language of northeastern Thailand, northern Cambodia, and parts of southern Laos. It belongs to the Katuic branch of the Mon-Khmer (Mon-Khmer languages) language family, itself a part of the Austroasiatic stock. Spoken by some 630,000 people, Souei is—after Vietnamese, Khmer, and Mon—one of the most important Mon-Khmer languages because of its number of speakers, its geographic spread, and its historical role.