Abstract:
This paper aims to explain the personal naming development in Laos in terms of language
perspective. The data was collected out of 400 first names and their nicknames of non-minoric
ethnics living in Lao's capital Vientiane. These names were divided into two groups of ages
according to the name holder; 50-65 years and 10-25 years. The results have shown that in the first
group same first names are used for both male and female persons, which is mostly different in the
second group. Nick names are rarely found in the first group while the second group is characterized
by nicknames of English language's origin. The first group, they are usually constructions of 1-2
syllables while the second group's first names are built out of 2-3 syllables. The language used for
first names in the first group mostly is Lao while the second group is mostly using Pali-Sanskrit
sources. The development of personal (first) naming in Laos had been influenced by Thailand as a
Lao neighbor country and Thai language. Future studies should compare personal (first) names of
different ethnicitie's members living in the same area, especially in the capital Vientiane which is
focused by migration movements within Laos. |
