Lao language
Lao is a Tai language spoken chiefly in Laos and northeastern Thailand. It is closely related to Isan, and Lao is the official language of Laos.
Tai languages: A family of languages spoken across parts of mainland Southeast Asia and southern China. Lao belongs to this family, alongside Thai, Shan, and other related languages.
Isan language: A Tai language spoken in northeastern Thailand and closely related to Lao. Isan and Lao share substantial linguistic features, while national boundaries and standardization distinguish them.
Proto-Tai language: The reconstructed ancestor of the Tai languages, inferred by comparing their shared features. Comparative evidence places Lao within the historical descent of Tai languages.
Lao orthography: The conventions for spelling and writing Lao, including the use of Lao script. Official spelling standards govern Lao literacy and distinguish written forms from speech variation.
Lao script: An abugida used to write Lao, descended from the Khmer script. Its consonant classes and vowel signs encode distinctions central to standard Lao spelling.
Thai language: A Tai language and the official language of Thailand. Thai is Lao's closest widely known national-language neighbor, but the two have distinct standards and scripts.
Tai migration: The long-term movement of Tai-speaking populations across mainland Southeast Asia. These migrations helped establish Tai languages, including Lao, across the region.
Lao literature: Oral and written works composed in Lao, including poetry, stories, and modern writing. Literature records Lao language use across religious, courtly, and contemporary settings.
Tone (linguistics): A linguistic feature in which pitch differences distinguish words or grammatical forms. Pitch distinguishes meanings in Lao, though the number and realization of tones vary by dialect.
Tai Dam language: A Southwestern Tai language spoken by Tai Dam communities in Southeast Asia. It illustrates the linguistic diversity within the broader Tai family that includes Lao.