082000 Mind your language, it's Lao not Thai

A LAOTIAN tells you he "pae" in a game of cards. Thinking this means he lost
- as the word means in Thai - you tell him to take it easy. He looks confused
and asks why you don't congratulate him for winning.
This is one of many examples of the differences between the Thai and Lao
languages, despite the many cultural and linguistic similarities shared by the
two nations.
On closer inspection, it is amazing just how different the Lao and Thai
languages can be.
For example, the word "pa", meaning "meet" in the northern and northeastern
Thai dialects, means "divorce" or "separate" in Lao.
Even though many Thai and Lao words have the same pronunciation, their
meanings are different, which can lead to misunderstandings, said Chob
Deesuankoke, a lecturer at the Human Faculty and Laos information Centre at Khon
Khaen University.
For example, the word used to describe a seminar, brainstorming session or
meeting in Thai means brainwashing in Lao.
As one can see, misunderstandings based on such linguistic differences can
easily lead to a faux pas.
It is no different at the diplomatic level. Diplomats from both countries
interviewed by The Nation admitted there were times when both sides were at
loggerheads as to how to interpret the wording in important documents and joint
statements.
Don Pramudwinai, director-general of the Thai Foreign Ministry's Information
Department, said there were times when delegates from both countries were
puzzled during exchanges during bilateral meetings.
Formal discussions with foreign governments are conducted in English, but
during bilateral meetings between Thailand and Laos, both countries use their
respective languages.
In an effort to overcome this obstacle, the Thai-Lao Association and its
Laotian counterpart, the Lao-Thai Friendship Association, are busy compiling the
first Thai-Lao dictionary.
Admittedly, some Thai-Lao dictionaries are already available, but these only
provide a basic understanding of both languages.
What is special about the new bilingual dictionary is that it pays specific
attention to words that are pronounced the same way by Thais and Laotians but
differ in meaning.
Udom Buasri, a professor from the Laos Information Centre at Khon Khaen
University, will oversee Thailand's contribution to the project. His Laotian
counterpart is Khampao Kwankaew, deputy chairman of the Lao-Thai Friendship
Association and former official from the Lao Ministry of Education and United
Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation (UNESCO).
Once the research is complete a seminar will be held, to which organisations
that need to use Lao, such as the Thai Journalists Association, will be invited.
The seminar will be held in a couple of months.
As well as helping officials and journalists, the dictionary would also
benefit the general public and private sector as well, said Don.
Another book covering the written text, syntax and linguistic structure of
both languages is a likely follow-up project, he added.
A Laotian official who asked not to be named said the dictionary would be
very useful to the people of both countries.
He believed it would take some time to compile clear definitions for all the
commonly misunderstood words.
In closing it is perhaps worth noting that in Laos, Thai is easily learned
because Laotians pick it up from Thai television programmes. On the other hand,
most Thais are unfamiliar with Lao, except those living in the Northeast.

BY JEERAPORN CHAISRI
The Nation

© 2000 Nation Multimedia Group
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/

==
--
Denis Johnson
Minneapolis, MN, USA
DenisJohnson@...
--News articles are passed on from the original sources, unedited except for
formatting, and do not necessarily reflect my personal opinions.--

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