Kra–Dai languages

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kradai-languages

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the language family?Kra–Dai (also known as Tai–Kadai, Daic)
2. What is the estimated speakers?Approximately 93 million
3. Why do Kra–Dai languages use tones?Tones help tell words apart. The same syllable can mean different things if it is spoken with a high, rising, falling, or low tone.
4. Where can you find Kra–Dai languages?They are spoken in mainland Southeast Asia, southern China, and even in northeastern India. They spread across many countries in Asia.

Tonal Phonology: The study of how pitch variations in syllables function to distinguish word meanings.
Analytic Language: A language that relies heavily on word order and auxiliary words rather than inflection.
Linguistic Diversity: The existence of a wide variety of languages within a given region or the world.
Language Vitality: The degree to which a language is spoken and used by its community, often indicating its risk of endangerment.