Editing Lao language (section)

===Independence and Communist rule (1953–present)===
{{Main|History of Laos since 1945}}
Spelling reforms under the communist rule of Laos in 1975 were more radical, with the complete abolition of semi-etymological spelling in favor of phonetical spelling, with the removal of silent letters, removal of special letters for Indic loan words, all vowels being written out explicitly and even the elimination or replacement of the letter '<big>ຣ</big>' {{IPA|/r/}} (but usually pronounced /l/) in official publications, although older people and many in the Lao diaspora continue to use some of the older spelling conventions.<ref>Ivarson, S. (2008). ''Creating Laos: The Making of a Lao Space Between Indochina and Siam, 1860–1945.'' (pp. 127–135, 190–197) Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.</ref>