Get to Know the Lao language and explore Laos
The Lao language is from the Kra-Dai (Tai-Kadai) language family, and is both a first language and a lingua franca in Laos - a country with more than 80 languages, two of the most widely spoken of which (after Lao) are Hmong and Khmu.
In Lao, the Lao language is called ພາສາລາວ (Phasa Lao), and is written in the Lao script, ອັກສອນລາວ (Akson Lao). The Lao language can also simply be referred to as ລາວ (Lao). Lao is a tonal language, with most of the Lao dialects having six tones.
Get to Know the Lao language
The Lao language is spoken by around 30 million people - predominantly in Laos, where it is spoken by 7 million - and northeast Thailand, where it is spoken by 23 million.
This stems from the Franco-Siamese War of 1893, after which the Lao-speaking lands were politically separated through a border drawn along the Mekong River.
In northeast Thailand, the Lao language can also be known as Isan, although native speakers still refer to it as Lao.
Though slightly different, the scripts of Lao and Thai are closely related, and the spoken languages are mutually intelligible - forming a dialect continuum with other languages from the Southwestern Tai language group.
Whilst there is no official standard dialect in Laos, the dialect of the country’s capital, Vientiane, became the de facto standard.
Cover Image
The scenery of southern Laos
Photo by Joule Benjarat on Unsplash
Map
Map of Laos with regions colour coded, by User:Burmesedays, Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection Laos Maps, OpenStreetMap
Resources for learning the Lao language
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Videos
Maly speaking Lao - Wikitongues
PadubDin ປະດັບດິນ in Laos (Playlist) - PadubDin ປະດັບດິນ ประดับดิน
Learn Lao language (Playlist) - Vanida WP
Lao for Beginners (Playlist) - Lao101
Lao Conversation Lessons (Playlist) - Lao101
Lao Vowels : Children’s Picture Book (Playlist) - Lao101
Lao Stories (Playlist) - Lao101
Lao Grammar Series (Playlist) - Lao101
Lao Book Reviews (Playlist) - Lao101
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Books
Lao-English English-Lao Dictionary with Transliteration for Non-Lao Speakers
by Khamphan Mingbuapha and Benjawan Poomsan Be
English-Lao Lao-English Dictionary
by Russel Marcus (Tuttle Language Library)
Lao Basics : An Introduction to the Lao Language
by Sam Brier and PhouPhanomlack (Tee) Sangkhampone (Tuttle Publishing)
ເຈົ້າຊາຍນ້ອຍ (The Little Prince in Lao)
by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
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Podcasts and Radio
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Articles
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How to Learn Vietnamese eBook
One of the great things about learning Vietnamese is that it makes learning languages like Lao easier, not only because of the close ties between Việt Nam and Laos, but also because of the amount of resources available in Vietnamese for learning Lao.
If you're interested in learning Vietnamese, How to Learn Vietnamese will guide you through the process in a fast and fun way.
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