As mentioned on
the LCW Lao Language pages, the Lao language of course did exist prior
to the introduction of Pali/Sanskrit when Buddhism arrived. However
admittedly it did add a great deal to the existing vocabulary and
introduced a new written form that would become modern day written
Lao as we know it.
Here are some
examples: the Laotian word for country or state is 'pathet' (pronounced:
pataet) which comes from the Pali/Sanskrit word 'pradesha'. And Vientiane,
the capital city, (pronounced: viengchun) comes from the words 'vieng'
meaning city and chan/chun comes from the Pali/Sanskrit word 'chandana'.
Indeed it is.
One of our friends here at LCW will be visiting Laos this summer as
well. It'll be an exciting adventure.
For anyone's misgivings
and apprehensions on Laos, you have to visit it and see for yourself
and then make your own judgement. With our own personal experiences
and with those we've spoken with, Laos was either more than what they
expected or a lot less. But the general consensus is that it's a lot
of fun, the people are friendly and it's quite cheap to travel around/eat/stay
at.
Most people tend
to visit when they have time off from work or school, that is during
the summer. So certainly visiting now would be totally ok. Just keep
in mind that during the summer months it's considered rainy or monsoon
season in Laos. So be prepared for that.
And as mentioned in the previous Advice Column, there aren't SARS
cases in Laos to worry about.
Have fun and be
sure to tell us of your experiences.
