What Language Is Karen
Do you ever see a building in your city or locate a back alley for the first time and wonder how you had never seen it before? It happens to all of us because, as Helen Keller said, ‘the seeing see little.’ We often don’t pay much attention and therefore miss out on a lot of details. It is not impossible to get information in today’s world. Everything is available on the internet for people to access whenever they want. However, it is also true that news from first-world countries gains more attention on social media than anything else. This is why you won’t hear about lesser-known cultures and languages on TV.
The Karen Languages:
If the word Karen reminds you of an internet meme, then you are not the only one. However, it also refers to a group of languages. They are also referred to as Karenic. They belong to the Sino-Tibetan languages, but the affiliation between the two is not clear. Linguists don’t know much about Karen languages, but hopefully, that will change in the future. The vernaculars were given the name because they are spoken by the ethnic group of the Karen people. Approximately seven million of them speak the tongues.
All the vernaculars in the group are tonal. The Burmese script was adopted to write these tongues. There are three main branches of the group, and they are called: Sgaw, Pwo, and Pa’o. There are few members of the Sgaw branch that have a unique word order that makes them different from other Sino-Tibetan languages. The influence of other vernaculars has also made the Karen tongues unique.
The speakers of the vernacular can be found in Western Thailand and South-eastern Myanmar. Since the vernaculars are spoken by different ethnic groups, they must be studied by language experts to better understand them.
Why Are They Important?
Ethnic minorities are marginalized groups everywhere. They have to face all kinds of discrimination. Sometimes, it is the majority group that engages in harmful actions against them. While other times, it is the state that does not care about minorities and deprives them of their rights. In such a situation, the culture and languages of such groups must be protected at the national and international levels. For every community, it is their culture that defines them. If their culture is taken away from them, it affects their identity. And since a vernacular is the most important part of a culture, it must also be protected, so the identity of the ethnic group does not get affected.
How to Understand a Lesser-Known Language?
For those that wish to communicate with Karen people, the linguistic difference can be a huge barrier. Most people rely on apps like Google Translate for European languages. Especially, when they are traveling to communicate with foreigners. The apps make it easier for people to navigate their way in a foreign land. They can order food easily with the help of translation apps. Reading signboards also becomes easier with the apps. However, when it comes to vernaculars like the ones spoken by the Karen people, it is difficult to find linguistic assistance through an app. For travelers, it is impossible to get the linguistic assistance they require through their phones.
The best way people can survive in regions like that is through the help of an interpreter. But even then, they must find an interpreter who understands the differences between various dialects of individual languages. If the interpreter is not a native speaker, they will not be able to provide you with accurate assistance.
Getting Translation Services:
If you wish to expand your business to the region of the Karen people, you will need linguistic assistance to communicate with them. When it comes to business translations, you can’t rely on the online tool. You will need to find experts for the task. However, you won’t be able to get much help from freelancers. You should look up agencies and compare their ratings to figure out which one will be the right match for you. The one with the best reviews will provide you with accurate translations. Don’t forget to ask them whether or not they have native experts. Only hire them if they do.
Once you have found a reliable agency, you can send in your documents to them and ask them to provide you with accurate translations before the deadline. You can explain all of your requirements to the agency before an expert begins working on your documents. You can also sign a contract with the agency to make sure your sensitive information stays safe with them.
Agencies know which experts to hire to provide their clients with accurate linguistic assistance. They will not disappoint you if you require the translation of one of the Karen languages. With their assistance, you can communicate with your target audience and begin to promote your brand.
The people of our world are complex and fascinating, but we rarely get the time to understand each other. However, we can try to get to know some of the beautiful cultures and the people who follow them. By understanding the lifestyle of different people, we can develop a connection with them. It is also a way for us to make our world a more peaceful place. The only we can bring the world together and still stay diverse is by getting to understand and appreciate our differences.
Another name for Karen is S’gaw or S’gaw K’Nyaw. It is a Sino-Tibetan language. The S’gaw Karen people of Myanmar and Thailand use it as their common language.
If you want to greet someone in the Karen language, this is how you say hello, you’d say ta-blu.
Some other common greetings include:
Good morning = Ghaw luh a ghay
Good afternoon = Nee luh a ghay
Good evening = Ha luh a ghay
Good night = Na luh a ghay
What is your name? = Na mee dee leh?
It is an indigenous language of the Thailand-Burma border area. Karen, pronounced as Kah-Ren is one of the many ethnic groups in Burma. People who speak Karen are spread throughout the country.
Indigenous to the Thailand-Burma border region, the Karenic languages were mainly spoken in the coastal areas of Thailand and the lower regions of Burma. The three Karen languages include S’gaw (pronounced Skaw) Karen, Western Pwo Karen, and Eastern Pwo Karen.
The history of the Karen people dates back to two thousand years ago, however, it was in the 1830s when the American missionary Jonathan Wade created the Karen Alphabets with the help of a Karen named Paulah. The Alphabets are based on the S’gaw Karen language and have since been in use for writing purposes.
Yes, it is a tonal language. With a deep influence from neighboring lingos such as Mon and Tai, this language also has a tonal system. Tonal systems usually have a 3-way or 4-way contrast that depends on the voice of the person speaking along with the pitch of the sound.
It is spoken in modern-day Burma/Myanmar. Linguistically it has many dialects including the Northern Dialect, Southern Dialect, Eastern Dialects, and Central dialect.