Lao (ພາສາລາວ) ພາສາລາວ

Lao is a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in Laos, and also in Cambodia and Vietnam. In 2015 there were about 3.4 million native speakers of Lao in Laos, and another 800,000 people spoke it as a second language. In 2009 there were about 18,500 Lao speakers in northwest Cambodia, and there were 14,900 speakers in Vietnam.

Lao at a glance

  • Native name: ລາວ (lao) [láːw], ພາສາລາວ (phasa lao) [pʰáːsǎːláːw]
  • Language family: Kra-Dai, Tai, Southwestern Tai, Lao-Phutai, Lao
  • Number of speakers: c. 4.5 million
  • Spoken in: Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, USA
  • First written: c. 1350
  • Writing system: Lao script (ອັກສອນລາວ) [ʔáksɔ̌ːn láːw]
  • Status: Official language in Laos. Recognised minority language in Thailand and Cambodia.

Lao is closely related to Thai and speakers of Lao are able to understand spoken Thai without too many difficulties. Thai speakers find it more difficult to understand Lao due to lack of exposure to the language. The language family is also known as Kradai, Kra-Dai, Daic or Kadai.

Lao alphabet (ອັກສອນລາວ)

After the unification of the Lao principalities (meuang) in the 14th century, the Lan Xang monarchs commissioned their scholars to create a new script to write the Lao language. The scholars probably modelled the alphabet on the Old Khmer script, which was itself based on Mon scripts.

Notable features

The transcription system used here is one used by the British Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (BGN/PCGN).

Consonants

Consonants are divided into three classes which help to determine the tone of a syllable (indicated by the numbers below). The sounds represented by some consonants change when they are used at the end of a syllable (indicated by the letters on the right of the slash below). The consonants can all be used at the beginning of a syllable but only some can be used at the end of a syllable.

Lao consonants

The consonants in the final row are compounds and conjuncts used as alternatives to the basic consonants.

Vowel diacritics (with k)

Lao vowel diacritics

How to write and pronounce Lao letters

Numerals

Lao Numerals

How to write and pronounce Lao numbers

Tone indication

  Open syllables Closed syllables *
  unmarked tone marker tone marker short vowel long vowel
Class 1 low mid high falling high low falling
Class 2 low rising mid low falling high low falling
Class 3 high mid high falling mid high falling

* Closed syllables are those ending with p, t or k

Sample text

ມະນຸດເກີດມາມີສິດເສລີພາບ ແລະ ສະເໝີໜ້າກັນໃນທາງກຽດຕິສັກ ແລະ ທາງສິດດ້ວຍມະນຸດມີສະຕິສຳປັດຊັນຍະ(ຮູ້ດີຮູ້ຊົ່ວ)ແລະມີມະໂນທຳຈື່ງຕ້ອງປະພຶດຕົນຕໍ່ກັນໃນທາງພີ່ນ້ອງ.

Transliteration
Manut thuk khôn kœ̄t māmīkẏat sâk sī, sitthi, sēlī phôp læ khwôm smœ̄ phôp thàw thẏam kân. Thuk thuk khôn mīhēt phôn læ khwômkhit khwôm hian swàn tôw khɔ̄̄ṅ phai khɔ̄ṅ mân, tǣ̀vồ manut thuk thuk khôn khwan paphʉt tàṁ kân khʉ̄ kân kâp pianốy nɔ̄́ṅ kân.

Hear a recording of this text (made with Text To Speech Free)

Translation

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Sample videos in Lao

Information about Lao | Phrases | Numbers | Family words | Tower of Babel | Learning materials

Links

Information about Laos and the Laotian language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lao_language
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/laolanguage/lao_language_fp.htm

Online Lao lessons
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Lao/LaoLanguage/spoken_lao/spokenlao.htm

Lao phrases
http://wikitravel.org/en/Lao_phrasebook
http://www.phrasebook.thai-isan-lao.com
http://laos411.com/language/

Online Lao dictionaries
http://www.sealang.net/lao/dictionary.htm
http://glosbe.com/lo/en/
http://sengphachanh.webege.com/eng2lao.html
http://laodictionary.net

Free Lao fonts
http://www.wazu.jp/gallery/Fonts_Lao.html
http://www.laoscript.net/downloads/
http://www.seasite.niu.edu/seasite.htm#download

Online Lao news and radio
http://www.rfa.org/lao/

Tai-Kaidai languages

Ahom, Aiton, Bouyei, Isan, Kam, Khamti, (Tai) Khün, Lao, Lue, Northern Thai (Kam Mueang), Nùng, Shan, Sui, Tai Dam, Tai Dón, Tai Hongjin, Tai Laing, Tai Nuea, Tai Phake, Tai Ya, Thai, Thai Song, Yang Zhuang, Zhuang

Languages written with the Lao script

Khmu, Kuy, Lao, Ta’Oi

Abugidas / Syllabic alphabets

Ahom, Aima, Arleng, Badagu, Badlit, Basahan, Balinese, Balti-A, Balti-B, Batak, Baybayin, Bengali, Bhaiksuki, Bhujimol, Bilang-bilang, Bima, Blackfoot, Brahmi, Buhid, Burmese, Carrier, Chakma, Cham, Cree, Dehong Dai, Devanagari, Dham Lipi, Dhankari / Sirmauri, Ditema, Dives Akuru, Dogra, Ethiopic, Evēla Akuru, Fox, Fraser, Gond, Goykanadi, Grantha, Gujarati, Gunjala Gondi, Gupta, Gurmukhi, Halbi Lipi, Hanifi, Hanuno'o, Hočąk, Ibalnan, Incung, Inuktitut, Jaunsari Takri, Javanese, Kaithi, Kadamba, Kamarupi, Kannada, Kawi, Kharosthi, Khema, Khe Prih, Khmer, Khojki, Khudabadi, Kirat Rai, Kōchi, Komering, Kulitan, Kurukh Banna, Lampung, Lanna, Lao, Lepcha, Limbu, Lontara/Makasar, Lota Ende, Magar Akkha, Mahajani, Malayalam, Meitei (Modern), Manpuri (Old), Marchen, Meetei Yelhou Mayek, Meroïtic, Masarm Gondi, Modi, Mon, Mongolian Horizontal Square Script, Multani, Nandinagari, Newa, New Tai Lue, Ojibwe, Odia, Ogan, Pahawh Hmong, Pallava, Phags-pa, Purva Licchavi, Qiang / Rma, Ranjana, Rejang (Kaganga), Sasak, Savara, Satera Jontal, Shan, Sharda, Sheek Bakrii Saphaloo, Siddham, Sinhala, Sorang Sompeng, Sourashtra, Soyombo, Sukhothai, Sundanese, Syloti Nagri, Tagbanwa, Takri, Tamil, Tanchangya (Ka-Pat), Tani, Thaana, Telugu, Thai, Tibetan, Tigalari, Tikamuli, Tocharian, Tolong Siki, Vatteluttu, Warang Citi

Other writing systems

Page last modified: 14.04.24

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