****Bruu (also spelled Bru, B'ru, Baru, Brou) is a Mon–Khmer dialect continuum spoken by the Bru people of mainland Southeast Asia. Sô and Khua are dialects.

Names

There are various local and dialect designations for Bru (Sidwell 2005:11).

Distribution

The distribution of the Bru language spreads north and northeast from Salavan, Laos, through Savannakhet, Khammouane, and Bolikhamsai, and over into neighboring Thailand and Vietnam (Sidwell 2005:11). In Vietnam, Brâu (Braò) is spoken in Đắk Mế, Bờ Y commune, Đắk Tô District, Kon Tum Province.

Dialects

Thailand has the following Western Bru dialects (Choo, et al. 2012). The following Bru subgroups are found in Quảng Bình Province (Phan 1998). Below is a comparative vocabulary of Vân Kiêu, Măng Coong, Tri, and Khùa from Phan (1998:479-480), with words transcribed in Vietnamese orthography.

Phonology

Consonants

The consonant sounds in both East and West dialects consist of the following:

Vowels

Breathy vowels

Vowel sounds may also be distinguished using breathy voice:

Nasal vowels

Nasal vowel sounds may occur in the Western Bru dialect: