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It’s no biggie, I’m Lao and write a Lao blog, I should know all these terms by heart but I find the comment amusing also. Your 8th grade education in Laos is better than mine, Zero! Although I almost completed the 4th grade in Thailand.

if I may… I like to correct mr. professor..

muang = town or city… for example, muang vientaine, muang pakse, and etc..

pa thate lao = refers to Laos (as a country)

i might be wrong… what do i know, i only finish 8 grade worth of schooling in laos.

Lao refers to the LANGUAGE

Lao refers to PEOPLE

Muang Lao refers to Laos (as a country)

Whereas:

LAOTIAN is an adjectival from of the above nouns. For example:

We do it the laotian way,
The laotian frontiers, etc….
Laos, is or was known as Lao PDR

So, is a LAO woman, Lao food, LAO drink, etc…..

Get back to me if you need more info.

I guess non of the Lao speak like that, I need to tell my dad, and he said he heard one Luang Prabang person pronounced it that way, but I bet the person was pronouncing it like the French. I know the Chinese called Lao people Leal Gork, I grew up in NYC and my sister used to work in Chinatown and that’s what they called her.

Thanks for commenting to clarify this for me.

I have not heard the pronunciation like that for a long long time. I remember long ago some kid used to tell me how easy it is to speak French, all you have to do is just add ous to the end of each Laotian word, and I thought I could speak French back then. In anyhow, we don’t pronounce La-ous for Laos. We simply say Lao just the same way you do with slightly different tone of voice. Remember Lao Folktales – Nang Sangkaan video and how Mr. Akkasith said it? He is much more authentic Luang Prabang than me.

Shawn

My dad thought that it was the Luang Prabang people that told them the name because the last king of the Kingdom of Laos (Pre 1975) was King Sisavang Vatthana, and he was from Luang Prabang and it might have been the Kingdom of La-ous back then also. I see the French spelled Laotian as Laotienne, must also pronounced as Lao-tienne then.

My family is from southern Laos. But I have an aunt is from Luang Prabang. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to understand her accent. But I don’t think she ever pronounce Laos with the “s”.

The version I’ve heard is that when the French saw that Laos was so disfranchised. This was due to it’s many different leaders. The people of Laos was also separated by 3 different regions. The North, South, and finally central capital area of Vientiane. So the French decided to call it “Laos” as a way to unite the country.

But I do like the theory that they got drunk with too much wine. Another thing, they did try growing grapes, but was unsuccessful due to the tropical climate.

I use the word “Laos” when I speak English, referring to the country.

For some reason, the word “Laotian” doesn’t sound right to me. I especially dislike it when some people pronounce it “Lay-o-tian” or “Lee-o-tian.”

My boyfriend who is raised in Wisconsin who is also Lao, likes to prounounce it Lee-o-tian—-it gets on my nerves!!! but I guess people have their way of saying things. As long as it’s not derogatory, then I’m okay with it.