The New Testament in the Cado language (PACWBT)
Overview
The New Testament in the Cado language (Parnai Yang Arbang-pilŏ́ng) is a translation of the New Testament into Pacoh, a Mon-Khmer language of the Katuic branch spoken by approximately 20,000 people in the central highlands of Vietnam, primarily in southern Quang Tri and western Thua Thien-Hue provinces near the Laos border [1][2]. Linguistic work on the Pacoh language was pioneered by Richard and Saundra Watson of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), who moved to Vietnam in 1960 and spent fifteen years studying the Pacoh language in Hue, producing a comprehensive Pacoh-Vietnamese-English dictionary published by SIL in 1979 [3][4]. Early Scripture portions in Pacoh, including the Gospels of Mark and John, were translated by missionaries as early as 1965, though the reach of those initial translations among Pacoh readers remained uncertain [1]. The complete New Testament was published in 2018 by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. [5], providing the small Pacoh Christian community -- estimated at only about 100 believers in Vietnam -- with Scripture in their heart language for the first time [1].
Language and People
Pacoh (ISO 639-3: pac) is spoken by approximately 16,000 people in Laos. [Glottolog: paco1243]
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Wycliffe Bible Translators USA.
References
- [1] Pacoh in Vietnam - Joshua Project. People group profile with population, religion, and Bible translation status.
- [2] Pacoh language - Wikipedia. Overview of the Pacoh language and its Katuic classification.
- [3] Pacoh Dictionary (archived) - Cambridge Core. Review of the Pacoh-Vietnamese-English dictionary by Richard and Saundra Watson (SIL, 1979).
- [4] Richard L Watson (archived) - Academia.edu. Profile of Richard Watson's linguistic work including fifteen years with SIL in Vietnam.
- [5] Pacoh New Testament on YouVersion - YouVersion / Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc. Digital edition of the Pacoh New Testament.
- Parnai Yang Arbang-pilŏ́ng: Tám Uraq Tamme Cang Cadô - Online text, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.
- Bible For Developers - DBL archive entry, Digital Bible Library
- Global Bible Catalogue - Global Bible Catalogue entry.
- ebible.org entry - ebible.org.