-------- 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