From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

The Wikipedes are reporting the death of the
president of the National Assembly of Laos,
born December 12th 1956,on August 8th 2026,
citing vientianetimes.org as source.

The deaths list links his bio article titled
"Xaysomphone Phomvihane",though the article
itself just as often spells his given name
"Xaysomphene" and the article on his brother
Thongsavanh (the Foreign Minister,who turns 62 today,
August 9th) links him as "Saysomphone",which
redirects.

I would have thought that with spelling so
unclear someone might *say something*,the
similiarity to which of the name variants
is why I'm bothering to write this article.

These Phomvihanes were sons of the former
prime minister,president,and party chief
Kaysone Phomvihane,who was the political leader
of the Pathet Lao alongside military leader
Khamtai Siphandon(e) whose son is now
prime minister and whose daughter is vice
president...he also moved up to those top jobs
after the elder Phomvihane's death.

It seems the fight to overthrow the monarchy
didn't end hereditary leadership there.

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

Louis Epstein <le@lekno.ws> wrote:

I would have thought that with spelling so
unclear someone might *say something*,the
similiarity to which of the name variants
is why I'm bothering to write this article.

It's not spelled with Roman letters. It's spelled with characters whose
sounds don't transliterate directly. I can't even wrap my mouth around
all the weird Thai consonants let alone the Laotian ones.

And unfortunately they don't have a committee to create a standard method
for transliteration the way the Thai government does. (Not that the Thai transliteration method really works all that well since some of the
consonants are not aspirated and some are and there are no diacriticals
added to tell you that phed isn't the same thing as phed.)
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

Louis Epstein <le@lekno.ws> wrote:

I would have thought that with spelling so
unclear someone might *say something*,the
similiarity to which of the name variants
is why I'm bothering to write this article.

It's not spelled with Roman letters. It's spelled with characters whose >sounds don't transliterate directly. I can't even wrap my mouth around
all the weird Thai consonants let alone the Laotian ones.

And unfortunately they don't have a committee to create a standard method
for transliteration the way the Thai government does. (Not that the Thai >transliteration method really works all that well since some of the >consonants are not aspirated and some are and there are no diacriticals >added to tell you that phed isn't the same thing as phed.)

Do you do work on character sets or has this come up for you some other
way? Just curious.
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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

And unfortunately they don't have a committee to create a standard method >>for transliteration the way the Thai government does. (Not that the Thai >>transliteration method really works all that well since some of the >>consonants are not aspirated and some are and there are no diacriticals >>added to tell you that phed isn't the same thing as phed.)

Do you do work on character sets or has this come up for you some other
way? Just curious.

I grew up partly in Southeast Asia. It's okay, because there are at least three ways to spell my name in Thai too, so it goes both ways.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

And unfortunately they don't have a committee to create a standard method >>>for transliteration the way the Thai government does. (Not that the Thai >>>transliteration method really works all that well since some of the >>>consonants are not aspirated and some are and there are no diacriticals >>>added to tell you that phed isn't the same thing as phed.)

Do you do work on character sets or has this come up for you some other >>way? Just curious.

I grew up partly in Southeast Asia. It's okay, because there are at least >three ways to spell my name in Thai too, so it goes both ways.

Very interesting.
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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

And unfortunately they don't have a committee to create a standard method >>>for transliteration the way the Thai government does. (Not that the Thai >>>transliteration method really works all that well since some of the >>>consonants are not aspirated and some are and there are no diacriticals >>>added to tell you that phed isn't the same thing as phed.)

Are you phed up with this?

Do you do work on character sets or has this come up for you some other >>way? Just curious.

I grew up partly in Southeast Asia. It's okay, because there are at least three ways to spell my name in Thai too, so it goes both ways.
--scott

Ah yes,the realm of the late King Phumiphol/Phumiphon/Bhumibol Aduldet/Adulyadej (aka Rama IX)...when I mentioned to Somtow
Sucharitkil that I had seen the King's name spelled three or
four different ways,he responded "It is pronounced none of them".

-=-=-
The World Trade Center towers MUST rise again,
at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.
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From Newsgroup: alt.obituaries



On 8/9/2026 12:46 PM, Scott Dorsey wrote:

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

Scott Dorsey <kludge@panix.com> wrote:

And unfortunately they don't have a committee to create a standard method >>> for transliteration the way the Thai government does. (Not that the Thai >>> transliteration method really works all that well since some of the
consonants are not aspirated and some are and there are no diacriticals
added to tell you that phed isn't the same thing as phed.)

Do you do work on character sets or has this come up for you some other
way? Just curious.

I grew up partly in Southeast Asia. It's okay, because there are at least three ways to spell my name in Thai too, so it goes both ways.
--scott

All pronounced Throatwarbler Mangrove, I presume.

(What does it say about the descent of the group
that no one else made this obligatory post earlier?)
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