Lao alphabet
Encyclopedia
The Lao alphabet, Aksone Lao (Lao
: ອັກສອນລາວ ʔáksɔ̌ːn láːw), is the main script used to write the Lao language and other minority languages in Laos. It is ultimately of Indic
origin, the alphabet includes 27 consonants (ພະຍັນຊະນະ pʰāɲánsānā), 7 consonantal ligatures (ພະຍັນຊະນະປະສົມ [pʰāɲánsānā pá sǒm]), 33 vowels (ສຣະ [sárā]) (some based on combinations of symbols), and 4 tone marks (ວັນນະຍຸດ [ván nā ɲūt]). According to Article LXXV of Constitution
of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Lao alphabet is the official script to the official language, but is also used to transcribe minority languages in the country, but some minority language speakers continue to use their traditional writing systems while the Hmong
have adopted the Roman Alphabet
. An older version of the script was also used by the multi-ethnic Thai Isan, when they were under the rule of the Lao kingdom, until its use was banned and supplemented with the Thai alphabet in 1871, although the region remained distant culturally and politically until further government campaigns and integration into the Thai state (Thaification
) were imposed in the 20th century.
Lao is traditionally written from left to right. Traditionally considered an abugida
script, where certain 'implied' vowels are unwritten, recent spelling reforms make this definition somewhat problematic. Vowels can be written above, below, in front of, or behind consonants, with some vowel combinations written before, over and after. Spaces and punctuations were traditionally not used, but a space would function in place of a comma or period. Since the letters have no majuscule or minuscule differentiations, rules regarding capitalisation are moot.
Traditionally, only secular literature was written with the Lao alphabet. Religious literature was often written in Tai Tham
, a Mon-based script that is still used for the Tai Khün
, Tai Lue, and formerly for Kham Mueang. Mystical, magical, and some religious literature was written in a modified version of the Khmer alphabet.
name that either begins with or features the word prominently and is used to teach the letter and serves to distinguish them from other, homophonous consonants. The letter ອ is a special null consonant used as an anchor for vowels, which cannot stand alone, as well as serves as a vowel in its own right.
(IPA), as well as various romanisation schemes, such as the French-based systems in use by both the US Board of Geographic Names and the British Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (BGN/PCGN), the English-based system in use by the US Library of Congress
(LC), Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTSG) used in Thailand, and finally its Unicode
name. A slash indicates the pronunciation at the beginning juxtaposed with its pronunciation at the end of a syllable.
Note that the Unicode names for the characters ຝ (FO TAM) and ຟ (FO SUNG) are reversed. The same is true for ຣ (LO LING) and ລ (LO LOOT). This error was introduced into the Unicode standard and cannot be fixed, as character names are immutable.
Lao characters in final position.
Lao was not officially released for Windows until Windows Vista
. Although user generated fonts are freely available online, viewing them required the user to download the fonts; place them into the "Windows", "Fonts", folder; and then open an Internet Explorer
window. The user would then navigate to the "Tools" menu, "Internet Options" option, "General" tab. They would need to click on the "Fonts" option and then select the font that they downloaded.
Standard in October, 1991 with the release of version 1.0.
The Unicode block for Lao is U+0E80–U+0EFF.
The first 10 characters of the row U+0EDx are the Lao numerals 0 through 9. Throughout the chart, grey areas indicate non-assigned code points. Although there are many unassigned code points, the ones that are assigned for Lao characters match the relative positions of the corresponding Thai characters.
Lao language
Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Tai–Kadai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Being the primary language of the Lao people, Lao is also an important second language for...
: ອັກສອນລາວ ʔáksɔ̌ːn láːw), is the main script used to write the Lao language and other minority languages in Laos. It is ultimately of Indic
Indic
Indic can refer to:* Indo-Aryan languages* Indic scripts* Related to the Indian Subcontinent* of or related to India ; see Indica...
origin, the alphabet includes 27 consonants (ພະຍັນຊະນະ pʰāɲánsānā), 7 consonantal ligatures (ພະຍັນຊະນະປະສົມ [pʰāɲánsānā pá sǒm]), 33 vowels (ສຣະ [sárā]) (some based on combinations of symbols), and 4 tone marks (ວັນນະຍຸດ [ván nā ɲūt]). According to Article LXXV of Constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
of the Lao People's Democratic Republic, the Lao alphabet is the official script to the official language, but is also used to transcribe minority languages in the country, but some minority language speakers continue to use their traditional writing systems while the Hmong
Hmong people
The Hmong , are an Asian ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity in southern China...
have adopted the Roman Alphabet
Romanized Popular Alphabet
The Romanized Popular Alphabet or Hmong RPA , is a system of romanization for the various dialects of the Hmong language. Created in Laos between 1951 and 1953 by a group of missionaries and Hmong advisers, it has gone on to become the most widespread system for writing the Hmong language in the...
. An older version of the script was also used by the multi-ethnic Thai Isan, when they were under the rule of the Lao kingdom, until its use was banned and supplemented with the Thai alphabet in 1871, although the region remained distant culturally and politically until further government campaigns and integration into the Thai state (Thaification
Thaification
Thaification is the process by which people of different cultural and ethnic origins living in Thailand become assimilated to the dominant Thai culture, or more precisely, to the culture of the Central Thais...
) were imposed in the 20th century.
Lao is traditionally written from left to right. Traditionally considered an abugida
Abugida
An abugida , also called an alphasyllabary, is a segmental writing system in which consonant–vowel sequences are written as a unit: each unit is based on a consonant letter, and vowel notation is obligatory but secondary...
script, where certain 'implied' vowels are unwritten, recent spelling reforms make this definition somewhat problematic. Vowels can be written above, below, in front of, or behind consonants, with some vowel combinations written before, over and after. Spaces and punctuations were traditionally not used, but a space would function in place of a comma or period. Since the letters have no majuscule or minuscule differentiations, rules regarding capitalisation are moot.
History
The Lao script was slowly standardised in the Mekong River valley after the various Tai principalities of the region were merged under the rule of the Kingdom of Lane Xang in the 14th century. This script, known as Tai Noy, has changed little since its inception and continued in use in the Lao-speaking regions of modern-day Laos and Isan, while the Thai alphabet continued to evolve, but similarity of the scripts can still be seen. This script was ultimately influenced by earlier writing systems in use by the Mon and the Khmer.Traditionally, only secular literature was written with the Lao alphabet. Religious literature was often written in Tai Tham
Tua Tham
Tua Tham or Akson Tham or Tua Mueang is a Mon-derived script used in Isan and Northern Thailand, as well as Laos. It was originally used for the writing of religious texts, and was an important medium of education when monks were in charge of education in these areas.The script was introduced to...
, a Mon-based script that is still used for the Tai Khün
Khün language
The Khün language or Tai Khün language is the language of the Tai Khün people of Kengtung, Shan state, Myanmar. It is a Tai language, closely related to Thai and Lao.-Phonology:-External links:*...
, Tai Lue, and formerly for Kham Mueang. Mystical, magical, and some religious literature was written in a modified version of the Khmer alphabet.
Consonants
The 27 consonants of the Lao alphabet are divided into three tone classes—high (ສູງ [sǔːŋ]), middle (ກາງ [kaːŋ]), low (ຕ່ຳ tām)—which determine the tonal pronunciation of the word in conjunction with the four tone marks and distinctions between short and long vowels, but aside from tone, there are 21 distinct consonant sounds that occur in the Lao language. Each letter has an acrophonicalAcrophony
Acrophony is the naming of letters of an alphabetic writing system so that a letter's name begins with the letter itself. For example, Greek letter names are acrophonic: the names of the letters α, β, γ, δ, are spelled with the respective letters: ....
name that either begins with or features the word prominently and is used to teach the letter and serves to distinguish them from other, homophonous consonants. The letter ອ is a special null consonant used as an anchor for vowels, which cannot stand alone, as well as serves as a vowel in its own right.
Consonant Chart
The table below shows the Lao consonant, its name, its pronunciation according to the International Phonetic AlphabetInternational Phonetic Alphabet
The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
(IPA), as well as various romanisation schemes, such as the French-based systems in use by both the US Board of Geographic Names and the British Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (BGN/PCGN), the English-based system in use by the US Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
(LC), Royal Thai General System of Transcription (RTSG) used in Thailand, and finally its Unicode
Unicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
name. A slash indicates the pronunciation at the beginning juxtaposed with its pronunciation at the end of a syllable.
| Letter | |Name | |Initial position | |Final position | Unicode | |Tone Class | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | |||||
| ກ | ກ ໄກ່ | kāi, chicken | /k/ | k | /k/ | k | KO | Middle | ||||
| ຂ | ຂ ໄຂ່ | kʰāi, egg | /kʰ/ | kh | /k/ | k | KHO SUNG | High | ||||
| ຄ | ຄ ຄວາຍ | kʷʰáːj, water buffalo | /kʰ/ | kh | /k/ | k | KHO TAM | Low | ||||
| ງ | ງ ງົວ or ງູ | ŋúə, ox or ŋúː, snake | /ŋ/ | ng | /ŋ/ | ng | NGO | Low | ||||
| ຈ | ຈ ຈອກ | tɕɔ̏ːk, glass | /tɕ/ | ch | /t/ | t | CO | Middle | ||||
| ສ | ສ ເສືອ | sɯˇːə, tiger | /s/ | s | /t/ | t | SO SUNG | High | ||||
| ຊ | ຊ ຊ້າງ | sâːŋ, elephant | /s/ | x | s | /t/ | t | SO TAM | Low | |||
| ຍ | ຍ ຍຸງ | ɲúŋ, mosquito | /ɲ/ | gn | ny | y | – | – | NYO | Low | ||
| ດ | ດ ເດັກ | dék, child | /d/ | d | /t/ | t | DO | Middle | ||||
| ຕ | ຕ ຕາ | tàː, eye | /t/ | t | /t/ | t | TO | Middle | ||||
| ຖ | ຖ ຖົງ | tʰǒŋ, stocking | /tʰ/ | th | /t/ | t | THO SUNG | High | ||||
| ທ | ທ ທຸງ | tʰúŋ, flag | /tʰ/ | th | /t/ | t | THO TAM | Low | ||||
| ນ | ນ ນົກ | nōk, bird | /n/ | n | /n/ | ne | n | NO | Low | |||
| ບ | ບ ແບ້ | bɛ̑ː, goat | /b/ | b | /p/ | p | BO | Middle | ||||
| ປ | ປ ປາ | paː, fish | /p/ | p | /p/ | p | PO | Middle | ||||
| ຜ | ຜ ເຜິ້ງ | pʰɤ ̏ŋ, bee | /pʰ/ | ph | – | – | PHO SUNG | High | ||||
| ຝ | ຝ ຝົນ | fǒn, rain | /f/ | f | /p/ | p | FO TAM | High | ||||
| ພ | ພ ພູ | pʰúː, mountain | /pʰ/ | ph | /p/ | p | PHO TAM | Low | ||||
| ຟ | ຟ ໄຟ | fáj, fire | /f/ | f | /p/ | p | FO SUNG | Low | ||||
| ມ | ມ ແມວ | mɛ́ːw, cat | /m/ | m | /m/ | m | MO | Low | ||||
| ຢ | ຢ ຢາ | jaː, medicine | /j/ | y | – | – | YO | Middle | ||||
| ຣ | ຣ ຣົຖ or ຣະຄັງ | rōt, car or rākʰáŋ, bell | /r/,/l/ | r | n | ne | n | LO LING | Low | |||
| ລ | ລ ລີງ | líːŋ, monkey | /l/ | l | /n/ | ne | n | LO LOOT | Low | |||
| ວ | ວ ວີ | víː, fan | /ʋ/,/w/ | v | v,w | – | – | WO | Low | |||
| ຫ | ຫ ຫ່ານ | hāːn, goose | /h/ | h | – | – | HO SUNG | High | ||||
| ອ | ອ ໂອ | ʔòː, bowl | /ʔ/ | – | – | – | O | Middle | ||||
| ຮ | ຮ ເຮືອນ | hɯ´ːən, house | /h/ | h | – | – | HO TAM | Low | ||||
Note that the Unicode names for the characters ຝ (FO TAM) and ຟ (FO SUNG) are reversed. The same is true for ຣ (LO LING) and ລ (LO LOOT). This error was introduced into the Unicode standard and cannot be fixed, as character names are immutable.
Consonantal Digraphs and Ligatures
Lao also uses digraphs based on combinations of silent ຫ ຫ່ານ with certain other consonants, some of which also have special ligature forms that are optionally used. Because of the first silent component is of the 'high' tone class, all the digraphs and ligatures are also of the high tone class. The older versions of the script also included special forms for combinations of ພ (pʰ) + ຍ (ɲ), ສ (s) + ນ (n), and ມ (m) + ລ (l). In addition, consonant clusters that had the second component of ຣ (r) or ລ (l) were written with a special form ຼ underneath the consonant. Since these were not pronounced in Lao, they were removed during various spelling reforms and this symbol only appears in the ligature ຫຼ.| Letter | |Initial position | Unicode | |Tone Class | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | |||
| ຫງ | /ŋ/ | ng | ng | High | ||
| ຫຍ | /ɲ/ | gn | j | ny | ny | High |
| ໜ or ຫນ | /n/ | n | n | High | ||
| ໝ or ຫມ | /m/ | m | m | High | ||
| ຫຼ or ຫຣ | /r/,/l/ | r | r | High | ||
| ຫຼ or ຫລ | /l/ | l | l | High | ||
| ຫວ | /ʋ/,/w/ | v | v,w | w | High | |
Phonetic
Lao characters in initial position (several letters appearing in the same box have identical pronunciation).| Bilabial Bilabial consonant In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:... | Labio- dental Labiodental consonant In phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lip and the upper teeth.-Labiodental consonant in IPA:The labiodental consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:... |
Alveolar Alveolar consonant Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli of the superior teeth... | Alveolo- palatal Alveolo-palatal consonant In phonetics, alveolo-palatal consonants are palatalized postalveolar sounds, usually fricatives and affricates, articulated with the blade of the tongue behind the alveolar ridge, and the body of the tongue raised toward the palate... |
Palatal Palatal consonant Palatal consonants are consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate... | Velar Velar consonant Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum).... | Glottal Glottal consonant Glottal consonants, also called laryngeal consonants, are consonants articulated with the glottis. Many phoneticians consider them, or at least the so-called fricative, to be transitional states of the glottis without a point of articulation as other consonants have; in fact, some do not consider... |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal Nasal consonant A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :... |
[m] ມ |
[n] ນ |
[ɲ] ຍ |
[ŋ] ງ |
||||
| Plosive | voiced Voice (phonetics) Voice or voicing is a term used in phonetics and phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless or voiced. The term, however, is used to refer to two separate concepts. Voicing can refer to the articulatory process in which the vocal cords vibrate... |
[b] ບ |
[d] ດ |
|||||
| voiceless Voiceless In linguistics, voicelessness is the property of sounds being pronounced without the larynx vibrating. Phonologically, this is a type of phonation, which contrasts with other states of the larynx, but some object that the word "phonation" implies voicing, and that voicelessness is the lack of... |
[p] ປ |
[t] ຕ |
[k] ກ |
[ʔ] ອ |
||||
| aspirated Aspiration (phonetics) In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies either the release or, in the case of preaspiration, the closure of some obstruents. To feel or see the difference between aspirated and unaspirated sounds, one can put a hand or a lit candle in front of one's mouth, and say pin ... |
[pʰ] ຜ, ພ |
[tʰ] ຖ,ທ |
[kʰ] ຂ, ຄ |
|||||
| Fricative Fricative consonant Fricatives are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate, in the case of German , the final consonant of Bach; or... |
[f] ຝ, ຟ |
[s] ສ, ຊ |
[h] ຫ, ຮ |
|||||
| Affricate Affricate consonant Affricates are consonants that begin as stops but release as a fricative rather than directly into the following vowel.- Samples :... |
[tɕ] ຈ |
|||||||
| Approximant Approximant consonant Approximants are speech sounds that involve the articulators approaching each other but not narrowly enough or with enough articulatory precision to create turbulent airflow. Therefore, approximants fall between fricatives, which do produce a turbulent airstream, and vowels, which produce no... |
[ʋ] ວ* |
[j] ຢ |
[w] ວ* |
|||||
| Lateral approximant |
[l] ຣ, ລ |
|||||||
- * Depends on the dialects.
Lao characters in final position.
| Bilabial Bilabial consonant In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:... | Labio- dental Labiodental consonant In phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lip and the upper teeth.-Labiodental consonant in IPA:The labiodental consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:... |
Alveolar Alveolar consonant Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli of the superior teeth... | Alveolo- palatal Alveolo-palatal consonant In phonetics, alveolo-palatal consonants are palatalized postalveolar sounds, usually fricatives and affricates, articulated with the blade of the tongue behind the alveolar ridge, and the body of the tongue raised toward the palate... |
Palatal Palatal consonant Palatal consonants are consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate... | Velar Velar consonant Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum).... | Glottal Glottal consonant Glottal consonants, also called laryngeal consonants, are consonants articulated with the glottis. Many phoneticians consider them, or at least the so-called fricative, to be transitional states of the glottis without a point of articulation as other consonants have; in fact, some do not consider... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal Nasal consonant A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :... |
[m] ມ |
[n] ນ, ຣ, ລ |
[ŋ] ງ |
||||
| Plosive | [p] ບ, ປ, ພ, ຝ, ຟ |
[t] ຈ, ສ, ຊ, ດ, ຕ, ຖ, ທ |
[k] ກ, ຂ, ຄ |
||||
| Approximant Approximant consonant Approximants are speech sounds that involve the articulators approaching each other but not narrowly enough or with enough articulatory precision to create turbulent airflow. Therefore, approximants fall between fricatives, which do produce a turbulent airstream, and vowels, which produce no... |
[ʋ] ວ* |
[j] ຢ |
[w] ວ* |
- * Depends on the dialects.
Vowels
There are only a handful of basic symbols, but they can be combined with other vowel forms and semi-vowels like to create the full repertoire of diphthongs and triphthongs used in the language. Vowels cannot stand alone or begin a syllable, so the null consonant, ອ, which can function as a vowel in its own right, is used as a base. The names of the vowels are just as easy as saying sala (ສຣະ, sáʔrāʔ) before the vowel sign. Some vowels have unique names, and these are ໃອ (ໄມ້ມ້ວນ, mâj muân, rolled stem), ໄອ (ໄມ້ມາຽ, mâj máːj, unwound stem), ອົ (ໄມ້ກົງ, mâj kòŋ, straight stem), ອັ (ໄມ້ກັນ, mâj kàn, ear stem), ອຽ (ວິຣາມ, vī ráːm), and ອໍ (ນິກຄະຫິດ, nīk kʰā hǐt).| Short vowels | | | |Long vowels | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | Unicode | Letter | IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | Unicode | |
| ◌ະ, ັ◌ | /a/ | a | a | ◌າ | /aː/ | a | ā | a | aa | |||
| ິ | /i/ | i | i | ີ | /iː/ | i | ī | i | ii | |||
| ຶ | /ɯ/ | u | ư | ue | y | ື | /ɯː/ | u | ư̄ | ue | yy | |
| ຸ | /u/ | ou | u | u | u | ູ | /uː/ | ou | ū | u | uu | |
| ເ◌ະ, ເັ | /e/ | é | e | e | ເ◌ | /eː/ | é | ē | e | e | ||
| ແ◌ະ, ແັ | /ɛ/ | è | æ | ae | ແ◌ | /ɛː/ | è | ǣ | ae | ei | ||
| ໂ◌ະ, ົ◌ | /o/ | ô | o | o | ໂ◌ | /oː/ | ô | ō | o | o | ||
| ເ◌າະ, ັອ◌ | /ɔ/ | o | ǫ | o | ໍ, ◌ອ◌ | /ɔː/ | o | ǭ | o | |||
| ເິ, ເິ◌ | /ɤ/ | eu | œ | oe | ເີ, ເີ◌ | /ɤː/ | eu | œ̄ | oe | |||
| ເັຽະ, ັຽ◌ | /iə/ | ia | ເັຽ, ◌ຽ◌ | /iːə/ | ia | īa | ia | |||||
| ເຶອ, ເຶອ◌ | /ɯə/ | ua | ưa | uea | ເືອ | /ɯːə/ | ua | ư̄a | uea | |||
| ົວະ, ັວ◌ | /uə/ | oua | ua | ua | ົວ, ◌ວ | /uːə/ | oua | ūa | ua | |||
| ໄ◌, ໃ◌, ັຽ, ັຍ | /ai/ | ai | ai or ay | ◌າຍ, ◌າຽ | /aːi/ | ay | āi | ai | ||||
| ເົາ | /ao/ | ao | ||||||||||
| ຳ | /am/ | am | ||||||||||
Numerals
| Hindu-Arabic numerals | 0 | | 1 | | 2 | | 3 | | 4 | | 5 | 6 | | 7 | | 8 | | 9 | | 10 | | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lao numerals | ໐ | ໑ | ໒ | ໓ | ໔ | ໕ | ໖ | ໗ | ໘ | ໙ | ໑໐ | ໒໐ |
| Lao names | ສູນ | ນຶ່ງ | ສອງ | ສາມ | ສີ່ | ຫ້າ | ຫົກ | ເຈັດ | ແປດ | ເກົ້າ | ສິບ | ຊາວ |
| Transliteration | sun | nung | song | sam | si | ha | hok | chet | paet | kao | sip | xao |
Lao compatible software
Lao has been available for Linux for many years.Lao was not officially released for Windows until Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
. Although user generated fonts are freely available online, viewing them required the user to download the fonts; place them into the "Windows", "Fonts", folder; and then open an Internet Explorer
Internet Explorer
Windows Internet Explorer is a series of graphical web browsers developed by Microsoft and included as part of the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems, starting in 1995. It was first released as part of the add-on package Plus! for Windows 95 that year...
window. The user would then navigate to the "Tools" menu, "Internet Options" option, "General" tab. They would need to click on the "Fonts" option and then select the font that they downloaded.
Unicode
Lao script was added to the UnicodeUnicode
Unicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
Standard in October, 1991 with the release of version 1.0.
The Unicode block for Lao is U+0E80–U+0EFF.
The first 10 characters of the row U+0EDx are the Lao numerals 0 through 9. Throughout the chart, grey areas indicate non-assigned code points. Although there are many unassigned code points, the ones that are assigned for Lao characters match the relative positions of the corresponding Thai characters.
External links
- Omniglot - Lao alphabet
- The Lao Alphabet at SEAsite
- Laos - language situation by N. J. Enfield
- Numerals in many different writing systems, which includes Lao numerals; retrieved 2008-11-12 Lao Range: 0E80 - 0EFF, from the Unicode Consortium
- Free Lao script for Windows and Mac OS X