Certainly. For
these Lao language issues, historical analysis and current and previous
developments, I recommend that you read the following very interesting
essays written in the book Laos - Culture and Society,
1999. Another informative book on Laos published by Silkworm Books.
Towards
a New Laos - Lao Nyay and the Campaign for a National Reawakening
in Laos 1941-45
By Soren Ivarrson
(Specifically the subsection entitled "Towards a Standardization
of the Lao Language".)
Books of
Search - The Invention of Traditional Lao Literature as a Subject
of Study
By Peter Koret
(There is a very interesting subsection on the printing technology
and its effects on Lao literature.)
Lao as a
National Language
by N.J. Enfield
All of these
essays talk on historical analysis as well as the current situation
and developments of their respective sub-topics on Lao language.
All very interesting and invaluable for those interested in Lao
language and linguistic studies.
Your first impressions
combine both good and bad and sometimes Laos ends up being more
or less of what you expected. First the terrain and physical features.
Let's talk about Vientiane city. Buildings appear crumbling, falling
apart or just plain dirty from the dirt, dust and smog. On the other
hand there are some very well maintained houses and buildings. When
you drive through neighborhoods you see a combination of houses
of modernity with those made from wood and on stilts. It's a third
world country but it has a burgeoning middle upper class and a well
established highly rich class.
There's also
the traffic. With not that many traffic lights and odd driving habits
of locals, it at first appears very much like chaos until you start
to get used to it.
Also, even though
it is a communist country, you don't generally get the sense of
a strict iron first lingering around that every one talks about.
However the locals have a stronger 'feeling' or may be 'fear' of
this. But when you compare it to other countries of the same ideology,
Laos is much more calmer.
There's also
the issue of the media. Some of the awful things that have occured,
like the bombings, have been reported. Although not always. And
sometimes the stories are modified when they are reported. Many
foreigners often read about controversial things from the internet
or foreign newspapers before it finally appears in the local newspapers.
Another thing: In Paxason and Vientiane Mai newspapers, the government
writers criticize themselves, societal problems and other issues
(ie. corruption). One might be surprised to find this since we often
assume that governments who follow this ideology strictly regulate
the press and do not allow articles that criticize the way things
are in the country.
Essentially,
what I'm saying is that the country is full of contradictions, both
good and bad. It helps to make things interesting I suppose. Laos
as full of contradictions, those are my impressions.
