Lao is spoken in Laos and northeastern Thailand, where it is called Isan. Focusing on the dialect that is accepted as the central language of the Lao P.D.R., this is the first Lao dictionary to present the correct Vientiane pronunciation. It is designed both for travelers and those wishing to learn native pronunciation. As one of the few Lao-English dictionaries available, the English-Lao section has been expanded for those English speakers who have been seeking such a reference.
Bilingual Dictionaries, Inc. is the publisher of the Word to Word® bilingual dictionaries series with over 30 languages that are 100% Word to Word®. The Word to Word® series provides ELL students with standardized bilingual dictionaries approved for state testing. Students with different backgrounds can now use dictionaries from the same series that are specifically designed to create an equal resource that strictly adheres to the guidelines set by districts and states.
This book offers clear, easy, step-by-step instruction, building on what has been previously learned. It also written in a brisk, interesting style using beautiful Lao script.
Comprehensive Lao dictionary. Also includes romanized equivalents of Lao words and provides tone numbers indicating the tone of each syllable. Suitable for self-study, and building vocabulary.
Spirits of the Place is a rare and timely contribution to our understanding of religious culture in Laos and Southeast Asia. Most often studied as a part of Thai, Vietnamese, or Khmer history, Laos remains a terra incognita to most Westerners—and to many of the people living throughout Asia as well. John Holt’s new book brings this fascinating nation into focus. With its overview of Lao Buddhism and analysis of how shifting political power—from royalty to democracy to communism—has impacted Lao religious culture, the book offers an integrated account of the entwined political and religious history of Laos from the fourteenth century to the contemporary era. Holt advances the provocative argument that common Lao knowledge of important aspects of Theravada Buddhist thought and practice has been heavily conditioned by an indigenous religious culture dominated by the veneration of phi, spirits whose powers are thought to prevail over and within specific social and geographical domains. The enduring influence of traditional spirit cults in Lao culture and society has brought about major changes in how the figure of the Buddha and the powers associated with Buddhist temples and reliquaries—indeed how all ritual spaces and times—have been understood by the Lao. Despite vigorous attempts by Buddhist royalty, French rationalists, and most recently by communist ideologues to eliminate the worship of phi, spirit cults have not been displaced; they continue to persist and show no signs of abating. Not only have the spirits resisted eradication, but they have withstood synthesis, subordination, and transformation by Buddhist political and ecclesiastical powers. Rather than reduce Buddhist religious culture to a set of simple commonalities, Holt takes a comparative approach, using his nearly thirty years’ experience with Sri Lanka to elucidate what is unique about Lao Buddhism. This stimulating book invites students in the fields of the history of religion and Buddhist and Southeast Asian studies to take a fresh look at prevailing assumptions and perhaps reconsider the place of Buddhism in Laos and Southeast Asia.
This is an effective and concise self–study Lao language book. Lao for Beginners is for the person who is beginning to learn Lao. It is an incredibly useful introduction to spoken Lao for tourists, businesspeople or students. Lao for Beginners is primarily a workbook full of exercises to help beginners practice and acquire the ability to communicate with Lao people in spoken Lao. It is not a phrase book to scratch the surface of the Lao language. The book has been tested in classrooms and by individuals who have used it successfully to learn Lao. This beginning Lao text was designed for people who want to learn how to speak Lao fast. The book mainly teaches speaking Lao although there is a section which teaches reading Lao. The vocabulary in the whole text is limited to the 1,000 most frequently used words in everyday speech based on one of the author's own research in Vietnamese. The Lao words are listed in a special glossary for beginners which is arranged in English alphabetical order. To make studying easier, all exercises are written in phonetic Lao as well as authentic Lao script. As an additional aid, a review of the major features of Lao grammar is condensed into only 16 pages (including very useful tables) and is located in one place so that it can be read quickly and used as a reference frequently. Lao for Beginners is organized in five parts: Part 1: How to speak Lao. Part 2: Grammar Review. Part 3: How to Read Lao. Part 4: Lao–English Glossary for Beginners.
This is a concise, do–it– yourself guide to the Lao language Lao Basics teaches conversational Lao from the very beginning with an emphasis on reading and writing an is the easiest way to learn Lao. Students of Thai will find Lao quite simple, as much of these two languages are the same or very similar. These languages derive from Sanskrit and share many of the same consonants, vowels, vocabulary and grammar. Lao Basics is organized so that you first learn to read Lao, write Lao, speak Lao and comprehend the 26 consonants in their tonal classes. Once you have mastered these you will study the 28 vowels in subsets. Within each vowel grouping, you will learn vocabulary, conversational phrases, alphabetical order and sentence structure through exercises that grow more challenging as your vocabulary increases. As you progress through Lao Basics, vocabulary from previous lessons will be repeated regularly and our command of the written and spoken language will steadily improve. And you can do all this on your own. Each chapter's Lao words and exercises have been recorded on the accompanying downloadable audio, and all of the exercises answers are in the back of the book. Highlights of this book are: Throughout, review exercises with answer keys help you polish your skills. The vocabulary and phrases are written in Lao script, and are accompanied by pronunciations that help English speakers to say them accurately. The downloadable audio includes every vocabulary item, sample phrases, and exercises, so that you can learn from native voices.
This practical hands-on book builds a solid foundation to help students with the Lao writing system. The book contains fun visuals and worksheet activities for beginners who are just learning how to read and write. It covers consonants, vowels, words, and sentences in a gradual step-by-step process. Additionally, you'll get to hear the audio recordings of all the Lao words in this book!You will learn 100+ Lao words as you learn to write in Lao!Some of the many words you will learn are ສະບາຍດີ /sa-bai-dee/ "Hello" and food words like ຕຳຫມາກຫຸ່ງ /Tham Mak Hoong/ "Papaya salad." Plus, know what each of the consonants/vowels represent in the sound of the Lao alphabet. The Sentences section will give you an overview of Lao grammar and provide you with a good amount of practice to write complete sentences.After completing this book, you will be able to recognize and write sentences like these (and more) on your own:ບໍ່ເປັນຫຍັງ = Not a problemເຈົ້າກິນເຂົ້າໜຽວຫຼາຍກວ່າຂ້ອຍ = You ate more sticky rice than meໝົກປານີ້ແຊບແທ້ໆ = This steamed fish is really deliciousຂ້ອຍກິນຊີ້ນໝູກັບແຈ່ວເຜັດ = I eat pork with hot dipping sauceຂ້ອຍຢາກກິນຕຳຫມາກຫຸ່ງເຜັດແທ້ = I want to eat papaya salad that's really spicyIf you can write in Lao, then learning to type/text in Lao on your mobile or computer should be easier.There are printable/cutout flashcards, worksheets and writing exercises to help you retain the skills. They are made to be printed out as many as you want. Because it is a digital product, you will get it instantly. With accompanying audio, you'll be able to recognize many Lao words written in its native script.
