French is an administrative language in Laos. Laos has the second largest Francophone community in Southeast Asia after Vietnam and ahead of Cambodia.
The usage of French stems from the period of French rule over Laos between 1893 and 1953 and was maintained by the later Kingdom of Laos. Its official status was relegated to that of administrative language after the establishment of the current government in 1975.[1]
In addition to its usage in government, French is also widely present in commerce and as a working language in many professional fields, and is studied by over a third of students in Laos.[2] Consequently, the language enjoys a healthier status in Laos compared to other Francophone Southeast Asian countries, although its influence is still under threat from the encroaching use of English as a foreign language.[3]
- ^ Baker, Colin; Jones, Sylvia Prys (1998). Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Multilingual Matters. p. 384. ISBN 9781853593628.
- ^ Aménagement linguistique dans le monde - Laos, Université Laval (in French)
- ^ La Francophonie in Asia, France-Diplomatie, 2005, archived from the original on 2009-05-02, retrieved 2010-10-14