กะเลิง | |
---|---|
Total population | |
15,700 | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Laos, Thailand | |
Languages | |
Lao, Thai | |
Religion | |
Theravada Buddhism |
The Kaleun people (also called Laoeng) are an ethnic group of Thailand and Laos.
The Kaleun are a Tai ethnic group. However, they may have been descended from Bru people who shifted to a Southwestern Tai language resembling Phuthai and Yoy, as the Vietnamese also refer to the Bru as Ka Leung.[1] Chamberlain (2016) conjectures that the Kaleun may have originally been Vietic speakers.[2]
The Kaleun typically speak Northeastern Thai as their primary language.