The Austro-Asiatic languages

Language family · Eurasia

WALS includes 48 Austro-Asiatic languages in 12 branches; all of them are in Eurasia.

Basic word order: SVO in 16 of the 24 members coded, then SOV in 4, no dominant order in 3, VOS in 1.

The most solid shared trait: all 17 members coded for Front Rounded Vowels have none.

Of these, 9 have a full page on this site.

Every Austro-Asiatic language in WALS, placed at the point the atlas gives for it.

Word order against the world

Members with at least 30 coded features, compared with every language WALS codes for each pairing.

dependent before the headboth or otherafter the head

Subject and verb
Austro-Asiatic85% · 8% of 13
All WALS80% · 13% of 1,496
Object and verb
Austro-Asiatic23% · 77% of 13
All WALS47% · 46% of 1,518
Noun phrase and adposition
Austro-Asiatic23% · 77% of 13
All WALS49% · 43% of 1,184
Genitive and noun
Austro-Asiatic18% · 82% of 11
All WALS55% · 37% of 1,249
Adjective and noun
Austro-Asiatic25% · 75% of 12
All WALS27% · 64% of 1,367
Demonstrative and noun
Austro-Asiatic38% · 62% of 13
All WALS45% · 48% of 1,225
Numeral and noun
Austro-Asiatic83% · 17% of 12
All WALS42% · 53% of 1,154
Relative clause and noun
Austro-Asiatic10% · 80% of 10
All WALS17% · 70% of 824
Degree word and adjective
Austro-Asiaticnone · 62% of 8
All WALS47% · 40% of 481

Where the family agrees most
Feature	Most frequent value	Members
Front Rounded Vowels	None	17 of 17
Absence of Common Consonants	All present	17 of 17
Uvular Consonants	No uvulars	17 of 17
Reduplication	Productive full and partial reduplication	10 of 10
Presence of Uncommon Consonants	None	16 of 17
Lateral Consonants	/l/, no obstruent laterals	16 of 17
Nominal and Locational Predication	Different	11 of 12
Order of Person Markers on the Verb	A and P do not or do not both occur on the verb	9 of 10

Where it is most divided
Feature	Largest group	Members
Coding of Nominal Plurality	Plural suffix	6 of 17
Definite Articles	Definite word distinct from demonstrative	4 of 10
Consonant Inventories	Average	7 of 17
Voicing and Gaps in Plosive Systems	Other	7 of 17
Numeral Classifiers	Numeral classifiers are optional	6 of 14

Language	Branch	Basic order	Features coded
Brao	Bahnaric	not coded	24
Chrau	Bahnaric	SVO	45
Kharia	Munda	no dominant order	37
Khasi	Khasian	SVO	104
Khmer	Khmer	SVO	100
Khmu'	Khmuic	SVO	85
Korku	Munda	not coded	29
Mon	Monic	not coded	26
Mundari	Munda	SOV	99
Nancowry	Nicobarese	not coded	26
Nicobarese (Car)	Nicobarese	VOS	51
Remo	Munda	not coded	34
Santali	Munda	not coded	28
Sedang	Bahnaric	SVO	47
Semelai	Aslian	no dominant order	89
Sora	Munda	not coded	22
Sre	Bahnaric	SVO	34
Stieng	Bahnaric	not coded	21
Temiar	Aslian	SVO	30
Vietnamese	Vietic	SVO	128

Not listed: 28 further Austro-Asiatic languages with fewer than 20 coded features.