Laven language

Not to be confused with Lave language.

Laven
Native to	Laos
Native speakers	30,000 (2007)
Language family	Austroasiatic Bahnaric West Laven
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: lbo – Jru’ (Laven) (Yrou) sqq – Sou (Su’)
Glottolog	love1237

Laven is a Mon–Khmer dialect cluster of southern Laos. Laven is the exonym given by the Laotian government, while the autonym of many of those speakers is Jru' [ɟruʔ]. Varieties are:

• Jru' (also spelled Jruq)
• Juk
• Su' (also spelled Suq)

Laven varieties are described in detail by Therapan L-Thongkum and Paul Sidwell (2003).

Further reading

• Sidwell, Paul. 2019. Reconstructing language contact and social change on Boloven Plateau, Laos. Presented at ALMSEA (The Anthropology of Language in Mainland Southeast Asia), University of Sydney, Aug. 19-20. (Slides).

References

• Sidwell, Paul (2003). A Handbook of comparative Bahnaric, Vol. 1: West Bahnaric. Pacific Linguistics, 551. Canberra: Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University.