Lao and Thai Mutual Intelligibility

[MrBmanirath]

lao and thai is like english and a cowboy accent if that make sence

[Mrwinner0001]

@MrBmanirath luangprabang used to be Thai Land,and Vientiane and Champassak used to be Khmer Empire.This is before the First King of Lao.

[ZouOR]

@Mrwinner0001 That is not true. Thailand never existed until little over 60 years ago. Thai are actually Siamese who came from the Khmer and Mon people in SEA.

[ZouOR]

@Mrwinner0001 Luang Prabang was never Siam the first place. It was originally made by the Lao people. I can see you that claim it was yours. And now you deleted what you just said. I can tell that you're one of those Thai nationalist who claim every Lao things as Siam or Thai. You Thai nationalist are nothing, but to bring trouble upon you're neighbor!!!!

[Mrwinner0001]

@ZouOR Check on Google map for yourself,Loungprabang used to be Siam and Vientiane and Champassak used to be Khmer Empire or Chenla.You should learn the Real History Young Girl Haha!!!

[MrBmanirath]

@Mrwinner0001 iv hear of khmer what is? some kind combodia language?

[MrBmanirath]

most lao can speak thai and most thai can speak lao! its a different accent from what i understand

[beshnola]

Another very annoying thing is wikipedia, a Jewish run organization, states many linguists consider Lanna language to be part of Thai dialect and not Lao dialect.Even though ppl in Lanna say Boh hoo, ai, boh, chao etc. like Lao.How the heck is that a Thai dialect??That's don't even talk like that.I wonder how many of these linguists have slept with a Thai woman for them to think that way.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Everyone with a brain knows Wikipedia is NEVER a reliable source. Almost anyone can create an account & manipulate facts. Heck in the past two years, most facts referencing to Laos/ethnic/history/food/music­/cultural heritage "mysteriously" vanished or is now left "blank" on pages.

Why? Because some people didn't like what they were reading and manipulated facts/accounts, etc....so yeah, Wikipedia does not count.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Oh one more thing...no matter what Central Thais try and manipulate, all educated Tai Lao knows the truth, especially when spoken so I'm not too concerned. The truth ALWAYS comes out eventually. No matter what region of the world or separated nation, when I hear a speaker say "Tai baan hao" etc....I know they are our real pinong, so that's all that matters.

Funny though....Central Thais are the only ones who DO NOT use "Tai+place/identity" when describing themselves....hmm...why?

[ZouOR]

@NangDeeSan You have to remember that Thai are trying to cover up Lao identity and language. Why do you think Isan was enforce on those Lao in North East of Thailand the first place? Because Central Thai, which is run by Thai elite do not accept Lao language a nd our longest history. Thai wanted to claim every bit of our culture as Thai.

[ZouOR]

@NangDeeSan Also Thailand are exploiting Lao language,culture,tradition and history by introducing it to the world first. Now western see our culture and language to be the same as Thai and now everyone are confused between the difference of our people and language. Thai exploited Isan into gays and prostitution, which now pedophile pray everyday on these innocent Isan for tourism and money!!! PPL need to wake up and see the true Thai image of their exploitation.

[2meatpie]

16 province of the isang this part were belongwith siam at 1893 so we understand and same custom

[llHyRaXll]

@2meatpie issan belong to lao and khmer not thai siam theif ladyboy

[SiNgHayStyle]

@llHyRaXll what does that have to do with this video?

[llHyRaXll]

@llHyRaXll because thai is ladyboy and gay

[lileycat]

This mutual intelligibility is a very special topic. I'm form Hungary, and Hungarian language is not interesting from this point of view, but here in Europe, Slovakian, Polish and Czech are mutually inteligible (maybe Russian too).

[lnwkopy]

Lao is like British English, which is the original English. Esan/Isan is like American English or other accent English, which is taken from the original source.

[510522003]

@lnwkopy good comparing haha!!

[lnwkopy]

@beshnola

Lao and Thai are not the same language. Even the alphabet are just similar, but still difference.

You are right. Issan is still a Lao dialect. That's why I use British English and American English to compare. Perhaps Lao is like Spanish from Spain, and Issan is like Spanish from South America. Also, let's compare Thai is like Italian or protegees which is similar language to Spanish.

[beshnola]

@lnwkopy I never said Lao and Thai are the same language.But it is mutually intelligible.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Disagree. Having been exposed to other Tai language families (Tai Dam, Tai Lu, Tai Nua, etc.), the Lao language is actually more similar to the ancestral languages in what is now Southern China than standard Central Thai is. Lao would be like the "British English" (especially in areas up North closer to Tai language family ancestral homeland before mass migration into South East Asia) vs. Thai would be like a "hybrid" newer language 70% Tai-Kadai roots & 30% Khmai & Mon.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan I agree with you on the language.Yes Lao/Thai we both speak the Tai langauge but the Lao dialect is more related to the original language.But not understanding why you would cling to Isaan ppl as Lao.Their nationality is Thai.They do have Lao heritage but their nationality isn't.It's like saying Americans are not Americans, you'd have to dig super deep to find the root of ancestry for every American.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Lol so many responses to keep track of, perhaps you didn't read some of my other posts relating to nationality? Of course their nationality is now Thai, but it's not like their ancestors did it by choice. It was forced onto them. They didn't go to the Thais. The Thais went to them but now you have some Isan denying a Lao connection AND THAT I think we can both agree is due to Thai education/brainwash & self-hate amplified by racism.

[beshnola]

That must be a Thai of Lao descent on this video.Why didn't you explain that Lao language has a least 4 different accents and you are speaking the Lao accent derived from Savannaket, Laos where most northeastern Thailanders descend from.

[beshnola]

@ZouOR Yeah I don't know why a lof of Lao want to claim Isaan as str8 up Lao.They are no longer Lao.The only thing I would like the Thais to do is recognize so called "Isaan" language as Lao language and dialect because it is."Isaan" did have Lao roots, but they are not Lao.For example at one point Germans that immigrated to America had German roots, but their children are American, same thing for Russians who immigrated to France, or Lao that immigrated to Thailand.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Agreed. It should be recognized as a language and NOT a dialect of Thai, especially since more than 1/2 of the Thai population actually speak a form of Lao. Also, yes Isan is made up of LOTS of different groups, not just ethnic Lao, but let's not kid ourselves and assume the ones who are ethnic Lao by heritage are no longer Lao.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan I was comparing the accents of Lao and Thai.I wasn't comparing the root.Which is why I said Lao/American and Thai/British but yes Lao dialect would be British English and Thai would be American English.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Also wanted to add, I disagree w/the immigration example to America. How are most Isan-Lao "immigrants" when they were forced to relocate to the region or were already there when the Central Thais seized control to begin with? It's like America taking control of California & Arizona from Mexico. For the people forced to assume a new identity, did most of them "immigrate" or do it by choice to forget their roots? Absolutely not.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan I actually told this Thai guy similar along the lines of what you said about Lao dialect being more related to the original.He totally disagreed with me and stated he was a linguistic and had a college education so he was right.But common sense tells you otherwise.When he tried to speak Lao, he accent was horrible.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola I suppose he got his education the "Thai" way? Taken from Thai point of view but leaving out critical analysis from world communities outside Thai national boundaries?

Common sense also tells you (especially due to Tai/AiLao migration pattern) that in order for the "Modern Thai" language to develop they had to have come from the North PLUS mixed w/ Khmai/Mon groups. The darker natives didn't go anywhere, they got absorbed into the population AND accents mixed into the language too.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan I copied and pasted your comment on that ignorant Thai guy's page. His user name is "alifshinobi".He's a really arrogant typical Thai.He will thumbs down your comment and block you if you say the truth about Tai language.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan Thais also get help from whites in manipulating and lying about Lao dialect sounding more like the mother dialect.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan I was talking about the immigrants that immigrated from Lao to muang Thai.

[beshnola]

Just because the Chinese has saved Thailand from becoming a third world country, Thais think they can manipulate Lao history and culture.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Another cheap lie they'll telling to the world. I guess it must be true that Thailand is a "1st world" country much like the Philippines is....fyi being sarcastic of course. Within the vicinity of Bangkok, yes, outside the area...hell no, hence the political unrest/resentment from people in other regions.

First they sold their souls to the Chinese (12 +million of them, making Thailand the country w/the heaviest overseas Chinese pop.) & now they'll doing it with Falang, very sad.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan You know the ppl in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai speak a Lao dialect as well that fancies the Lao Vientiane accent?Yet Thais claim that area and their dialect as Thai, even though both Lanna and "Isaan" are Lao dialects.I think they do that because Lanna is richer compared to so called Isaan.And Isaan is nothing more than a term coined because the term "Lao" is a bad word in Thailand.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan Thais deny that 95% of their leading actors are mixed white.And since the Eurasian look is so common nowadays in Thai culture that has become the "Thai" look when it's all a lie.You are right when it's bad or unattractive it must be "Lao" to them.We all came from southern China, how is it Thais think they magically started to look different from Lao??Yes and many Khmers who are actually dark skinned were absorbed and mixed with Lao and Thai ppl.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan Thais deny that 95% of their leading actors are mixed white.And since the Eurasian look is so common nowadays in Thai culture that has become the "Thai" look when it's all a lie.You are right when it's bad or unattractive it must be "Lao" to them.We all came from southern China, how is it Thais think they magically started to look different from Lao??Yes and many Khmers who are actually dark skinned were absorbed and mixed with Lao and Thai ppl.

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan Thais think just because they speak Thai and follow Thai traditions that their ancestors weren't Lao.How is it Thais will be okay with saying they are culturally mixed Chinese but deny any Lao heritage?It's because China is rich, that's why.

I get embarrassed when Lao call Thais our brothers and sisters.We are no longer connected.

Many immigrants all over the world were forced out of their country due to war, injustice, or discrimination, Lao immigration to Thailand is no different

[ZouOR]

@beshnola I agree brother!!!

[beshnola]

@NangDeeSan The only thing I disagree with you on is that Isaan or Northern Thai ppl are Lao.Culturally they still practice Lao traditions but nationality wise they are Thai.Yes they have Lao heritage but they aren't Lao.Many "Isaan" ppl don't speak Lao either.You know how many ppl are of German descent in America?It would be like a German claiming all Americans of German descent as their own.I mean they are no longer German.But I guess with Lao/Thai it's a little more complex.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola Okay....just to clarify and not confuse anyone else, this is what I meant:

Ethnic Lao/Tai= Lanna, Isan, Lao Nai (in Muang Lao), Lao Nork (Overseas Lao)

Laotian (Nationality)=anyone who was born in phatet Lao (Hmong, Kui, Khamu, Lao, etc.)

FYI, many younger Lao Overseas don't speak Lao anymore, but does that not mean they are no longer "ethnic Lao" by ancestral affiliation? No. Same with Lanna & Isan, deny & embrace Thai nationalism all they want, but their ancestors are still Lao.

[NangDeeSan]

@beshnola I feel sad when I hear ethnic Lao people separating ourselves/putting each other down (gave Siam Thais easier chance to take advantage). I don't care if both North & Northeastern Thais deny "Lao ancestral" roots. Yes they are no longer "Laotian" by nationality but Thais now. They are still ethnic Lao by heritage and luk Khao Niao. The fact that they BOTH are "Luk Khao Niao" just like other Tais/AiLao and Central Thais ARE NOT...really tells you something about the real connection.

[NangDeeSan]

@ZouOR Well...I don't fall into the believing the cheap lies that comes out of a typically ignorant Thais mouth. They have a tendency to "blame" everyone but themselves. In their eyes, If someone is doing good, they are 100% Thai but if not...they must be Lao, Cambodian, etc.

Fact is almost ALL people from different backgrounds engage in unethical/immoral behavior in Thailand. That in itself makes Asia look bad as a whole!

[nneuhaus84]

@ZouOR ethnocentric and xenophobic ideas make there way into every society, some more so than others 

[reveler452]

But because the French were trying to colonize Lao, Kingdom of Thailand renamed it Isaan so it wouldn't be vulnerable to the French.Lao language came first.

[reveler452]

Happy Lao New Year to all Lao ppl and ppl of Lao descent.I want to say Lao came first.In southern China where the "Tai" ppl (Lao, Thai, Burmese) descended there is evidence of Lao language and writing.Tai is Chinese, not to be confused with "Thai".A group of Lao ppl broke off and started speaking what is now known as "Thai".That is why both languages are mutual intelligible.All of northern Thailand speak Lao because that region once belonged to Lao.Even Thailand called it Laoland.

[laohero1]

@reveler452 

[nocturnalserpent]

you should do a thai and khmer episode of this. i think that would be very interesting to talk about and a very long convo at that.

[reveler452]

All of northern Thailand was once Lao land.Siam(Thailand) renamed what is now northeastern Thailand to "Isaan" to mask that it was heavily populated by Lao ppl so the French would not invade that territory as they were invading Lao at the time.

[reveler452]

POLITICS Most Thais hate Lao and look down on us.

[Juejue101]

@reveler452 I have to agree on this one. Not sure why the West or other country supporting Thailand both politically and economically. Look at what they are doing to the Lao people as a whole? Dosn't the international community see what is Thailand is doing to the Lao people? They are creating bloodshed and hate internally by suppressing the Lao people and our heritage culture to the point to breakdown! Thailand cannot back down now to what they have already done harm against!

[reveler452]

@Juejue101 Westerners don't care they hate all Asians as long as they make money.It's all about the business.

[reveler452]

@Juejue101 did you see the clip of those Thai fuckers putting us Lao down.Wow.Get real and all of them on that video are butt ass ugly but they have the nerve to talk about Lao looks.Real educated ppl don't put down others cuz of their looks or because they are less fortunate.And that's what they were doing.I never knew the extent of the racism that existed in Thailand towards Lao.It has sparked a hate in me that I never felt before towards Thai ppl.

[reveler452]

@Juejue101 Irony is they are perpetuating the behavior that they are making fun of.

[reveler452]

@Juejue101 Thais are damn thicked faced.Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai and Northwestern Thailand all speak Lao but they call Northwestern Isaan ppl Lao and claim Chiang Mai as their own just because Chiang Mai is not as poor as Isaan.

[Juejue101]

@reveler452 It's just showed how Thai really are. They don't care what they do or say but give bad impression from the truth. The only problem is that we need to tell everyone about Thai ignorance and manipulation. From History,Society, and politic. They have done more harm then good. Also, International community need to stop supporting Thai history and political determination. Thai are capable of peace or equality. They only see what benefit Thailand especially bangkok region only.

[reveler452]

Look at how low class these so called high class fuckers are, they still have that video on youtube.It's creating more and more animosity and war of words, next thing you know it'll lead to violence, dumb ass Thai farang cocksuckers.

[reveler452]

also obviously the accent is different and the tones, say that.

[reveler452]

6:18 what the heck kind of phrase is that nobody expresses themselves like that.

[intermedia1000]

Thank you and you have an excellent explaination...

Great Lao Language....

[MrDelightfulPink]

esan is basicly lao. they everything like lao, same language and same food. esan region was used to be part of laos then france divide it to thailand. esan language 100% same as lao language. thai language is 60

% same as lao language.

tea. lao say sah. thai say sha.

crazy bitch. lao say e bah thai say e bah. e dok is more advance slang

flower. lao say dok mai. thai say dok mai. same word but diff accent.

[reveler452]

@MrDelightfulPink Isaan is just a term coined by the racist Siam King to try to separate Lao ppl in Thailand from Lao in Laos but it didn't achieve anything."Isaan" ppl still speak Lao and practice Lao culture.As far as Thai and Lao languages 75% of the words are the same, we have different accents, 15% of the words are different by rhyme and the rest are actually different.

[roninstar]

okay lets simplify the comparison. if a thai person who visited laos for six months(maybe more depending on which province their from) can and will understand most (if not all) of the lao language and vice versa. some laotians can pick up thai faster because of the thai media and such. the thai's have slight different dialects and word play. all in all these two will not have a problem understanding each other due to similar culture and ethnic group of the tai-origination.

[laoboitube]

The Thai speaker did not speak in a 100% Laotian accent, but sounded like a Thai trying to speak Laotian. =)

In order to imitate a convincing Laotian accent, he would have to soften his tones and pronounce them in a polite manner to sound more similar to the way proper Laotian is spoken in Vientiane or Luang Prabang, Laos. The Thais in Issan may use words similar to Laotians, but their accent is different from the Laotian accents of Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

[roninstar]

@laoboitube i'll simplify what your saying. the people in northern laos (luang prabang area) and northern thailand (chiang mai area) have similar accents & manners like to the ones of the south of laos and northeastern thailand (isaan). central laos & thai accent are usually dominate recognized in both of their countries.

[pineapplethorn]

Dr. Arguelles is making his understanding of Lao and Thai languages too compricate than what it should be. Lao and Thai languages are the same with different accent. It is just like how a Minnesatan speak differently from a Taxan. Also, Esan people are Lao people. You can not fully understand the language of people unless you understand the history. However, I comprement you for you affort. You will eventually understand!

[lbb2r]

หมาจิ้งจอก ไม่ใช่หมาป่า

a fox in thai is maa jing jawk, not maa pa 

[Khenphet]

@lbb2r

What is maa pa? Is it a wolf?

[Khenphet]

@lbb2r

What is maa pa? Is it a wolf?

[lbb2r]

@Khenphet indeed it is

[arivas713]

i knew it! the same! just like 'montenegrin' spoken bosnian, spoken croatian.

[chinolatino77]

LoogkaoNeo you're correct, I'm Lao American so I don't know everything about the Lao language. I thought Doat is more like to jump down from something, and dten is jump too but not down from something, I'm not sure

[LoogKaoNeo]

Ki kiet also means repulse in both Lao and Thai. Thai and Lao have share the same vocabulary pool, only in some occasion, words are used in different context and it varies depending on regions.

[chinolatino77]

Northern Lao is a lot closer to Northern Thai than Issan. Issan is closer to Southern Lao accent and dialect wise

[chinolatino77]

jump: for Lao and Thai is different..in Lao its dten, not kradoat.

[LoogKaoNeo]

@chinolatino77 Doat is also a Lao word for jump. Dten does mean jump but more commonly associated with dancing.

[kham20091]

Lao language is a diversity and people of Lao in different part of Laos and Isan have their own pronunciation and words.

[sayfonh1]

The similarity of Thai Isarn and Lao language still has some conflect between the words of speaking, Some people may not understand them. I am so greatful that you explored these language and the cultures. Good ideas.

[cinephilist]

Out of curiosity, are you teaching classes at the moment?

[ProfASAr]

@cinephilist Yes, to these very groups of students who are helping me with these SE Asia videos.

[duke1duke1]

Woah! Professor, you look so youthful! Must be your tan.

[DopeSpace9]

Good video. I hope you do a Hindi vs Urdu comparison soon.

[teddythefrency]

French as a romance language with a diferent phonology is no so intelligible with other ones like Italian, portuguese or Spanish.

[wuerges]

@teddythefrency Portuguese and Spanish are very close, but Italian and French are in the same level of intelligibility.

[SanguineBullet667]

@wuerges I speak French and I cannot understand Italian at all.

[Louieinoz]

@wuerges no Italian speaker can intelligibly talk to each other... Portuguese and Spanish can. Italian is closer to spanish and portuguese than to french.

[Nowl8]

@Louieinoz actually Italian is closer to French, and Spanish is closer to Portuguese. You have to study Italian to actually understand it, but the French learn it a lot faster.

[Louieinoz]

@Nowl8 a few grammar points of italian and french are interrelated however... we're talking about intelligibility. i'm saying that as a portuguese speaker and i know spanish and italian as well however i can't understand french at all... i mean just catch a few words

[Nowl8]

@Louieinoz well i´m a Spanish native speaker and by speaking Italian i can understand a lot of written French, but before i studied Italian i couldnt get a thing.

[Louieinoz]

@Nowl8 yes I totally agree. but we are talking about INTELLIGIBILITY. Grammar wise italian and french are similar. As you said yourself Written French. However Speaking and Listening are different which are directly connected to the topic intelligibility

[SiuLuhng1]

I would love to hear your comments concerning Cantonese and Mandarin. They are both very interesting and to a certain degree mutually intelligible.

[Loyal801]

An excellent improvement on the camera !!

[xRedster]

You should do a video about the mutual intelligibility of Dutch and Afrikaans.

[AndreR241]

The new camera is just awesome!

I know that lots of guys from northern Germany having no problems at all understanding Dutch or Danish. It's often harder for them to understand someone from Swizerland or Austria. For me, it's easier to understand Swiss German then Dutch, but I still can get about 30 to 40 percent.

[bapyou]

Notice when Sam (the native speaker) is talking about the fox jumping over the lazy dog, in the first utterance he uses the word "sunak" for dog, whereas in the second utterance he uses the word "maa." These are both words which mean dog. One is more formal than the other.

[LoogKaoNeo]

@bapyou Thai adopted new vocabulary from the Buddhist Pali or Sanskrit after the name change from Siam to Thailand in 1939. These new words were dubbed "polite terms". "Sunak" is a prime example. Pali and Sanskrit to Thai and Lao is like Latin to English but one is religious terms and the latter is scientific terms.

[Chivopuro]

So. Awesome. I love your videos.

[teknotoast]

Professor Alex I love your vids!

[newalbion]

The test-sentence is: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. Notice jumps and not jumped. Otherwise there would be an "s" missing in the sentence.

[vixen020202]

@newalbion He said "the quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs." How is the "s" missing? It is there in"dogs"

[bapyou]

@vixen020202 Actually, in Thai, there aren't plurals. So dog or dogs ... it's the same word.

[newalbion]

@vixen020202

Economy of letters. Sure, "s" is in dogs. But plural dogs is not required if the "s" is already contained in "jumps".

[vixen020202]

@newalbion Well, your original point was to claim that there was no "s" at all in the sentence when there was one all along. Now you are after "economy of letters." Why should we want or need that?

[newalbion]

@vixen020202 It seems we are talking at cross-purposes. In "my" sentence "dog" is in the singular, i.e. there is no "s". In order to type every letter of the alphabet one could also write a book, and even then a few letters could be missing. The purpose of the test sentence is to have a short comprehensible text that includes all the letters. "My" sentence isn't mine at all, but the way I learned it. So maybe there are two versions, neither of which is right or wrong, but one is shorter.

[sayfonh1]

@newalbion There 's no past sentence in Lao language, if you want to know the past you have to add new word to it.

[lbb2r]

@sayfonh1 you contradict yourself...there's no past sentence (I'm assuming you mean sentence) in (the) Lao language..... if there was no past tense, then you wouldn't be able to form it by adding a new word

Thai and Lao are both considered "analytic" languages, which means very often words that in English might carry one, two, or more morphemes will in an analytic language only have one. This does not mean Lao doesn't have past tense, it's just built differently than in English.

[Rodier1128]

Is Lao and Thai similar to the relationship between Spanish from Spain and Mexico? French from France and Canada?

[77AdHominem]

@Rodier1128 It's more like comparing Spanish and Portuguese, Swedish and Norwegian, or Serbian and Croatian.

[Olonnais]

@77AdHominem

Spanish and Portuguese are NOT that close to each other than Serbian-Croatian or Swedish and Norwegian.

Totally different situations.

[portagee032]

@Olonnais Agreed. i think they are close enough that with basic knowledge of the other and how they differ they can be. i speak Portuguese and i understand spanish pretty well. but that is because i have a few years of Spanish and i came to learn the basic difference. but if i speak to a Spanish speaker with out them having any idea of Portuguese it is a fail. I think if you take PROPER Portuguese and PROPER Spanish, then they become better understood. but know a days no one speaks properly.

[77AdHominem]

@Olonnais There's a 90% mutual intelligibility between Spanish and Portuguese. You're just nitpicking.

[Louieinoz]

@Olonnais I am a portuguese speaker and I speak fluently spanish and I'd say that it is way more than 90% of intelligibility. I'd say it's only 5% of differences. Accents make it harder though...If one speaks a non-colloquial spanish and a non-colloquial portuguese (formal as you wish). it is mutually intelligible.. with no problems of communication whatsoever. The problem comes on dialects and slangs, especially in the americas.

[urplereen]

If this mutual intelligibility interests you, then you should do a video on Scandinavia (Norway-Sweden-Denmark)

Here there are 3 languages that are mutually intelligible, and Norwegian is even classified as a different language family, by linguists.

[takforalt]

I just love this stuff. Thanks so much. I am learning Thai now (rather slowly) and am happy to hear that once I know Thai, Lao will be a snap.

[Sonicmountain09]

In Swedish -

Den snabba (kvicka) bruna räven hoppade över de (dom) lata hundarna.

[greygooseification]

@Sonicmountain09

Assuming your Swedish, could you tell me roughly how much, say, Danish or Norwegian you could understand just from having a Swedish background?

How mutually intelligible would you say the "Scandinavian languages" are overall? 75 or 80%???

[Sonicmountain09]

@greygooseification Hi - well, reading either language, I'd say I'd understand about 90-95 %. Understanding Danish speech on the other hand is very difficult for a Swede. Norwegian is much easier.

[nimuroji]

@Sonicmountain09 to throw this in the mix. Dialect also comes in to this. Swedish speakers of the southern dialect skånska have no problems at all speaking with danes

[Sonicmountain09]

@nimuroji That's true. Skånska is very hard to understand sometimes, also. About Swedish-Danish-Norwegian - you can go to Omniglot and read/listen to the similarities in the sample text.

[NV417]

I've heard the idea that all Lao people can understand Thai but not all Thai people can understand Lao. I grew up in southern Thailand, it's quite surprising that I'm able to understand most of Lao. The best analogy I can provide is Thai and Lao are like American English and British English.

[raydredX]

@NV417 That may be because Thai is "more important" in media and lao people sometimes hear thai and get used to it's sound. So probably: Thai people are not as used to listen to Lao, as Lao people are used to listen to Thai.

[SwissShuffle]

@raydredX Pretty much spot on.. I'm 1/4 Laotian but can understand Thai because of the TV shows my parents would watch and also it's mutual intelligibility. :)

It's just those differences in words you have to remember like lazy.. "Ki geut ~ Ki khan" (Not correct Romanisation)

[lbb2r]

@NV417 i just do not think american and british english are as different as thai and lao....there are way too many differences in word choice that are far more vast than those differences between british and american english

[jmichaelrout]

This was an entertaining and informative video. This one-on-one interview approach seems to be more well organized, as well. Thank you for the video, Dr. Argüelles! I can't wait for more languages.

[Theta910]

Great video Professor!

[smartwarlord]

awesome video. well put!

[Codylangaugesblog]

Great video! very well put.