Bit–Khang languages
The Bit–Khang languages consist of:
The Bit–Khang languages are spoken in southern China, northern Laos, and northwestern Vietnam. The Bit-Khang branch was first proposed by Paul Sidwell.
Classification
At first, Bit–Khang languages were usually classified as Khmuic, but Sidwell has since demonstrated the Palaungic affiliation of Bit-Khang, as well as its unity. Paul Sidwell proposes that these languages constitute a subgroup of Palaungic, since they display lexical innovations characteristic of the Palaungic branch such as 'eye', 'fire', 'blood', and 'laugh'.| Gloss | Proto-Palaungic lexical innovation |
| eye | *ˀŋaːj |
| blood | *snaːm |
| fire | *ŋal |
| laugh | *kəɲaːs |
Sidwell suggests that Bit–Khang may have originally been Eastern Palaungic, due to various isoglosses shared with Waic, Lametic, and Angkuic, but was later heavily relexified by Khmuic as Bit-Khang speakers migrated eastward into Khmuic territory.