Editing Lao language (section)

===Vientiane Lao dialect===
In Laos, the written language has been mainly based on Vientiane Lao for centuries after the capital of Lan Xang was moved in 1560. The speech of the old élite families was cultivated into Standard Lao as emulated by television and radio broadcasts from the capital as well as taught to foreign students of Lao. The speech of the Isan city of Nong Khai, which sits on the opposite bank of the Mekong, is almost indistinguishable in tone and accent from the speech of Vientiane. Vientiane Lao predominates in Vientiane City, the surrounding [[Vientiane Province]] and portions of [[Bolikhamxai Province|Bolikhamxai]] and some areas of [[Xaisomboun Province|Xaisômboun]].

In Isan, Vientiane Lao is the primary form of Isan spoken in the northern third of the region which was long settled since the days of Lan Xang and was ruled as part of the Kingdom of Vientiane, including most of [[Nong Khai Province|Nong Khai]], [[Nong Bua Lamphu Province|Nong Bua Lamphu]], eastern [[Loei Province|Loei]] and portions of [[Chaiyaphum Province|Saiyaphum]] and [[Bueng Kan Province|Bueng Kan]]. As a result of the Lao rebellion of 1826 the ''Tai Wiang'' ({{lang|lo|ໄທວຽງ}}), {{IPA|/tʰáj wíaŋ/}}), 'Vientiane people' of the city and surrounding parts of the kingdom, were rounded up by Siamese armies and forced to the right bank, greatly boosting the Lao population of what is now Isan. The Tai Wiang strengthened numbers in the northern third, where Vientiane Lao was traditionally spoken, but were scattered across the Isan region overall, with heavier concentrations in [[Yasothorn Province|Yasothon]], [[Khon Kaen Province|Khon Kaen]], and [[Roi Et Province|Hoi Et]] provinces. This likely had a leveling effect on the Lao language as spoken in Isan, as most Isan speakers regardless of speech variety are prone to using /ʋ/ as opposed to /w/ and the informal conversion of syllable-initial /k/ to /tɕ/ in relaxed, informal speech, which in Laos, is particularly characteristic of Vientiane speech. For example, the word ''kaem'' ({{lang|lo|ແກ້ມ}} ''kèm'', {{IPA|/kɛ̂ːm/}}), 'cheek', is often pronounced *''chaem'' (*{{lang|lo|ແຈ້ມ}} ''chèm'', *{{IPA|/tɕɛ̂ːm/}}).

{| class="wikitable"
|-----bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|+ Vientiane Dialect Six-Tone Distribution<ref>Hartmann, J. (2002). [http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/LaoLanguage/LaoTones/Vientianetones.htm Vientiane Tones.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811163156/http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/LaoLanguage/LaoTones/Vientianetones.htm |date=2020-08-11 }} Center for Southeast Asian Studies. DeKalb: University of Northern Illinois. Based on Crisfield-Hartmann 2002/Enfield 2000, Brown 1965, and Chittavoravong (1980) (unpublished).</ref>
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:rgb(238, 238, 238); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Tone Class
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:rgb(238, 238, 238); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Inherent Tone
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:rgb(238, 238, 238); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Mai ek ({{lang|lo|◌່}})
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:rgb(238, 238, 238); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Mai tho ({{lang|lo|◌້}})
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:rgb(238, 238, 238); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Long Vowel
! style="font-weight:bold; background-color:rgb(238, 238, 238); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Short Vowel
|-
! High
| style="background-color:#c1a2e1;" | Low-Rising
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle
| style="background-color:#3dbaaf;" | Low-Falling (glottalized)
| style="background-color:#3dbaaf;" | Low-Falling
| style="background-color:#ffcb2f;" | Mid-Rising
|-
! Middle
| style="background-color:#c1a2e1;" | Low-Rising
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle
| style="background-color:#6200c9;" | High-Falling (glottalized)
| style="background-color:#6200c9;" | High-Falling
| style="background-color:#ffcb2f;" | Mid-Rising
|-
! Low
| style="background-color:#7432b9;" | High-Rising
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle
| style="background-color:#6200c9;" | High-Falling
| style="background-color:#6200c9;" | High-Falling
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle (high)
|}