TheKra languages (/krɑː/KRAH; also known as theGeyang orKadai languages) are a branch of theKra–Dai language family spoken in southernChina (Guizhou,Guangxi,Yunnan) and in northernVietnam (Hà Giang Province).

The nameKra comes from the word*kra^C[1] "human" as reconstructed by Ostapirat (2000), which appears in various Kra languages askra,ka,fa orha. Benedict (1942) used the termKadai for the Kra and Hlai languages grouped together and the termKra-Dai is proposed by Ostapirat (2000).

The Kra branch was first identified as a unified group of languages by Liang (1990),^[2] who called it theGeyang 仡央 languages.Geyang 仡央 is aportmanteau of the first syllable ofGe- inGelao and the last syllable of -yang inBuyang. The nameKra was proposed by Ostapirat (2000) and is the term usually used by scholars outsideChina, whereasGeyang is the name currently used inChina.

Several Kra languages have regionally unusualconsonant clusters andsesquisyllabic or disyllabic words, whereas other Kra–Dai languages tend to have only single syllables. The disyllables inBuyang have been used bySagart (2004)^[3] to support the view that the Kra-Dai languages are a subgroup within theAustronesian family. Unlike the Tai and Kam–Sui languages, most Kra languages, including Gelao and Buyang, have preserved the proto-Kra–Dai numerical systems. The only other Kra–Dai branch that preserves this isHlai.^[4] Most other Kra–Dai languages adoptedChinese numerals over 1000 years ago.

As noted byJerold A. Edmondson, the Kra languages contain words in metalworking, handicrafts and agriculture that are not attested in any other Kra–Dai language.^[5] This suggests that the Kra peoples may have developed or borrowed many technological innovations independently of the Tai and Kam-Sui peoples.

TheProto-Kra language has been reconstructed by Weera Ostapirat (2000).

Morphological similarities suggest the Kra languages are closest to theKam–Sui branch of the family. There are about a dozen Kra languages, depending on how languages and dialects are defined.Gelao, with about 8,000 speakers in China out of an ethnic population of approximately 500,000, and consists of at least fourmutually unintelligiblelanguage varieties, includingTelue (White Gelao),Hagei (Blue or Green Gelao),Vandu (Red Gelao),A'ou (Red Gelao), andQau (Chinese Gelao).

The internal classification below is from Weera Ostapirat (2000), who splits the Kra branch into the Eastern and Western branches.

According toJerold Edmondson (2002), Laha is too conservative to be in Western Kra, considered it to constitute a branch of its own. However, Edmondson (2011)^[6] later reversed his position, considering Laha to be more closely related toPaha.

Ethnologue mistakenly includes theHlai languageCun of Hainan in Kra; this is not supported by either Ostapirat or Edmondson.

Hsiu's (2014)^[7] classification of the Kra languages, based on computational phylogenetic analysis as well as Edmondson's (2011)^[6] earlier analysis of Kra, is given below, as cited in Norquest (2021).^[8]

Andrew Hsiu (2013, 2017) reports thatHezhang Buyi, a divergent,moribundNorthern Tai language spoken by 5 people in Dazhai 大寨, Fuchu Township 辅处乡,Hezhang County 赫章县,Guizhou, China, has a Krasubstratum.^[9]

Maza, aLolo–Burmese language spoken in Mengmei 孟梅,Funing County, Yunnan, is also notable for having aQabiaosubstratum (Hsiu 2014:68-69).^[10]

According toLi Jinfang (1999),^[11] theYang Zhuang people of southwesternGuangxi may have been Kra speakers whohad switched toZhuang.

The Kra languages have a total of about 22,000 speakers.^[5] InVietnam, officially recognized Kra peoples are theCờ Lao,La Chí,La Ha andPu Péo. InChina, only theGelao (Cờ Lao) have official status. The other Kra peoples are variously classified asZhuang,Buyi,Yi, andHan.

"Hotspots" for Kra languages include: within China, most of westernGuizhou, theprefecture-level city ofBaise in westernGuangxi, andWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in southeasternYunnan; as well as northern Vietnam'sHà Giang Province. This distribution runs along a northeast-southwest geographic vector, forming whatJerold A. Edmondson calls a "language corridor."^[5]

Multilingualism is common among Kra language speakers. For example, manyBuyang can also speakZhuang.^[12]

• Western
  • Lachi (拉基, La Chí) – 10,300 (7,863 in Vietnam in 1990; 2,500 inMaguan County, Yunnan, China in 1995)
  • Gelao (仡佬, Cờ Lao) – 7,900 (spoken in Guizhou,Longlin Various Nationalities Autonomous County in Guangxi, and northern Vietnam)
  • Laha (拉哈, La Ha) – 1,400 (officially recognized in Vietnam; most divergent western Kra language)
• Eastern
  • Buyang 布央 dialect cluster – 2,000
    • Paha 巴哈 (considered a separate language by Ostapirat; spoken in Yangliancun 央连村, Diyu Township,Guangnan County 广南县,Yunnan)
    • Langjia 郎架 (spoken in Langjia,Funing County, Yunnan along theGuangxi border)
    • Ecun 峨村 (spoken in Ecun, Funing County, Yunnan along the Guangxi border)
    • Yalang 雅郎 (Yalhong; spoken in Rongtun 荣屯,Napo County, Guangxi)
  • Qabiao (Pubiao 普标, Pu Péo) – 700
  • En (Nùng Vên; spoken in northern Vietnam) – 250

• Ostapirat, Weera (2000). "Proto-Kra".Linguistics of the Tibeto-Burman Area23 (1): 1-251
• Edmondson, Jerold A. (2002).The Laha language and its position in Proto-Kra.
• Sagart, Laurent. (2004)The higher phylogeny of Austronesian and the position of Tai-Kadai.Oceanic Linguistics 43,2: 411-444.

• Kra words lists from theAustronesian Basic Vocabulary Database
• Proto-Kra reconstructions from theAustronesian Basic Vocabulary Database
• Database of basic words in various Kra languages at Starling

• Kra languages

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