Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0214/02141.txt

Text File | 1991-06-25 | 32KB | 550 lines

$Unique_ID{COW02141}
$Pretitle{258}
$Title{Laos
Chapter 7.    Language, Communication, and the Arts}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Donald P. Whitaker}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{laotian
lao
language
tai
laos
french
languages
literature
khene
religious}
$Date{1973}
$Log{}
Country:     Laos
Book:        Laos, A Country Study
Author:      Donald P. Whitaker
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1973

Chapter 7.    Language, Communication, and the Arts

     The ethnic diversity of Laos, the problems of communication imposed by
the terrain, the multiplicity of languages and the low level of literacy, and
the influence of the cultures of the more powerful and populous countries that
completely surround Laos have all worked to prevent the development of a
cohesive Laotian culture. The Lao people, the biggest single component
ethnically, have developed a relatively homogeneous cultural life for
themselves centered on Theravada Buddhist worship and a shared language and
literacy and artistic heritage. Also, their dominance in the Royal Lao
Government gives Lao views and news broad dissemination in
government-sponsored public information programs. Lao language and culture do
not, however, have much effect or influence on internal developments in the
rural enclaves of the minority peoples-the tribal Tai, the Lao Theung, the
Meo, the Man, and the speakers of Tibeto-Burman languages. Neither do Lao
language and culture dominate the cities, which are predominantly centers of
foreign culture-Chinese, Vietnamese, and French (see ch. 4, Social Systems).

     Laotian Tai, also called Lao, is the official language, and the
government places great stress on its acquisition by all citizens, regardless
of their ethnic backgrounds. Perhaps the major means of achieving this
objective has been the designation of Laotian Tai as the medium of instruction
in all primary schools. Although many minority groups use their own languages
among themselves, their children who attend school usually learn the official
language and are becoming bilingual.

     Widespread illiteracy makes printed materials of minimal effectiveness.
The number of newspapers, magazines, and books consequently is small and of
limited circulation. Wider impact is exerted by several strategically located
government radio stations, which are audible in all parts of the country.
There were no television stations in late 1970, but a few motion picture
theaters showed predominantly foreign films augmented by some locally produced
newsreels and an occasional government documentary.

     Traditional news and information carriers-notably itinerant merchants,
monks, ballad singers, and drama troupes-have been major information
dissemination sources in regions under government control. The civil upheaval
and insurgent control of northern areas and along the Laos-Vietnam border in
eastern and southern Laos in 1971 generally excluded inhabitants of those
areas from government news except that disseminated by radio (see ch. 14,
National Defense and Internal Security). To some extent, the cultural
exclusiveness of many remotely located ethnic groups has limited the spread of
nonlocal information.

     For the Lao, despite their origin in southern China, the literature,
religions, and art forms of India provided the cultural matrix. The influences
of Mahayana Buddhism (see Glossary) and of Hinduism found their way to Laos
through Ceylon and the ancient Khmer empire, centered on the site of the
modern Khmer Republic (Cambodia). It was, however, the reception of Theravada
Buddhism (see Glossary) in the fourteenth century that provided the major
source from which most cultural expression has been derived. The introduction
of Theravada Buddhism coincided roughly with the founding in 1353 of the
ancient Lao state of Lan Xang by the son-in-law of the Khmer king.

     The power of the Khmer empire was in serious decline by the fourteenth
century, however, and its cultural impact on Lan Xang was limited to the
southern areas. A long series of political and military struggles involving
Lan Xang, Siam (Thailand), and Burma added another dimension to the country's
cultural life. Siamese and Burmese architecture established the basic
patterns that would be followed in northern Laos.

     French influence seems to have been limited to a small number of
Laotians who possessed the requisite economic and social status to pursue
higher education in France or Vietnam. The French contribution to Laos
artistic and literary heritage was important, however. A number of the
country's architectural treasures were restored with French help and, through
the efforts of French scholars, knowledge of Laotian culture was made
available to the rest of the world.

     After independence this responsibility was assumed by a number of the Lao
elite, including Prince Souvanna Phouma. Essays and monographs on Laotian
literature, music, and language have been made available in French and
English.

     For most Laotians art, poetry, and song are an integral part of daily
life and are especially closely connected with religious worship. Art works
are created and valued for their function in religious ritual and other
purposes. Aesthetic merit is of secondary importance. Works are created to be
used, and little thought is given to preserving them for posterity. The most
striking example of the purely functional aspect of art is in the elaborate
structures built for funeral pyres. They often involve much work and
frequently achieve high levels of artistry but are completely destroyed in the
course of the cremation. Even wat (see Glossary) buildings and other edifices
are often built from such easily perishable materials as wood and stucco.

     Art is also used for the embellishment of human activities, for the
enhancement of social prestige, and for the adornment of the body. The
elaborateness of funeral pyres gauges social prestige, and the amount of
jewelry worn by a Laotian woman is an indicator of wealth as well as a device
for enhancing her appearance.

Languages

Laotian Tai

     Laotian Tai, or Lao, the native tongue of the dominant Lao ethnic group,
is the country's standard spoken and literary, as well as its official,
language. It is the language of government, education, the press, and the few
films that are produced in Laos. Some Mon-Khmer groups have adopted it as a
first language, and among non-Lao ethnic groups it serves as a lingua franca.

     Like other languages of the Tai linguistic family of which it is a member
Laotian Tai is tonal. Many local dialects are often distinguished from one
another not so much by differences in vocabulary as by the number of tones
they possess and the way they are applied to the same basic syllables.

     In all dialects of Laotian Tai a complex vocabulary is used to express
fine gradations of respect, deference, intimacy, and humility between speakers
of different social status. Separate personal pronouns, for example, are used
to apply to the person speaking or to those to whom, or about whom, he is
speaking. In some cases, as when speaking to or about royalty or the sangha
(see Glossary), totally different vocabularies are employed to show proper
deference and respect. There are also geographical differences and differences
in style based on education and the kind of literary material being produced.

     In its written form the Laotian Tai alphabet, which came into existence
about the thirteenth century, is in all essentials identical to that used in
Thailand. There are several styles or forms analogous to roman, italic, bold
face, and similar styles in English, that are preferred variously and
irregularly in different parts of the country. The Lu and the Tai Yuan, for
example, use characters that are slightly different from those used by the Lao
and show Burmese influence, although they stem from the same basic Indic
source as the Lao writing. The spelling of the language is not standardized,
and there are man