Why Lao people have to learn so many langauges? Only Lao and English are not enough?
Promoting French use in Champassak
(KPL) On 13 September, the French Language Learning and Teaching Promotion Project sent French language teachers to the National University’s branches: Luang Prabang University and Champassak University. The project has implemented its activities in Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Champassak, providing two subjects: French language and mathematics taught in French.
The project also plans to publish textbooks in French language, which will be distributed to the participants of the upcoming 23rd Francophonie Foreign Affair Ministerial Meeting held on 20-21 November this year.
The books include French language for beginning students, guidebooks and teacher’s guides. The project will also provide various kinds of information technology to sectors involving in organising the meeting.
The project has had co-operation with various sectors, including the Francophonie University Programme, which is being implemented in Laos and other Francophonie countries.
It's good to have both, french is known as CONFERENCE or MEETING language, because of its fix nature, why english is a kind of popular language, people use it everywhere. Like we see OLYMPIC still have to use french comment before english. Let say in the stadium of Olympic games events, we will hear the announcement in the high speakers in french following by english.
Lao could use both languages I see no harm for the country what ever, just second or third language after Lao.
IT IS GOOD TO KNOW MANY LANGUAGES ... BUT LOOK AROUND OURSELVE, THAI ,VIET, SINGAPORE, MALAY, INDO, MYANMAR EVEN CHINA AND JAPAN USE ENGLISH. WHEN I CROSSED BORDERS AND CHECKPOINTS , I HAD TO FILL THE APPLICATION IN ENGLISH BUT NEVER USED FRENCH ... MY FRENCH IS FAR BETTER THAN MY ENGLISH BUT I PREFER ENGLISH FOR MY PERSONAL COMMUNICATION...BECAUSE NOT A SINGLE FRIENDS OF MINE KNOW FRENCH...
Hehehe.. no-one can learn all languages in the world... knowing well One or Two foreign language is usefull but difficult.... more need a lot of work
So, what languages can be considered as the most important for Lao people?
First, i would say Lao.... for most of people living in Laos, Lao language is their native language. But about 40% of the population in Laos is based on minorities who have their own language... so those people need to learn lao if they want to communicate with people who don't belong to their minority.... for them, lao language is near a foreign language.
Then, let's talk about "real" foreign languages : English became an international language, talk by most of educated people in the world, so it's very usefull... i would say necessary. That's probably the most important language to know. Moreover, it's not too complex language.
But for those who want to improve their communication with foreigners, it's not bad to learn a second foreign language (or more) . What are the convenient choises for lao people?
- French is important too for Laos, because French is part of the history of Laos... french is part of lao culture, our countries are like brothers or sister : some officials still use french, the name of some official buildings is still written in French in Vientiane. French can be used to communicate also with other countries of the former "french indochina" (Vietnam and Cambodia), or other former french colonies. French is also an international language, even if it's much less used than English. Someone told about Olympics, but we can also talk about European Parliament: european laws are first written in French and then translated in other languages, but the reference text remain the French one... because French is considered as a very precise language, that is very important when you write a law or contract. France is also an important economic partner for Laos (NGO, international help, and industrial projects such as NT2). France have also an important Lao-origineted community, because many people who escaped their country during the war came to live in France. Maybe for some people it's still too early to renew relationship, but one day it will be, for sure...
- you can also choose China and/or Thai, just because they are neighbour countries and commercial and diplomatic relationship with those countries are strong... Vietnamese too Thai is very close to Lao language.... by listening thai TV, many lao people can speak thai, so it's not a big work for lao to learn thai. Chinese is very difficult language, and very specific (French is difficult to learn, but once you learn English, you get the strong and good basis to learn French... so it's not too hard.... for Chinese, you have to start everything from zero).
- Spanish is one of the most spoken language in the world, but Laos don't have a lot of relationship with spanish speaking countries... so maybe it's not so important.
Then, if you have time you can learn more languages again, but i guess choose between English, French, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish is far enough, no?
Believe in or not, there is only one person in Laos that can speak multiple languages, and that none other than Alexandra Bouxoiun ( Lao Super star). She can speak and write English better than any Lao people in Laos, even better than Lao people who are living in USA or Canada. However, I can hear her English accent sounds like American people. What do you guys think?
No, I am not stupid. Arh arh arh arh arh arh. Alexandra can speak perfectly Lao, Bulgaries, Englist and Thai. And a little bit Japanese and Russia, I don't know about Vietnamese. I could not believe when I heard she spoke Englist, she sounded like she was born in USA.
Yes, Alexandra speaks with American accent because she went to Lao/America College and was taught by American professors. She also had foreigners/friends that she spoke with growing up.
English is important. No need for Chinese, if your going to take English, because in a few years, China will become the number 1 English speaking country.
French isn't so important anymore. Why? Because only the former colonies of France speak it, mainly Northern Africa. Yes it is a required U.N. language, but it really isn't so important...
Japanese could be important, but the Japanese are heavily learning English at a fast rate.
It is becoming more uncommon to speak only one language, anywhere in the world. People are migrating, taking languages with them, learning new ones. In northern Laos everything seems to be written in Chinese these days, while in the South it is Vietnamese and along the river everyone can understand Thai because it is almost identical to Lao and most people consume Thai media. And then the elite city families speak French because of their colonial origins, and now everyone wants to speak English because it has become the global language.
But my question is: Why doesn't Laos produce its own style of English, like the Singaporeans, they produce SINGLISH! Why not Laoish or something like that.
Or, why not produce a proper romanised version of Lao, like the Vietnamese have. We dont have to lose Lao script, but it would be good to have formal rules for writing Lao in English.
