-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        RE: Lao language placename gazetteer
Date:   Tue, 8 Sep 2009 14:08:38 -0500
From:   Lee, Kent (EVC) <[log in to unmask]>
To:     <[log in to unmask]>
CC:     <[log in to unmask]>
References:     <[log in to unmask]>



Dear Brendan, list:

There is a Soviet-produced placenames gazetteer for Laos.  The Worldcat
citation is:
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/24276960&referer=brief_results
Looks like at least three libraries have it.
It is trilingual, Russian-Laotian-English, over 2500 names, quite a
serious work at 468 pages.  It was related to the major topographic
production work the Soviets did over Laos in the 1980s, at 1:100,000
scales and smaller, on behalf of the Laotian government.  (The maps
themselves are devoid of any Lao-script placeneames.  The placenames,
about 80,000 of them countrywide in the 1:100k series, appear to be
romanized according to a specific standard, but I am not sure which.

Similar trilingual gazetteers exist for a number of other countries, the
formula is usually Russian-English-local.  Actually quite useful
publications.

There is also a 1967 Soviet transliteration guide for Laotian names.  It
is a current standard so it probably informed the above publications.
It is also trilingual.  I do not think any libraries have it; let me
know offline if you need a copy.

Best,

Kent

Kent D. Lee
President and CEO
East View Cartographic, Inc.
10601 Wayzata Blvd.
Minneapolis, MN USA 55305
Phone: +1.952.252.1201
Fax:     +1.952.252.1202
[log in to unmask]
www.cartographic.com







-----Original Message-----
From: Maps, Air Photo & Geospatial Systems Forum
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Maps-L Moderator
Sent: Tuesday, September 08, 2009 10:43 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Lao language placename gazetteer

-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Lao language placename gazetteer
Date:   Mon, 7 Sep 2009 04:15:59 +0000
From:   Brendan Whyte <[log in to unmask]>
To:      mapsL <[log in to unmask]>




Does anyone know of a placename gazetteer for Laos that lists names in
English *and* Lao script?

I have a string of placenames (villages and small rivers/streams) taken
from old French maps for which I need to find the Lao script.
Due to the plethora of homonymic letters in Lao, my Lao contacts are
guessing when they back-transcribe the names for me, and we need to be
sure of spellings, or the meaning is completely different.

Available topo maps of Laos have French or Russian versions of
placenames, not Lao.

The US placenames gazetteer series only has English names.

Lao language Wikipedia has hardly anything on geography, certainly very
little that is linked to pages in other languages.

Perhaps someone knows of a romanisation of Lao placenames file/web page
like that which I pointed out for Cambodia a few months back?



Dr Brendan Whyte
Assistant Map Curator
Map Section
National Library of Australia
Parkes
ACT 2600
AUSTRALIA