ແມ່ເຖົ້າ
[mae-tao]
grandmother/grandma (maternal) Noun
mother-in-law Noun
old woman Noun
* Note — Lao sentences and phrases are not typically spaced out by syllables. But, this is helpful for recognizing where syllables start and end.
Tips:
Other words that can be heard or used are: ແມ່ຍາຍ [mae-nyai] or ແມ່ຕູ້ [mae-thuu]. Though, this may be dependent on dialect/region.
In Luang Prabang, and likely other areas of northern Laos, ແມ່ເຖົ້າ is for grandma. In Savannakhet, and other areas of southern Laos, it just means old woman. In Vientiane, and other areas of central Laos, it is used as mother-in-law.
The grandmother on the father’s side of the family is ຍ່າ [nyah].
Tone Breakdown
ແມ່ [mae] — this syllable has a low-class consonant and a long vowel. This normally produces a high tone, but this syllable has a ໄມ້ເອກ /mai ehk/ tone mark. Therefore, the tone of the syllable is a middle tone.
ເຖົ້າ [tao] — this syllable has a high-class consonant and a special vowel. This normally produces a high tone, but this syllable has a ໄມ້ໂທ /mai toh/ tone mark. Therefore, the tone of the syllable is a low-falling tone.