ThetonesonLaowordsvaryfromregiontoregion.ThewaythelanguageispronouncedisdifferentinKhonKaen,Udon,Ubon/Pakse,NongKhai,Vientiane,Savannakhet,andLuangPrabang.HeretheVientianepronunciationisdescribed.Ifyou'reinNortheasternThailandorinareasofLaosoutsideofVientianesomewordswillhavedifferenttones.

TheGreatToneControversy

InVientianethesedaysthebigdebateishowmanytonestheVientianevarietyofthelanguagehas.Thedebateisdividedintotwoschools:

6tones-ThismaybecalledtheDongDokgroup,representedbypeopleteachingandlearningLaobytheDongDokUniversitycurriculumandolderbookssuchasTuttle.Thisgroupsaysthatonecategoryofwordshaswhattheycalla"low"tonethatneverthelessrisesslightly(andmoreinsidethethroat)whenpronounced.

5tones-ThisgroupisrepresentedbyseveralpeopleholdingPhD'sinLaolanguageinAustraliaandAmericaandpeoplewhohavelearnedLaoindependentlyinVientiane.Theysaythatthetoneinthecategorycalled"low"bytheDongDokgroupactuallyisthesametoneasinthetruerisingcategoryontheLaotonechart.

TounderstandthisdebateyouneedtounderstandtheLaotonechart.TheauthorofthiswebsiteandoftheLaophrasebookpresentedheredecidedtousethefive-tonesystemafterlisteningtospeakersinVientiane.Isawthatthe"low"tonewasactuallyrisingwhenpeoplesaidit,althoughsomepeoplegaveitafainterrisingsoundonsomewords.Otherpeople,though,gaveitastrongrisingsoundthatsoundedthesameasa"real"risingtone.SomefurtherstudybytheDongDokgroupisneededtoseeiftheir"low"tonereallyexists(inanycaseitsoundsverydifferentfromwhatiscalledalowtoneinThai).

So,atleastonthiswebsiteLaohasfivetonesandyoucanlearntopronouncewordslikeaVientianeresident.

Vowellength-LikeThai,Laohastwovowellengths.AllLaowordshaveeitheralongvowellength,withthepronunciationdrawnout,orashortvowellengthwiththewordpronouncedquickly.Shortvowel-lengthwordsaremarkedherewithanasterisk.

TheFiveTones

midtone-Thisisspokenwithyournormalvoice.Anasteriskoverthevoweldenotesashortvowellength.

highfallingtone-Hereyoustartsayingthewordatalevelthat'shigherthanyournormalvoicethenfalltoamidtonewhilesayingtheword.

highfalLing-short

touse

餡

hdghfalLing-long

sai

leftfside]

lowfallingtone-ThisisthetoneinLaothat'sreallydifferentfromThaitones.Hereyoustartataroundamidlevelandfalltoalowersound.Thetonemarkerusedherehasthefallinglineplacedalittlelowerthanthehigh-fallingmarker.

lowfalling-short

hail

togive

J

lowfalling-long

bawkl

totell

hightone-Thistoneisatahightomid/highlevel.Whenthevowellengthislongthesoundrisesattheendbutwhenit'sshortthesoundjustremainsatthesamehighlevel.

risington-eHereyoustartatalevellowerthanyournormalvoiceandcomeuptoamidlevelwhil