Lao language
Encyclopedia
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 the multitude of ethnic groups in Laos and in Isan. Lao, like all languages in Laos, is written in an abugida script
. Although there is no official standard, the Vientiane
dialect has become the de facto
standard.
spoken in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam (probably by some of the various peoples referred to as the Baiyue) in areas believed to be the homeland of the language family and where several related languages are still spoken by scattered minority groups. Due to Han Chinese expansion, Mongol invasion pressures, and a search for lands more suitable for wet-rice cultivation, the Tai peoples moved south towards India, down the Mekong River valley, and as far south as the Malay Peninsula
. Oral history of the migrations is preserved in the legends of Khun Borom
. Tai speakers in what is now Laos pushed out or absorbed earlier groups of Mon–Khmer and Austronesian languages.
In addition to the dialects of Lao, numerous closely related languages (or dialects, depending on the classification) are spoken throughout the Lao-speaking realm in Laos and Thailand, such as the Nyaw, Phu Thai
, Saek
, Lao Wieng
, Tai Dam
, Tai Daeng, etc. These Tai peoples are classified by the Lao government as Lao Loum (ລາວລຸ່ມ) or lowland Lao. Lao and Thai are also very similar and share most of their basic vocabulary, but differences in many basic words limit inter-comprehension.
has contributed numerous terms, especially relating to religion and in conversation with members of the Sangha
. Due to their geographic proximity, Lao has influenced the Khmer and Thai languages and vice versa.
Formal writing has a larger amount of foreign loanwords, especially Pali and Sanskrit terms, much as Latin and Greek have influenced European languages. For politeness, pronouns (and more formal pronouns) are used, plus ending statements with ແດ່ (dè [dɛː]) or ເດີ (deu [dɤ̂ː]). Negative statements are made more polite by ending with ດອກ (dok [dɔ̭ːk]). The following are formal register examples. (khop chai lai lai deu [kɔ̭ːp t͡ɕàj lǎːj lǎːj dɤ̂ː]) Thank you very much. (khanoy bo dai dok deu [kʰa̭ːnɔ̂ːj bɔː dâj dɔ̭ːk dɤ̂]) I cannot.
(khai pa too hai dair [kʰǎj pa.tuː ha̭j dɛː ]) Open the door, please.
distinction. The vowels are as shown in the following table:
Diphthongs are all centering diphthongs with falling sonority:
. Any consonant may appear in the onset, but the labialized consonants do not occur before rounded vowels. Only /p t k ʔ m n ŋ w j/ may appear in the coda. If the vowel in the nucleus is short, it must be followed by a consonant in the coda; /ʔ/ in the coda can be preceded only by a short vowel. Open syllables (i.e. those with no coda consonant) and syllables ending in one of the sonorant
s /m n ŋ w j/ take one of the six tones, syllables ending in /p t k/ take one of four tones, and syllables ending in /ʔ/ take one of only two tones.
, and are not inflected to reflect declension or verbal tense, making Lao an analytic language. Special particle words serve the purpose of prepositions and verb tenses in lieu of conjugations and declensions. Lao is a subject–verb–object (SVO) language, although the subject is often dropped. In contrast to Thai, Lao uses pronouns more frequently.
script, based on Mon scripts and still used in temples in Laos and Isan. The Lao script (Tua Lao) has roots in the Brahmic script from India. Although similar to one another, the Lao alphabet is more phonetic than the Thai alphabet due to various Lao royal decrees concerning orthographic
reforms, resulting in the Lao script having fewer duplicate sounds thus making the Lao script more phonetic, efficient and easy to learn. Words are spelt according to phonetic principles as opposed to etymological principles. In addition to consonants having tone classes, tone marks facilitate marking tones where they are needed. Romanisation of Lao is inconsistent, but is based on French
transcriptive methods.
Numerals may be written out as words (1 vs. one), but numerical symbols are more common. Although Arabic numerals
are most common, Lao numerals, from the Brahmi script
are also taught and employed.
have five. Tones are determined as follows:
A silent ຫ (/h/) placed before certain consonants will produce place the other proceeding consonant in the high class. This can occur before the letters ງ /ŋ/, ຍ /ɲ/, ຣ /r/, and ວ /v/ and combined in special ligatures (considered separate letters) such as ຫຼ /l/, ໜ /n/, and ໝ /m/. In addition to ອ່ (low tone) and ອ້ (falling tone), there also exists the rare ອ໊ (high) ອ໋ (rising) tone marks.
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language
Isan language
Isan language is the collective name for the dialects of the Lao language as they are spoken in Thailand. It is spoken by approximately 20 million people, which is nearly one-third of the entire population of Thailand, predominantly in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand. There are also large...
. Being the primary language of the Lao people
Lao people
The Lao are an ethnic subgroup of Tai/Dai in Southeast Asia.-Names:The etymology of the word Lao is uncertain, although it may be related to tribes known as the Ai Lao who appear in Han Dynasty records in China and Vietnam as a people of what is now Yunan Province...
, Lao is also an important second language for the multitude of ethnic groups in Laos and in Isan. Lao, like all languages in Laos, is written in an abugida script
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...
. Although there is no official standard, the Vientiane
Vientiane
-Geography:Vientiane is situated on a bend of the Mekong river, which forms the border with Thailand at this point.-Climate:Vientiane features a tropical wet and dry climate with a distinct monsoon season and a dry season. Vientiane’s dry season spans from November through March. April marks the...
dialect has become the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
standard.
History
The Lao language is descended from Tai languagesTai languages
The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages are a branch of the Tai–Kadai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including standard Thai or Siamese, the national language of Thailand; Lao or Laotian, the national language of Laos; Burma's Shan language;...
spoken in what is now southern China and northern Vietnam (probably by some of the various peoples referred to as the Baiyue) in areas believed to be the homeland of the language family and where several related languages are still spoken by scattered minority groups. Due to Han Chinese expansion, Mongol invasion pressures, and a search for lands more suitable for wet-rice cultivation, the Tai peoples moved south towards India, down the Mekong River valley, and as far south as the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
. Oral history of the migrations is preserved in the legends of Khun Borom
Khun Borom
Khun Borom Rachathirath is the legendary progenitor of the Tai-speaking peoples, considered by the Lao and others to be the father of their race....
. Tai speakers in what is now Laos pushed out or absorbed earlier groups of Mon–Khmer and Austronesian languages.
Dialects
| Dialect | Lao Provinces | Thai Provinces |
| Vientiane Lao | Vientiane, Vientiane Capital Prefecture, Bolikhamsai | Nong Bua Lamphu, Chaiyaphum Chaiyaphum Province Chaiyaphum is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi and Phetchabun.- Etymology :... , and parts of Nong Khai Nong Khai Province Nong Khai is the northernmost of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Loei... , Yasothorn, Khon Kaen Khon Kaen Province -History:The first city of the area was established in 1783 when Rajakruluang settled there with 330 people. King Rama I made Rajakruluang the first governor of the area when establishing tighter connections with the Isan area. The main city was moved six times until in 1879 it reached its modern... , and Udon Thani Udon Thani Province Udon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :... . |
| Northern Lao | Luang Prabang, Sainyabuli, Oudomxay. | Loei Loei Province Loei is one of the most sparsely populated provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Nongbua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok... and parts of Udon Thani Udon Thani Province Udon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :... and Khon Kaen Khon Kaen Province -History:The first city of the area was established in 1783 when Rajakruluang settled there with 330 people. King Rama I made Rajakruluang the first governor of the area when establishing tighter connections with the Isan area. The main city was moved six times until in 1879 it reached its modern... . |
| Northeastern Lao/Tai Phuan | Xiangkhoang and Houaphanh. | Parts of Sakon Nakhon Sakon Nakhon Province Sakon Nakhon is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani... , Udon Thani Udon Thani Province Udon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :... . |
| Central Lao | Savannakhet and Khammouan. | Mukdahan Mukdahan Province Mukdahan is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, Roi Et, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom. To the east it borders the Mekong River, across which lies Savannakhet Province of Laos.-Geography:The province is located in the... and parts of Sakon Nakhon Sakon Nakhon Province Sakon Nakhon is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani... and Nong Khai Nong Khai Province Nong Khai is the northernmost of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Loei... . |
| Southern Lao | Champasak, Salavan, Sekong Sekong Province Sekong is a province of Laos, located in the south-east of the country.-Geography:Sekong was created in 1984, when it was split off from Salavan Province. It is bordered by Vietnam to the east, Attapeu Province to the south, Salavanh Province to the north, and Champasak Province to the west... , and Attapeu. |
Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani Province -History:The area was part of the Khmer Empire. Before the late eighteenth century, this area evidently was outside Siamese or Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom.... , Amnat Charoen Amnat Charoen Province Amnat Charoen is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon and Mukdahan. To the east it borders Salavan of Laos.-Geography:... , and parts of Yasothorn, Buriram Buriram Province Buri Ram or is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Sa Kaeo, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham and Surin. To the south-east it borders Oddar Meancheay of Cambodia... , Si Sa Ket, Surin Surin Province Surin is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Buriram, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et and Sisaket... and Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima Province Nakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand... |
| Western Lao | Kalasin Kalasin Province Kalasin is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Sakon Nakhon, Mukdahan, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.-Geography:... , Maha Sarakham Maha Sarakham Province Maha Sarakham is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the northeastern region of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Kalasin, Roi Et, Surin, Buriram and Khon Kaen.... , and Roi Et Roi Et Province Roi Et is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring Provinces are Kalasin, Mukdahan, Yasothon, Sisaket, Surin and Maha Sarakham.... . |
|
In addition to the dialects of Lao, numerous closely related languages (or dialects, depending on the classification) are spoken throughout the Lao-speaking realm in Laos and Thailand, such as the Nyaw, Phu Thai
Phu Thai language
Phu Thai , also known as Phuu Thai, is the language of the Phutai people. It is a closely related language to the Tai Dam, and Tai Don, it is less well related to the Isan and the Lao languages.-Speakers:...
, Saek
Saek
The Saek or Tai Saek are an ethnic group of Laos and Thailand. The Saek are a part of the larger Tai ethnicity.-Geographic distribution:The center of the Saek population is the Mekong River in central Laos...
, Lao Wieng
Lao Wieng
The Lao Wieng , are a Tai sub-ethnic group of the Isan region. Of the approximately 50,000 proclaimed Lao Wieng live in villages through the region, especially the provinces of Prachinburi, Udon Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Chai Nat, Lopburi, Saraburi, Phetchaburi and Roi Et with a significant number in...
, Tai Dam
Tai Dam
The Tai Dam or Tai Dum are an ethnic group of Laos, Vietnam, China, and Thailand.Tai Dam speakers in China are classified as part of the Dai nationality along with almost all the other Tai peoples...
, Tai Daeng, etc. These Tai peoples are classified by the Lao government as Lao Loum (ລາວລຸ່ມ) or lowland Lao. Lao and Thai are also very similar and share most of their basic vocabulary, but differences in many basic words limit inter-comprehension.
Vocabulary
The Lao language consists primarily of native Lao words. Because of Buddhism, however, PaliPáli
- External links :* *...
has contributed numerous terms, especially relating to religion and in conversation with members of the Sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
. Due to their geographic proximity, Lao has influenced the Khmer and Thai languages and vice versa.
Formal writing has a larger amount of foreign loanwords, especially Pali and Sanskrit terms, much as Latin and Greek have influenced European languages. For politeness, pronouns (and more formal pronouns) are used, plus ending statements with ແດ່ (dè [dɛː]) or ເດີ (deu [dɤ̂ː]). Negative statements are made more polite by ending with ດອກ (dok [dɔ̭ːk]). The following are formal register examples. (khop chai lai lai deu [kɔ̭ːp t͡ɕàj lǎːj lǎːj dɤ̂ː]) Thank you very much. (khanoy bo dai dok deu [kʰa̭ːnɔ̂ːj bɔː dâj dɔ̭ːk dɤ̂]) I cannot.
(khai pa too hai dair [kʰǎj pa.tuː ha̭j dɛː ]) Open the door, please.
Consonants
Many consonants in Lao make a phonemic contrast between labialized and plain versions. The complete inventory of Lao consonants is as shown in the table below:| Labial Labial consonant Labial consonants are consonants in which one or both lips are the active articulator. This precludes linguolabials, in which the tip of the tongue reaches for the posterior side of the upper lip and which are considered coronals... |
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... |
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... |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plain | lab. | plain | lab. | plain | lab. | plain | lab. | |||
| Plosive Stop consonant In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or an oral stop, is a stop consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be done with the tongue , lips , and &... |
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 | d | |||||||
| 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 | t | c | cʷ | k | kʷ | ʔ | ʔʷ | ||
| 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 | tʰ | tʷʰ | kʰ | kʷʰ | |||||
| 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 | s | sʷ | h | ||||||
| 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 | n | ɲ | ŋ | ŋʷ | |||||
| 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... |
l | lʷ | j | w | ||||||
Vowels
All vowels (including diphthongs) make a phonemic lengthVowel length
In linguistics, vowel length is the perceived duration of a vowel sound. Often the chroneme, or the "longness", acts like a consonant, and may etymologically be one, such as in Australian English. While not distinctive in most dialects of English, vowel length is an important phonemic factor in...
distinction. The vowels are as shown in the following table:
EWLINE
|
EWLINE
|
|
Diphthongs are all centering diphthongs with falling sonority:
| Closer component is front |
Closer component is back unrounded |
Closer component is back rounded |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Short diphthongs | iə̯ | ɯə̯ | uə̯ |
| Long diphthongs | iːə̯ | ɯːə̯ | uːə̯ |
Tone
Lao has the six tones shown in the following table. In the tone contour column, 1 stands for low pitch, 3 for medium pitch, and 5 for high pitch.| Name | Symbol on /e/ | Tone contour |
|---|---|---|
| Rising | ě | 24 or 214 |
| High level | é | 4 |
| High falling | ê | 53 |
| Mid level | ē | 3 |
| Low level | è | 1 |
| Low falling | ḙ | 31 |
Syllables
Lao syllables are of the form (C)V(C), i.e. they consist of a vowel in the syllable nucleus, optionally preceded by a single consonant in the syllable onset and optionally followed by single consonant in the syllable codaSyllable coda
In phonology, a syllable coda comprises the consonant sounds of a syllable that follow the nucleus, which is usually a vowel. The combination of a nucleus and a coda is called a rime. Some syllables consist only of a nucleus with no coda...
. Any consonant may appear in the onset, but the labialized consonants do not occur before rounded vowels. Only /p t k ʔ m n ŋ w j/ may appear in the coda. If the vowel in the nucleus is short, it must be followed by a consonant in the coda; /ʔ/ in the coda can be preceded only by a short vowel. Open syllables (i.e. those with no coda consonant) and syllables ending in one of the sonorant
Sonorant
In phonetics and phonology, a sonorant is a speech sound that is produced without turbulent airflow in the vocal tract; fricatives and plosives are not sonorants. Vowels are sonorants, as are consonants like and . Other consonants, like or , restrict the airflow enough to cause turbulence, and...
s /m n ŋ w j/ take one of the six tones, syllables ending in /p t k/ take one of four tones, and syllables ending in /ʔ/ take one of only two tones.
Morphology
The majority of Lao words are monosyllabicSyllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
, and are not inflected to reflect declension or verbal tense, making Lao an analytic language. Special particle words serve the purpose of prepositions and verb tenses in lieu of conjugations and declensions. Lao is a subject–verb–object (SVO) language, although the subject is often dropped. In contrast to Thai, Lao uses pronouns more frequently.
Script
The Lao religious script is written in the Tua ThamTua 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...
script, based on Mon scripts and still used in temples in Laos and Isan. The Lao script (Tua Lao) has roots in the Brahmic script from India. Although similar to one another, the Lao alphabet is more phonetic than the Thai alphabet due to various Lao royal decrees concerning orthographic
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
reforms, resulting in the Lao script having fewer duplicate sounds thus making the Lao script more phonetic, efficient and easy to learn. Words are spelt according to phonetic principles as opposed to etymological principles. In addition to consonants having tone classes, tone marks facilitate marking tones where they are needed. Romanisation of Lao is inconsistent, but is based on French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
transcriptive methods.
Numerals may be written out as words (1 vs. one), but numerical symbols are more common. Although Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals
Arabic numerals or Hindu numerals or Hindu-Arabic numerals or Indo-Arabic numerals are the ten digits . They are descended from the Hindu-Arabic numeral system developed by Indian mathematicians, in which a sequence of digits such as "975" is read as a numeral...
are most common, Lao numerals, from the Brahmi script
Brāhmī script
Brāhmī is the modern name given to the oldest members of the Brahmic family of scripts. The best-known Brāhmī inscriptions are the rock-cut edicts of Ashoka in north-central India, dated to the 3rd century BCE. These are traditionally considered to be early known examples of Brāhmī writing...
are also taught and employed.
Punctuation
Lao is traditionally not written with spaces between words, although signs of change are multiplying. Spaces are reserved for ends of clauses or sentences. Periods are not used, and questions can be determined by question words in a sentence. Traditional punctuation marks include ໌, an obsolete mark indicating silenced consonants; ໆ, used to indicate repetition of the following word; ຯ, the Lao ellipsis that is also used to indicate omission of words; ฯ, a more or less obsolete symbol indicating shortened form of a phrase (such as royal names); and ฯລฯ, used to indicate et cetera. In more contemporary writing, punctuation marks are borrowed from French, such as exclamation point !, question mark ?, parentheses , and «» for quotation marks, although "" is also common. Hyphens (-) and the ellipsis (...) are also commonly found in modern writing.Indication of tones
Experts disagree on the number and nature of tones in the various dialects of Lao. According to some, most dialects of Lao and Isan have six tones, those of Luang PrabangLuang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
have five. Tones are determined as follows:
| Tones | Long vowel, or vowel plus voiced consonant | Long vowel plus unvoiced consonant | Short vowel, or short vowel plus unvoiced consonant | Mai ek (ອ່) | Mai tho (ອ້) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High consonants | rising | low falling | high | mid | low falling |
| Mid consonants | low rising | low falling | high | mid | high falling |
| Low consonants | high | high falling | mid | mid | high falling |
A silent ຫ (/h/) placed before certain consonants will produce place the other proceeding consonant in the high class. This can occur before the letters ງ /ŋ/, ຍ /ɲ/, ຣ /r/, and ວ /v/ and combined in special ligatures (considered separate letters) such as ຫຼ /l/, ໜ /n/, and ໝ /m/. In addition to ອ່ (low tone) and ອ້ (falling tone), there also exists the rare ອ໊ (high) ອ໋ (rising) tone marks.