Lao language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lao |
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| ພາສາລາວ, Phasa Lao | ||||
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| Native to | Laos Thailand (Isan) Cambodia (Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Ratanakiri) |
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| Ethnicity | Lao Isan |
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| Native speakers | 30 million (date missing) | |||
| Language family |
Tai–Kadai
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| Dialects |
Northern Lao (Louang Phrabang Lao)
Northeastern Lao
Central Lao (Phuan)
Southern Lao
Western Lao
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| Writing system | Lao script in Laos Thai script in Thailand Thai and Lao Braille |
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| Official status | ||||
| Official language in |  Laos
 ASEAN |
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| Recognised minority language in |  Thailand Cambodia |
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| Regulated by | Educational Science Research Institute, Ministry of Education and Sports and Institute of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, National University of Laos |
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| Linguasphere | 47-AAA-c | |||
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Lao or Laotian is the official language of Laos, a country in Southeast Asia. It is also spoken by many people in the northeast part of Thailand. Lao is part of the Tai languages family.
Lao is written using a special writing system called an abugida. This means each letter usually represents a consonant and a vowel together. There are different ways people speak Lao, but the way it is spoken in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos, is considered the standard form for writing.
Lao and Thai are very similar languages. They both come from the same Tai language family. People who speak northern Thai dialects and Lao can often understand each other quite well. This is called being mutually intelligible.
Contents
The History of the Lao Language
Lao is one of the many Tai languages. These languages were first spoken in what is now northern Vietnam and southern China. Long ago, groups like the Mongols expanded their lands. This pushed the Tai people south towards places like India.
As the Tai people moved, their language changed. It was influenced by other languages in the region. These included the Mon-Khmer languages and the Austronesian languages.
How Lao Writing Developed
The written form of Lao has an interesting history. It originally came from the Pali language, which is an ancient language from India. Buddhists brought this writing system to the region about two thousand years ago. This is how the script used for Lao began.
Understanding Lao Vocabulary
Lao mainly uses words that are native to the language itself. However, because Buddhism is very important in Laos, many religious words have come from other languages.
Lao has also influenced the Khmer and Thai languages, and vice versa. This means words have been shared between them. The written form of Lao has many loanwords. This is similar to how Latin and Greek words have influenced many European languages.
Polite Language in Lao
Being polite is important in Lao. People use special pronouns, which are words like "I" or "you," to show respect. They also add certain words to the end of sentences. For example, they might end statements with ແດ່ (dè) or ເດີ້ (deu) to be polite.
If someone says something negative, they can make it more polite by ending the sentence with ດອກ (dok). Here are some examples of polite phrases:
- ຂອບໃຈຫຼາຍໆເດີ້ (khop chai lai lai deu) means Thank you very much.
- ຂ້ານ້ອຍເຮັດບໍ່ໄດ້ດອກ (khanoi hét bo dai dok) means I cannot.
- ໄຂປະຕູໃຫ້ແດ່ (khai pa too hai dè) means Open the door, please.
Images for kids
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Wat Phra That Phanom in Nakhon Phanom. This temple was built in the 16th century. It is a very important place for people to visit, especially for Lao people from Laos and Isan.
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Temple mural of Wat Photaram in Maha Sarakham Province. This artwork is from the time of Siamese Ruler Rama III (1788-1851). The writing on it uses the Tai Noi script, which is an old form of the Lao alphabet.
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A street sign in Vientiane that is written in both Lao and French. Even though French words are not used as much in Lao now, hundreds of words from French are still used in Laos.
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Lao script on a sign at Wat That Luang, Vientiane.
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An example of the Tai Tham alphabet. This alphabet was once used in Laos for writing religious books.
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A sutra (religious text) written in the Khom script. This Khmer script was used for Buddhist, Brahmanic, and other religious writings.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma lao para niños
