Editing Lao language (section)

===Tones===
Lao has six lexical tones.<ref>Blaine Erickson, 2001. [http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf4/erickson2001origins.pdf "On the Origins of Labialized Consonants in Lao"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011133024/http://sealang.net/sala/archives/pdf4/erickson2001origins.pdf |date=2017-10-11 }}. Analysis based on T. Hoshino and R. Marcus (1981). ''Lao for Beginners: An Introduction to the Spoken and Written Language of Laos''. Rutland/Tokyo: Tuttle. Accessed 2009-12-19.</ref> However, the Vientiane and the Luang Prabang dialects have five tones (see below) (Brown 1965; Osatananda, 1997, 2015).<ref>Brown, J. Marvin. 1965. ''From Ancient Thai to Modern Dialects.'' Bangkok: Social Science Association Press.</ref><ref name=Osatananda1997>{{cite thesis |id={{ProQuest|304347191}} |last1=Osatananda |first1=Varisa |title=Tone in Vientiane Lao |year=1997 }}</ref><ref name=Osatananda2015>{{cite journal |last1=Osatananda |first1=Varisa |date=August 2015 |title=Lao Khrang and Luang Phrabang Lao: A comparison of tonal systems and foreign-accent rating by Luang Phrabang judges |journal=The Journal of Lao Studies |volume=Special Issue 2 |pages=110–143 |url=https://www.laostudies.org/system/files/subscription/Varisa.pdf }}</ref>

==== Smooth syllables ====
There are six tones in smooth syllables, that is, in syllables ending in a vowel or other [[Sonorant|sonorant sound]] ({{IPA|[m], [n], [ŋ], [w],}} and {{IPAblink|j}}).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Name
! Lao
! Phonemic ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]])
! Phonetic ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]])
! Gloss
|-
| Rising
| ຂາ
| {{IPA|/kʰǎː/}}
| {{IPA|[kʰäː˨˦]}} or {{IPA|[kʰäː˨˩˦]}}
| leg
|-
| High
| ຄາ
| {{IPA|/kʰáː/}}
| {{IPA|[kʰäː˥]}} or {{IPA|[kʰäː˦˥]}}
| stuck
|-
| Falling
| ຄ້າ
| {{IPA|/kʰâː/}}
| {{IPA|[kʰäː˦˩]}} or {{IPA|[kʰäː˥˨]}}
| trade
|-
| Mid
| ຂ່າ, ຄ່າ
| {{IPA|/kʰāː/}}
| {{IPA|[kʰäː˧]}}
| [[galangal]], value resp.
|-
| Low
| ກາ
| {{IPA|/kàː/}}
| {{IPA|[käː˩]}} or {{IPA|[käː˨˩]}}
| crow
|-
| Mid-low
| ຂ້າ
| {{IPA|/kʰa᷆ː/}} or {{IPA|/kʰȁː/}}
| {{IPA|[kʰäː˧˩]}}
| kill, servant
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ The tones in the Vientiane and Luang Prabang dialects in smooth syllables
|-
! colspan="3" | Vientiane<br>(Osatananda, 1997, p.&nbsp;40)<ref name=Osatananda1997/> !! colspan="3" | Luang Prabang<br>(Osatananda, 2015, p.&nbsp;122)<ref name=Osatananda2015/>
|-
! Name !! Tone letters !! Example(s) !! Name !! Tone letters !! Example(s)
|-
| low || 1(3) or ˩(˧){{efn|The tone letters are 13 (˩˧) in citation form or before a pause and 11 (˩˩) elsewhere, e.g., /haː˩˧ paː˩˧/ ຫາປາ "look for fish" becomes [haː˩˩ paː˩˧] (Osatananda, 1997, p. 119).<ref name=Osatananda1997/>}} || /kʰaː˩(˧)/ ຂາ "leg"<br>/kaː˩(˧)/ ກາ "crow" || high-falling-to-mid-level || 533 or ˥˧˧ || /kʰaː˥˧˧/ ຂາ "leg"
|-
| high || 35 or ˧˥ || /kʰaː˧˥/ ຄາ "stuck" || low rising || 12 or ˩˨ || /kʰaː˩˨/ ຄາ "stuck"<br>/kaː˩˨/ ກາ "crow"
|-
| mid level || 33 or ˧˧ || /kʰaː˧˧/ ຂ່າ "galangal"<br>/kʰaː˧˧/ ຄ່າ "value" || mid-falling{{efn|This tone is realized as a low level tone (22 or ˨˨) in a checked syllable with a short vowel (e.g., [kʰap˨˨] ຄັບ "tight") (Osatananda, 2015, p. 122).<ref name=Osatananda2015/>}} || 32 or ˧˨ || /kʰaː˧˨/ ຂ່າ "galangal"<br>/kʰaː˧˨/ ຄ່າ "trade"
|-
| mid-fall || 31 or ˧˩ || /kʰaː˧˩/ ຂ້າ "kill" || high level-falling{{efn|This tone is realized as a mid level-falling tone (332 or ˧˧˨) in a checked syllable with a long vowel (e.g., [kʰaːp˧˧˨] ຂາບ "prostrate") (Osatananda, 2015, p. 122).<ref name=Osatananda2015/>}} || 552 or ˥˥˨ || /kʰaː˥˥˨/ ຂ້າ "kill"
|-
| high-fall || 52 or ˥˨ || /kʰaː˥˨/ ຄ້າ "trade" || mid-rising{{efn|This tone is realized as a low rising tone (23 or ˨˧) in a checked syllable with a long vowel (e.g., [kʰaːp˨˧] ຄາບ "dead skin of a reptile") (Osatananda, 2015, p. 122).<ref name=Osatananda2015/>}} || 34 or ˧˦ || /kʰaː˧˦/ ຄ້າ "trade"
|}
{{Notelist}}

==== Checked syllables ====
The number of contrastive tones is reduced to four in checked syllables, that is, in syllables ending in an [[Obstruent|obstruent sound]] ({{IPA|[p], [t], [k],}} or the 
[[glottal stop]] {{IPAblink|ʔ}}).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Tone !! Lao !! Phonemic !! Phonetic !! Gloss
|-
| High || ຫັກ || {{IPA|/hák/}} || {{IPA|[häk̚˦˥]}} or {{IPA|[häk̚˥]}} || break
|-
| Low || ຮັກ || {{IPA|/hàk/}} || {{IPA|[häk̚˨˩]}} or {{IPA|[häk̚˩]}} || love
|-
| Mid-low || ຫາກ || {{IPA|/ha᷆ːk/}} or {{IPA|/hȁːk/}} || {{IPA|[häːk̚˧˩]}} || if, inevitably
|-
| Falling || ຮາກ || {{IPA|/hâːk/}} || {{IPA|[häːk̚˦˩]}} or {{IPA|[häk̚˥˨]}} || vomit, root
|}