Brao language should not be confused with Bru language.
| Brao | |
| States: | Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam |
| Date: | 2009–2015 |
| Ref: | e26 |
| Familycolor: | Austro-Asiatic |
| Fam2: | Bahnaric |
| Fam3: | West |
| Lc1: | brb |
| Ld1: | Brao (was Lave) |
| Lc2: | krr |
| Ld2: | Krung |
| Lc3: | krv |
| Ld3: | Kavet |
| Glotto: | lave1249 |
| Glottorefname: | Brao |
Brao is a Mon–Khmer language of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.
| Labial | Dental- Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obstruent | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||
| pronounced as /pʰ/ | pronounced as /tʰ/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /kʰ/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||
| pronounced as /ˀb/ | pronounced as /ˀd/ | pronounced as /ˀɟ/ | pronounced as /ˀg/ | ||||
| Nasal | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | |||
| pronounced as /ʰm/ | pronounced as /ʰn/ | pronounced as /ʰŋ/ | |||||
| Trill | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||||
| Approximant | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | pronounced as /ink/ | ||||
According to Ethnologue, there are four distinct but mutually intelligible varieties, sometimes considered separate languages: Lave (Brao proper), Kru’ng (Kreung), and Kavet (Kravet), the latter spoken by only a couple thousand.
Sidwell (2003) also lists four communities of speakers, three of which are in Cambodia.
Lun, spoken in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, is related to Lave and Kavet (Philip Lambrecht 2012).[2]
Sidwell (2003) suggests the possibility of a total of 50,000 speakers, while Bradley (1994:161) gives an estimate of 35,000. All estimates below are drawn from Sidwell (2003:30).