Brao is a member of the Bahnaric branch of the Austroasiatic language family. It is spoken in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand by about 62,000 people. The majority of Brao speakers can be found in Ratanakiri Province in northeastern Cambodia, particular around Banlung, in Voeun Sai District, and in and around Taveng. In Laos, there are Brao speakers in Attapeu Province to the south of Attapeu, the provincial capital. There are a few hundred Brao speakers in Đắc Mế village in Bờ Y commune in Ngọc Hồi district of Kon Tum province in central Vietnam, and another few thousand in Thailand.
Brao is also known as Braou, Brau, Brou, Lave, Laveh, Love, Proue or Rawe. There are several varieties of Brao, including Lave(h), or Brao proper, Krung, Kavet and Brao. Some linguists consider them separate languages.
An orthgraphy using the Khmer alphabet was devised in 2000 by Chuck and Sally Keller of SIL for the Brao Ombaa and Brao-Krung dialects. The Cambodian government set up an orthography committee in 2002 with representatives from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Royal Academy of Cambodia. They revised the orthography, and publicly promulgated the official version in August 2003. A few amendments have been made since then - more details. Brao can also be written with the Latin alphabet.
Download an alphabet chart for Brao
Source: Guu Alah Ombraa Ya Sok Iir (Guu Alah Goes Hunting with his Dog) by Trang Chhuung.
Information about the Brao language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brao_language
https://www.sil.org/resources/search/language/brb
https://www.academia.edu/1049248/The_Brao_Dialects_of_Cambodia_Lexical_and_Phonological_Variations
Brao, Cua, Chrau, Jru, Koho, Sedang, Tampuan
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page last modified: 25.01.25
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