The name Austroasiatic was coined by Wilhelm Schmidt () based on , the Latin word for "South" (but idiosyncratically used by Schmidt to refer to the southeast), and "Asia".
ðə nˈeɪm ˌɔːstɹoʊsɪˈæɾɪk wʌz kˈɔɪnd baɪ wˈɪlhɛlm ʃmˈɪt bˈeɪst ˈɔn , ðə lˈætɪn wˈɜːd fɔːɹ "sˈaʊθ" bˌʌt ˌɪdɪˌɑːsɪŋkɹˈæɾɪkli jˈuːzd baɪ ʃmˈɪt tə ɹᵻfˈɜː tə ðə sˈaʊθiːst, ænd "ˈeɪʒə".