The Pearic languages (alternatively called the Chongic languages ) are a group of endangered languages of the Eastern Mon–Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, spoken by Pear people (the Por, the Samré, the Samray, the Suoy, and the Chong) living in western Cambodia and eastern Thailand. Pearic languages are remnants of the aboriginal languages of much of Cambodia, but have dwindled in numbers due to assimilation. "Pear" is a pejorative term meaning 'slave' or 'caste'.

Classification

Paul Sidwell proposed the following classification of the Pearic languages in Sidwell (2009:137), synthesizing analyses from Headley (1985), Choosri (2002), Martin (1974), and Peiros (2004) He divides Pearic into two primary branches (Pear and Chong), with Chong being further divided into four groups. Pearic lexical innovations include 'fish', 'moon', 'water leech', 'chicken', and 'fire'.

Reconstruction

Headley (1985)

The Proto-Pearic language, the reconstructed ancestor of the Pearic languages, has been reconstructed by Robert Headley (1985). The 149 Proto-Pearic forms below are from Headley (1985).

Sidwell & Rau (2015)

The following Proto-Pearic lexical proto-forms have been reconstructed by Sidwell & Rau (2015: 303, 340-363).

Lexical innovations

Paul Sidwell (2015:203) lists the following Pearic lexical innovations that had replaced original Proto-Austroasiatic forms. Sidwell (2021) subsequently revised the list of Pearic lexical innovations as follows.