Lao for Beginners: An Introduction to the Written and Spoken Language of Laos [Paperback]

Tatsuo Hoshino (Author), Russell Marcus (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0804816298 | ISBN-13: 978-0804816298 | Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Traveling to Laos? This is an excellent introductory book to the language of Lao. Lao for Beginners gives students a basic understanding of the rudimentary aspects of the language needed for everyday communication. Its easy-to-use layout includes lessons in Laos script, romanized form, and English, introducing beginning students to essential vocabulary and grammatical structures, and allowing them to focus on both the written and spoken language. This comprehensive guide is perfect for anyone interested in learning the language of the people of Laos.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tatsuo Hoshino, a Japanese historian who studied at the Sorbonne, has lived in Laos and Thailand, and has written extensively about the history of Laos.

Russell Marcus served as editor and chief compiler of the English-Lao, Lao-English Dictionary. He has lived in both Laos and Thailand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 210 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0804816298
• ISBN-13: 978-0804816298
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > Instruction > Southeast Asian

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This is the only Laos grammar book on the market., September 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lao for Beginners: An Introduction to the Written and Spoken Language of Laos (Paperback)

Since this is the only Laos grammar book on the market, those of us who are interested in learning are forced to use it. The pages are not formatted well, having an amatuerish feel to the layout. The sentence diagrams are very confusing and the print is small. It takes a little extra effort to learn the language simply because the book is not formatted aesthetically. Otherwise, the grammar is fine, although it is a must to get the Lao-English Dictionary to implement what is learned in the grammar book. This book is the only game in town so we have to use it, but it needs another edition to fix the layout.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy to follow and understand., May 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lao for Beginners: An Introduction to the Written and Spoken Language of Laos (Paperback)

To this beginner lao student, I thought it was easy to understand. I was able to work on this independantly, and then refer to my Lao friends to learn more accurately the pronunciations.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not very good, November 14, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Lao for Beginners: An Introduction to the Written and Spoken Language of Laos (Paperback)

I am Laotion and wanted to be up to date on my language skills, so I purchased this book a couple of years ago to expand my Lao vocabulary. I noticed that some of the words are wrong, not just spelled wrong, but are of a totally different subject! Also, the diagram for the different Lao tones at the beginning of the book are difficult and complicated to understand. It's not clear on how to pronounce each tone. For a language that is based on tones, I think it's better just to buy a book w/ a cd rom so you can hear exactly how the tones are pronounced. I was extremely disapointed w/ this book.