Editing Lao language (section)

===Northern Lao (Louang Phrabang) dialect===
Northern Lao is a very distinct dialect, exhibiting several features and lexical differences quite apart from other Lao dialects except Northeastern Lao (Phuan). Even though it borders the Vientiane Lao dialect region, there is a sharp boundary that divides them. The dialect shares many similarities with [[Northern Thai language|Tai Lanna]] and is classified accordingly as a Chiang Saen language by Ethnologue.<ref name="ethny">Paul, L. M., Simons, G. F. and Fennig, C. D. (eds.). 2013. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Seventeenth edition. Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved from http://www.ethnologue.com {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071227170852/http://www.ethnologue.com/ |date=2007-12-27 }}</ref> The dialect is not common in Isan, restricted to western portions of [[Loei Province|Loei]] and pockets of villages spread throughout [[Udon Thani Province|Udon Thani]] provinces. The Isan people of [[Phitsanulok Province|Phitsanulok]] and [[Uttaradit Province|Uttaradit]] provinces, particularly the narrow strip hugging the shore of the Mekong and bordering Loei, outside of Isan are generally speakers of Northern Lao. In Laos, it is the primary dialect spoken in [[Luang Prabang Province|Louang Phrabang]] and [[Sainyabuli Province|Xaignabouli]] provinces. In the other northern Laotian provinces of [[Oudomxai Province|Oudômxai]], [[Houaphanh Province|Houaphan]], [[Luang Namtha Province|Louang Namtha]] and [[Phongsaly Province|Phôngsali]], native Lao speakers are a small minority in the major market towns but Northern Lao, highly influenced by the local languages, is spoken as the ''lingua franca'' across ethnic groups of the area.<ref name="dialectal">เรืองเดช ปันเขื่อนขัติย์. ภาษาถิ่นตระกูลไทย. กทม. สถาบันวิจัยภาษาและวัฒนธรรมเพื่อการพัฒนาชนบทมหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล. 2531.</ref>

Northern Lao, specifically the speech of the city of [[Luang Prabang|Louang Phrabang]] was originally the prestigious variety of the language with the city serving as the capital of Lan Xang for the first half of its existence, with the kings of the city made kings of all of Laos by the French. Although the language lost its prestige to Vientiane Lao, Northern Lao is important for its history, as many of the earliest Lao literary works were composed in the dialect, and it served, in a refined form, as the royal speech of the Laotian kings until 1975 when the monarchy was abolished. Louang Phrabang remains the largest city in the northern region of Laos, serving as an important center of trade and communication with the surrounding areas.

Despite the proximity to speakers of Vientiane Lao, Northern Lao is quite distinct. Unlike other Lao dialects with six tones, Northern Lao speakers use only five. Due to the distinctive high-pitch, high-falling tone on words with live syllables starting with low-class consonants, the dialect is said to sound softer, sweeter and more effeminate than other Lao dialects, likely aided by the slower speed of speaking.<ref name="LaoDialects"/> Similar in tonal structure and quality to Tai Lanna, likely facilitated by the immigration of Lanna people to Louang Phrabang after Chiang Mai's fall to the Burmese in 1551, the dialect is classified apart from other Lao dialects as Chiang Saen language by Ethnologue.<ref name="ethny"/> Northern Lao also resisted the merger of Proto-Tai *{{IPA|/aɰ/}} and *{{IPA|/aj/}} that occurred in all other Lao dialects, except Northeastern Lao. This affects the twenty or so words represented by Thai '{{lang|th|ใ◌}}' and Lao '{{lang|lo|ໃ◌}}', which preserve /aɰ/ in Northern Lao. This vowel has become /aj/, similar to Thai '{{lang|th|ไ◌}}' and Lao '{{lang|lo|ໄ◌}}' which is also /aj/. Northern Lao also contains numerous terms not familiar to other Lao speakers.<ref name="Loei">Osantanda, V. (2015). "Lao Khrang and Luang Phrabang Lao: A Comparison of Tonal Systems and Foreign-Accent Rating by Luang Phrabang Judges." ''The Journal of Lao Studies''. pp. 110–143. Special Issue 2(2015).</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Lack of /aj/-/aɯ/ merger in Northern (Louang Phrabang) Lao
! Source
! Thai
! Isan
! Vientiane Lao
! Northern Lao
! Gloss
|-
| */ʰmɤːl/
| {{lang|th|ใหม่}}<br />{{transliteration|th|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[màj]}}
| {{lang|tts|ใหม่}}<br />{{transliteration|tts|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[māj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃຫມ່}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[māj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃຫມ່}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|*maue}}<br />{{IPA|[māɯ]}}
| 'new'
|-
| */haɰ/
| {{lang|th|ให้}}<br />{{transliteration|th|hai}}<br />{{IPA|[hâj]}}
| {{lang|tts|ให้}}<br />{{transliteration|tts|hai}}<br />{{IPA|[hàj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃຫ້}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|hai}}<br />{{IPA|[hȁj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃຫ້}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|*haue}}<br />{{IPA|[hȁɯ]}}
| 'to give'
|-
| */cɤɰ/
| {{lang|th|ใจ}}<br />{{transliteration|th|chai}}<br />{{IPA|[tɕāj]}}
| {{lang|tts|ใจ}}<br />{{transliteration|tts|chai}}<br />{{IPA|[tɕàj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃຈ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|chai}}<br />{{IPA|[tɕàj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃຈ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|*chaue}}<br />{{IPA|[tɕǎɯ]}}
| 'heart'
|-
| */C̥.daɰ/
| {{lang|th|ใน}}<br />{{transliteration|th|nai}}<br />{{IPA|[nāj]}}
| {{lang|tts|ใน}}<br />{{transliteration|tts|nai}}<br />{{IPA|[nâj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃນ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|nai}}<br />{{IPA|[náj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໃນ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|*naue}}<br />{{IPA|[na᷇ɯ]}}
| 'inside'
|-
| */mwaj/
| {{lang|th|ไม้}}<br />{{transliteration|th|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[máːj]}}
| {{lang|tts|ไม้}}<br />{{transliteration|tts|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[mȁj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໄມ້}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[mâj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໄມ້}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|mai}}<br />{{IPA|[ma᷇j]}}
| 'wood'. 'tree'
|-
| */wɤj/
| {{lang|th|ไฟ}}<br />{{transliteration|th|fai}}<br />{{IPA|[fāj]}}
| {{lang|tts|ไฟ}}<br />{{transliteration|tts|fai}}<br />{{IPA|[fâj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໄຟ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|fai}}<br />{{IPA|[fáj]}}
| {{lang|lo|ໄຟ}}<br />{{transliteration|lo|fai}}<br />{{IPA|[fa᷇j]}}
| 'fire'
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Northern Lao dialectal words
! Thai
! Isan
! Vientiane Lao
! Northern Lao
! Gloss
|-
| {{lang|th|เล่น}}<br>{{transliteration|th|len}}<br>{{IPA|[lên]}}
| {{lang|tts|หลิ้น}}<br>{{transliteration|tts|lin}}<br>{{IPA|[lìn]}}
| {{lang|lo|ຫລິ້ນ/ຫຼິ້ນ}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|lin}}<br>{{IPA|[lȉn]}}
| {{lang|lo|ເອວ (เอว)}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|eo}}<br>{{IPA|[ʔêːw]}}
| 'to joke', 'to play'
|-
| {{lang|th|ลิง}}<br>{{transliteration|th|ling}}<br>{{IPA|[līŋ]}}
| {{lang|tts|ลีง}}<br>{{transliteration|tts|ling}}<br>{{IPA|[lîːŋ]}}
| {{lang|lo|ລີງ}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|ling}}<br>{{IPA|[líːŋ]}}
| {{lang|lo|ລິງ (ลิง)}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|ling}}<br>{{IPA|[lîŋ]}}
| 'monkey'
|-
| {{lang|th|ขนมปัง}}<br>{{transliteration|th|khanom pang}}<br>{{IPA|[kʰā.nǒm pàŋ]}}
| {{lang|tts|ข้าวจี่ ขนมปัง}}<br>{{transliteration|tts|khao chi}}<br>{{transliteration|tts|khanom pang}}<br>{{IPA|[kʰà(ː)w tɕíː]<br>[kʰā.nǒm pàŋ]}}
| {{lang|lo|ເຂົ້າຈີ່}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|khao chi}}<br>{{IPA|[kʰȁw tɕīː]}}
| {{lang|lo|ຂມົນປັງ (ขนมปัง)}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|khanom pang}}<br>{{IPA|[kʰā.nǒm pâŋ]}}
| 'bread'
|-
| {{lang|th|ห่อ}}<br>{{transliteration|th|ho}}<br>{{IPA|[hɔ̀ː]}}
| {{lang|tts|ห่อ}}<br>{{transliteration|tts|ho}}<br>{{IPA|[hɔ̄ː]}}
| {{lang|lo|ຫໍ່}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|ho}}<br>{{IPA|[hɔ̄ː]}}
| {{lang|lo|ຄູ່ (คู่)}}<br>{{transliteration|lo|khu}}<br>{{IPA|[kʰu᷇ː]}}
| 'parcel', 'package'
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-----bgcolor="#eeeeee"
|+ Northern Lao (Louang Phrabang) Dialect Tone Distribution<ref>Hartmann, J. (2002). [http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/LaoLanguage/LaoTones/luangphrabangtones.htm Louang Phrabang Tones.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126213008/http://www.seasite.niu.edu/lao/LaoLanguage/LaoTones/luangphrabangtones.htm |date=2022-01-26 }} Based Brown (1965).</ref>
! style="color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Tone Class
! style="color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Inherent Tone
! style="color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Mai ek ({{lang|lo|◌່}})
! style="color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Mai tho ({{lang|lo|◌້}})
! style="color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Long Vowel
! style="color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Short Vowel
|-
| style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | High
| style="background-color:#38fff8;" color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Mid-Falling 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
|-
| style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Middle
| style="background-color:#c1a2e1;" | Low-Rising
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle
| style="background-color:#ffcb2f;" | Mid-Rising (glottalized)
| style="background-color:#6200c9;" | High-Falling
| style="background-color:#ffcb2f;" | Mid-Rising
|-
| style="background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255); color:rgb(32, 33, 34);" | Low
| style="background-color:#c1a2e1;" | Low-Rising
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle
| style="background-color:#ffcb2f;" | Mid-Rising
| style="background-color:#ffcb2f;" | Mid-Rising
| style="background-color:#f8ff00;" | Middle
|}