Vowels
There are only a handful of basic symbols, but they can be combined with other vowel forms and semi-vowels like to create the full repertoire of diphthongs and triphthongs used in the language. Vowels cannot stand alone or begin a syllable, so the null consonant, ອ, which can function as a vowel in its own right, is used as a base. The names of the vowels are just as easy as saying sala (ສະຫລະ, ) before the vowel sign. Some vowels have unique names, and these are ໃ- (ໄມ້ມ້ວນ, mâj muân, rolled stem), ໄ- (ໄມ້ມາຽ, mâj máːj, unwound stem), -ົ (ໄມ້ກົງ, mâj kòŋ, straight stem), -ັ (ໄມ້ກັນ, mâj kàn, ear stem), -ຽ (ວິຣາມ, vī ráːm), and -ໍ (ນິກຄະຫິດ, nīk kʰā hǐt).
| Short vowels | Long vowels | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letter | IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | Unicode | Letter | IPA | BGN/PCGN | LC | RTSG | Unicode | |
| -ະ, -ັ | /a/ | a | a | -າ | /aː/ | a | ā | a | aa | |||
| -ິ | /i/ | i | i | -ີ | /iː/ | i | ī | i | ii | |||
| -ຶ | /ɯ/ | u | ư | ue | y | -ື | /ɯː/ | u | ư̄ | ue | yy | |
| -ຸ | /u/ | ou | u | u | u | -ູ | /uː/ | ou | ū | u | uu | |
| ເ-ະ, ເ-ັ | /e/ | é | e | e | ເ- | /eː/ | é | ē | e | e | ||
| ແ-ະ, ແ-ັ | /ɛ/ | è | æ | ae | ແ- | /ɛː/ | è | ǣ | ae | ei | ||
| ໂ-ະ, -ົ | /o/ | ô | o | o | ໂ- | /oː/ | ô | ō | o | o | ||
| ເ-າະ, -ັອ- | /ɔ/ | o | ǫ | o | -ໍ, -ອ- | /ɔː/ | o | ǭ | o | |||
| ເ-ິ | /ɤ/ | eu | œ | oe | ເ-ີ | /ɤː/ | eu | œ̄ | oe | |||
| ເ-ັຍະ, -ັຽ- | /iə/ | ia | ເ-ຍ, -ຽ- | /iːə/ | ia | īa | ia | |||||
| ເ-ຶອ | /ɯə/ | ua | ưa | uea | ເ-ືອ | /ɯːə/ | ua | ư̄a | uea | |||
| -ົວະ, -ັວ- | /uə/ | oua | ua | ua | -ົວ, -ວ- | /uːə/ | oua | ūa | ua | |||
| ໄ-, ໃ-, -ັຍ | /ai/ | ai | ai or ay | -າຍ | /aːi/ | ay | āi | ai | ||||
| ເ-ົາ | /ao/ | ao | ||||||||||
| -ຳ | /am/ | am | ||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Lao Alphabet
Famous quotes containing the word vowels:
“These equal syllables alone require,
Though oft the ear the open vowels tire;”
—Alexander Pope (1688–1744)
“Playing “bop” is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing.”
—Duke Ellington (1899–1974)
“As no one can tell what was the Roman pronunciation, each nation makes the Latin conform, for the most part, to the rules of its own language; so that with us of the vowels only A has a peculiar sound.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)