-------- 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