Lao language
Lao or Laotian is a language and is the official language of Laos.[1] It is also spoken in the northeast part of Thailand.[2] Lao, like the other languages of Laos, is written in an abugida writing system. The languages has variations, but the Vientiane dialect is considered the standard written form of Lao.[3]
| Lao | |
|---|---|
| ພາສາລາວ ([pʰaːsaː laːw]) | |
| Native to | Laos, Thailand |
| Native speakers | 5,225,552 (2006), roughly 20 million if Isan speakers are included. (date missing) |
| Language family | |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | Laos |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | lo |
| ISO 639-2 | lao |
| ISO 639-3 | lao |
Lao and Thai are both Tai languages and are very similar to each other. In fact, speakers of northern Thai dialects and Lao claim that they can largely understand each other, making the dialects mutually intelligible.
History
Lao is one of the Tai languages, spoken in what is now northern Vietnam and southern China.[4] Mongol invaders and expansion in China pushed the Tai people south towards India. Their language was influenced by other languages in the region like the Mon-Khmer and the Austronesian languages.[4] The written form of Lao originally came from the Pali language in India.[1] The script form was brought to the region by Buddhists about two thousand years ago.[1]
Lao script is based on the Khmer script and is very similar to Thai script. However, the writing system was simplified several times, both during the French rule and the communist rule, to make it easier for native Lao speakers to read aloud written Lao.
Vocabulary
Lao has mainly native Lao words. Because of Buddhism, however, it has been influenced by other languages that contributed mostly religious terms. Lao has influenced Khmer and Thai and vice versa. The writing has many foreign loanwords, very similar to how Latin and Greek have influenced other European languages.
For politeness, pronouns (and more formal pronouns) are used, as well as ending statements with ແດ່ (dè [dɛː]) or ເດີ້ (deu [dɤ̂ː]). Negative statements are made more polite by ending with ດອກ (dok [dɔ̭ːk]). The following are formal register examples.
- ຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆເດີ້ (khop chai lai lai deu, [kʰɔ᷆ːp t͡ɕàj lǎːj lǎːj dɤ̂ː]) Thank you very much.
- ຂ້ານ້ອຍເຮັດບໍ່ໄດ້ດອກ (khanoi hét bo dai dok, [kʰa᷆ːnɔ̂ːj hēt bɔ̄ː dâj dɔ᷆ːk]) I cannot.
- ໄຂປະຕູໃຫ້ແດ່ (khai pa too hai dè, [kʰǎj pa.tùː ha᷆j dɛ̄ː ]) Open the door, please.
Lao Language Media
WIKITONGUES: La speaking Lao
Map showing the general migration patterns and diversification of the Tai peoples and languages from the original Tai Urheimat of southeastern China.
Wat Phra That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom. Built in the 16th century over earlier Khmer ruins when Isan was part of Lan Xang, the temple is an important place of pilgrimage, attracting Lao from Laos as well as Isan to its temple festivals.
Temple mural of Wat Photaram in Maha Sarakham Province. Dating to the reign of Siamese Ruler Rama III (1788–1851), the writing is in the Tai Noi script, an old form of the Lao alphabet.
A bilingual Lao-French street sign in Vientiane. Although the influence of French on the Lao language has waned considerably, hundreds of words of French origin are used in Laos.
Lao script on a sign at Wat That Luang, Vientiane.
An example of the Tai Tham alphabet formerly used in Laos for religious literature.
A sutra in the Khom script. This Khmer script was used to write Buddhist, Brahmanic, and ritual texts.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Lao Language". Laos-Guide-999.com. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ↑ "Facts about Lao". Thailao.net/. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
- ↑ E K Brown; Sarah Ogilvie, Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World (Amsterdam, Netherlands; Boston, MA: Elsevier, 2009), p. 639
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Lao Language". Effective Language Learning. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
Other websites
 |
This language has its own Wikipedia project. See the Lao language edition. |