Phonology and sketch grammar of Kri, a Vietic language of Laos

This article presents a first sketch of Kri, a Vietic (Austroasiatic) language spoken in upland Laos. This previously undescribed language is of special interest not only in so far as it adds to the typological sample of the world's languages, but also in so far as its complex phonological system adds to our understanding of the historical development of Vietic and Austroasiatic, and more generally to the process of tonogenesis. Kri syllables are defined both in terms of segments and segmental slots, as well as in terms of register ('heavy' versus 'light') and what we call 'terminance' (voiced, voiceless, checked). Register and terminance have this in common with tone that they all involve laryngeal features. The description also contains a sketch of the main morphosyntactic features of the language.