In 1949 there
was a decree by the government stating that all of Lao language should
be written as it is spoken in Laos. More in particular, this was to
ensure that the people (and young people who were learning Laotian
for the first time) would use words that reflected Lao language phonology
and style.
This was done
because the Lao language borrowed many words from Pali/Sanskrit and
to prevent confusion of having spelt words in the Pali/Sanskrit way
yet pronouncing it differently in spoken Laotian language would no
longer occur (not to mention to help the Lao language assimilate Pali/Sanskrit
words into making it into its own 'style', as it were).
It is often said
that the aspects of human life and of societal characteristics are
often found in a society's language. And I've found this to be very
true with Laotian language as well.
People often characterize
Laotians as genial, fun and polite people. Of course it's never accurate
to generalize about an entire group of people.
However, if you
look at how we address each other in traditional Lao language, the
vocabulary words used are often words that denote closeness even if
the person you are addressing is a stranger. For example when we address
others who may also be of no blood relation, we still use 'family'
words such "I" (older brother), "E'euw" (older
sister), "Mae'pa" (aunt), "Pu'lng" (uncle), etc.
Another example
is the word "chai" which is used in several words in the
Lao vocabulary. Singularly it means "mind" but it's found
many times as a part of other words. A few examples shown below:
chai = mind
hua'chai = heart
kop'chai = thank you
see'ah chai - to be disappointed/hurt or let down; literally "lose
mind/heart"
Last example:
greetings and salutations are often very different from those of Western
languages and again denote closeness and good will. Hello
in Lao is "Sabaidee" which is approximate to "doing
well/good/easy". And goodbye in Lao is "Saukdee" which
literally means "good luck or good karma" to the person
you are addressing.
People often say
French is the language of love or that Italian is the best of the
Romance languages, etc. But I think Laotian is truly the
language of love.
Side Note/FACT:
One of the most popular forms of literature in Laos are the prose
and poetry. In Laos these poems were almost entirely written as forms
of affection and written even into music. Ex. love poems - which are
quite plentiful in the country.
