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Lao is a tonal language, where the pitch or tone of a word can alter its meaning, and is analytic, forming sentences through the combination of individual words without inflection. These features, common in Kra-Dai languages , also bear similarities to Sino-Tibetan languages like Chinese or Austroasiatic languages like Vietnamese .
Lao script or Akson Lao (Lao: ອັກສອນລາວ [ʔák.sɔ̌ːn láːw]) is the primary script used to write the Lao language and other minority languages in Laos. Its earlier form, the Tai Noi script , was also used to write the Isan language , but was replaced by the Thai script .
In Laos, Tai Noi survives with a few modifications as the Lao script. [2] The Lao script is a direct descendant of Tai Noi and continues its role as the official written language of the Lao language of the left bank as well as the script used to transcribe minority languages.
Lao is generally a subject–verb–object language, but emphasis can move the object to the beginning of a sentence. The language lacks both agreement and case marking, but word order is very free, with predicate-argument relations determined largely through context.
Many Lao terms are very similar to words that are profane, vulgar or insulting in the Thai language, features that are much deprecated. Lao uses ອີ່ (/ʔīː/ and ອ້າຍ/archaic ອ້າຽ (/ʔâːj/), to refer to young girls and slightly older boys, respectively.
The main thing that differentiates Isan from Lao is the use of numerous Thai words. The process accelerated with greater integration of Isan into Thai political control in the early 20th century. Thai words make up the bulk of scientific, technical, governmental, political, academic, and slang vocabularies that have been adopted in Isan.
This is the pronunciation key for IPA transcriptions of Lao on Wikipedia. It provides a set of symbols to represent the pronunciation of Lao in Wikipedia articles, and example words that illustrate the sounds that correspond to them.
Laos, [c] officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR), [d] is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. [12] Its capital and most populous city is Vientiane.