FSI Lao Basic Course with CDs!

Want to be fluent in Lao?

Pollygot Lao is a unique Lao language course that will help you become fluent.

It includes the Foreign Service Institute's (FSI) Lao Basic Course, the highest quality Lao language course ever devised, in addition to recordings by native Lao speakers to accompany each of the lessons in the course. This is the first time that recordings have been made available for the FSI Lao Basic Course.

Now you can learn to speak Lao with confidence and ease, using the same course America's diplomats use.

I was going to hire a Laotian tutor to help me learn Lao. But with these tapes, I won't need one. You saved me a lot of money!
John B.
San Jose, CA

Highlights

85 lessons, designed by leading experts at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute
hours of recordings on 10 CDs by native Lao speakers
423 page book, with exercises and answers
helpful notes on Lao grammar
same course used to train America's diplomats

I've been searching for this for YEARS. I tried learning Lao with just the FSI book, but without tapes to listen to, I was lost. I'm happy to say that my search has finally ended. THANK YOU!
Jennifer L.
Los Angeles, CA

Course Description

To make your study easier, the course is divided into 85 short lessons. In each 4-part lesson, you learn the essentials of Lao grammar and develop a useful vocabulary to use in conversation. Drills help you remember vocabulary and syntax, while short dialogues help you apply what you learn. Each section contains notes and exercises to develop your Lao skills. Answers are provided for all questions in the exercises.

This course is perfect for travelers, diplomats, business people or agency workers. It can be used to learn Lao on your own or as a textbook to accompany your lessons with a Lao tutor.

10 compact discs provide accompanying recordings by native Lao speakers for each lesson in the course. As a bonus, tracks of traditional Lao music are provided to aid your immersion experience.

FAQs

How is Pollygot Lao different from the FSI course?

Pollygot Lao contains the entire FSI Lao Basic Course by Warren G. Yates and Souksomboun Sayasithsena. In addition, it includes new recordings by native Lao speakers to accompany each of the 85 lessons in the course. This is important because Lao is a tonal language, and cannot be learned without hearing the words spoken by a native or fluent speaker. The FSI course states that its own Lao transcription is, "provided only as an aid to memory." Pollygot Lao is the only Lao language course that provides the complete FSI Lao Basic Course with recordings.

Please note, however, that we do not include Volume 2 of the FSI Lao Basic Course, because it is essentially a Lao reader, and requires Lao reading ability.

Does Pollygot Lao include Volume 2 of the FSI Lao Basic Course?

No. FSI Lao Basic Course, Volume 2, is almost entirely written in the Lao language and assumes relatively advanced Lao reading ability. Furthermore, the material contains many news clips, and cultural and political information which is now dated. For this reason, we have chosen not to include Volume 2 in Pollygot Lao.

It says Basic Course. Will I only be able to speak basic Lao after this course?

This course represents 85 lessons and more than 400 pages of material. After completing this course, you will be able to:

have conversations in Lao
construct sentences, and understand the most important rules of Lao grammer and syntax
develop a broad vocabulary of Lao words that can be used in all situations
introduce yourself and others
describe the work you do, and talk about your life
discuss current events
travel in Laos, make hotel reservations, order meals, give and receive directions, make new friends

If I'm not satisfied, can I get a refund?

Yes. If you're not satisfied for any reason, return the course within ten days and we'll give you a full refund.

Will this course teach me to read and write Lao?

No. With this course, you'll be able to speak Lao and understand spoken Lao. That will provide you with the foundation you need to learn the Lao alphabet and the writing system, but this course does not contain lessons for reading or writing Lao.

Why do I need the recordings?

Lao is a tonal language, and cannot be learned from books alone. "Ma" for example, depending on intonation can mean "dog," "horse," "soak", or "to come." Without recordings that you can play over and over again, you will not be able to learn to speak Lao.

Does this course teach me general vocabulary?

Though this course was produced for diplomats and United States government personnel, the vocabulary is applicable to many situations in all industries, and can be used in general conversation.

How is this better than other products?

If you are serious about learning a foreign language, there are no better courses available than those developed by the Foreign Service Institute (FSI). These courses are successfully used to train America's diplomats, and are of the highest quality. The FSI Lao Basic Course is no exception. Pollygot Lao provides you with the complete FSI Lao Basic Course, in addition to full recordings by native Lao speakers for each of the 85 lessons, something no other publisher provides.

FAQs About Lao

Are Lao and Thai mutually intelligible?: There is some controversy over this, but the bottom line is that it is easier for Lao speakers to understand Thai than it is the other way around. The languages are closely related, and the popularity of Thai media in Laos suggests that Lao speakers have little trouble understanding Thai. Furthermore, in recent years an increase in the amount of Lao language spoken in Thai media suggests that Thai speakers can also understand Lao with little difficulty.
Is Lao related to Cambodian?: No. They belong to different language families and are mutually unintelligible. However, both languages borrow vocabulary from Pali, and there is extensive cross borrowing between Lao, Khmer (Cambodian) and Thai.
Is Lao related to Hmong?: No. They belong to completely different language families and are mutually unintelligible.
Can I use Lao to communicate with Hmong?: A great deal of Hmong in Laos and the United States speak Lao, but it's unclear exactly what percentage. If you need to speak only with Hmong, you are better off learning Hmong.
Is it easier to learn Lao or Thai?: Lao and Thai are closely related, and the spoken languages are about equally challenging to learn. Written Lao, however, is easier than written Thai, because it has fewer characters and a simplified transcription system based on pronunciation rather than etymology.
If I'm learning both Lao and Thai, which should I learn first?: Learn Lao, because it's easier. Once you've learned Lao, it's easy to learn Thai.
Lao is spoken by how many people?: Lao is spoken throughout Laos, northeast Thailand, and among the Laotian diaspora. The total number of Lao speakers worldwide is estimated at 30-40 million people.
Is Lao understood in Thailand?: Lao is understood in the entire northeast region of Thailand. Additionally, because laborers have migrated from that region to Bangkok and other areas, you are likely to encounter Lao speakers throughout Thailand.