laq], 26% with Hlai [lic], 24% with Gelao [gio], 22% with Lachi [lbt], 6% with Hmong Njua [hnj], 4% with Iu Mien [ium].
Classification	Tai-Kadai, Kam-Tai, Kam-Sui
Language use	Vigorous. All domains. All ages. Also use Mandarin Chinese [cmn].
Language development	Literacy rate in L2: 55%. Dictionary. Grammar.
Comments	Part of Dong nationality. ‘Kam’ is their own name, ‘Dong’ is the Chinese name. Traditional way of life relatively undisturbed. Tonal, 9 tones. Agriculturalists: rice, tung oil, tea oil; forestry. Polytheist.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

GEARY, D. Norman; GEARY, Ruth B.; LONG Yaohong, authors. 2000. "Kam singing."

GEARY, D. Norman; LONG Yaohong, authors. 2000. "The Kam orthography."

LONG Yaohong; ZHENG, Guoqiao, authors; GEARY, D. Norman, translator. 1998. The Dong Language in Guizhou Province, China.