Lao (ພາສາລາວ pháa-sǎa láo) is the main language of Laos. Thai is also closely related to Lao, and the Isaan dialect spoken in the northeast is, with minor differences in vocabulary aside, virtually identical to Lao.
It is best not to try to learn Lao from local magazines, local books or the internet as they are sometimes fully Thai language (and completely not Lao). The best way to learn Lao is to learn Thai first, then learn Lao while listening to Lao people speaking.
Lao is a tonal language with six tones in the Vientiane dialect: low, mid, high, rising, high falling, and low falling. Meanings are dependent on the tone, so try not to inflect your sentences; in particular, questions should be pronounced as flat statements, without the rising intonation ("...yes?") typical to English questions.
The script used to write Lao has the same Brahmic base as Thai and Khmer, and Thai readers will be able to figure out most of it. The Lao written language is essentially alphabetic and, thanks to extensive post-revolutionary meddling, now considerably more phonetic than Thai or Khmer. Still, there are 30 consonants, 15 vowel symbols plus 4 tone marks to learn, and the Lao also share the Thai aversion to spaces between words. Lao remains a bit of challenge to pick up, even though it is usually considered easier to learn than Thai.
Lao romanization is bedeviled by the incompatibility between French and English pronunciation. Most older transliterations are French-based, while newer ones are English-based. The French-style "Vientiane", for example, is more accurately spelled "Wiang Chan" in English. Wikitravel uses a modern English-based orthography modeled on the Thai system, but the French transliterations have been noted below when appropriate.
Instant Lao
Speak Thai already? Here's a three-step program for instant Lao fluency:
The letter "r" must be eliminated.
At the beginning of a word, "r" turns into "l": roi → loi "hundred"
Within a word, "r" turns into "l": karunaa → kalunaa "please"
In a cluster, "r" disappears completely: prathet → pathet "country"
All "ch" turn into "x" (pronounced "s"). chang → xang "elephant"
Say baw instead of mai when you want to say "no" or ask a question.
Of course, there's quite a bit more to it than that, but it's a start!
Lao has a complicated set of vowels that distinguishes between vowel length (short and long) and vowel position (front and back). Vowel signs are always written around consonants.
French transliterations use "ou" for "u" (eg. "Louang Prabang") and often tag an unpronounced "e" at the end of words to stop the consonant from being swallowed (eg. "Kaysone Phomvihane").
i
like in the 'i' in 'nit'
ii
like in the 'ee' in 'beer' or 'Feet'
a
like in the 'u' in 'bum'
aa
like in the 'a' in 'father'
ae
like in the 'a' in 'fat'
e
like in the 'e' in 'fence'
eh
like in the 'a' in 'bait'
u
like in the 'u' for 'fruit'
ou
like in the 'oo' in 'mood'
aw
like in the 'aw' in 'saw'
am
like in the 'um' in 'drum'
oe
not found in English, but similar to the 'uh' in 'huh'
eu
not found in English, but similar to the 'i' in 'sir' or the 'eux' from the French 'deux'
Lao distinguishes between aspirated ("with a puff of air") and unaspirated ("without a puff of air") consonants. Unaspirated consonants exist in English too, but never alone: compare the sound of 'p' in "pot" (aspirated) and "spot" (unaspirated). Many English speakers find it helpful to pronounce an imperceptible little "m" in front to 'stop' the puff.
In romanized Lao, the distinction is usually represented by writing aspirated consonants with "h" and unaspirated ones without it. In particular, "ph" represents a hard aspirated 'p' and not a soft 'f', and Phongsali is thus pronounced "Pongsalee". Likewise, "th" is a hard aspirated 't' and hence That Luang is pronounced "Tat Luang".
b
like 'b' in "bed"
c
not used in Wikitravel, but in other romanizations may represent 's'
d
like 'd' in "dog"
f
like 'f' in "fan"
g
not used in Wikitravel, but in other romanizations may represent unaspirated 'k'
h
like 'h' in "help"
j
like 'dg' in "edge"
k
like 'k' in "skate" (unaspirated)
kh
like 'c' in "cat" (aspirated)
l
like 'l' in "love"
m
like 'm' in "mother"
n
like 'n' in "nice"
ny
like 'ni' in "onion", can also be used at the beginning of words
ng
like 'ng' in "sing", can also be used at the beginning of words
p
like 'p' in "spit" (unaspirated)
ph
like 'p' in "pig" (aspirated)
r
not used the modern orthography, should be pronounced as 'l', 'h' or ignored
s
like 'ss' in "hiss",
t
like 't' sound in "stab"
th
like 't' in "top"
v
not used in Wikitravel, but in other romanizations may represent 'w'
Phrases in this section are not consistently transcribed with BGN/PCGN and Wikitravel's romanization guidelines. If you are familiar with the language, please help fix them up!
Lao numbers are effectively identical to Thai, the two quirks worth noting being that 20 is sao (not yii-sip) and 100 is loi. Speakers of Cantonese will find many quite familiar.
Lao has its own set of numerals, but these are used quite rarely.
It was a misunderstanding. (man penh kharn khao jai pit)
Where are you taking me?
(Jao sii pha khoy bai sai)
Am I under arrest?
(Khoy teuk jop bor)
I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen.
(English: khawy maa ta ung-kit)
I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate.
I need to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. (...)
I want to talk to a lawyer.
I want to talk to a lawyer. (...)
Can I just pay a fine now?
Can I just pay a fine now? (khoy jaii kah pup mai dieo nii dai baw)
pa saa ung-kit bor? Khoy coup jai lai lai khon chop lout
This is a usable phrasebook. It explains pronunciation and the bare essentials of travel communication. An adventurous person could use it to get by, but please plunge forward and help it grow!
