About the author

Asger Mollerup was born on the 12th of August 1949 (BE 2492) in Hobro, Denmark. As an architect, he visited Thailand for the first time in 1988 as a part of a group researching slum problems and the impact of tourism on local environments. He returned in 1990, and since then has been working in various fields: Writing articles, promoting alternative tourism (bringing tourists to experience village life), tourism adviser in Vientiane and farm-manager for a Danish diary project in Isan. Presently he is managing a forestation project in the Phu Phan Mountains of Mukdahan, Isan. He is doing research on minority languages in Isan and Laos (mainly Phutai), and on orientation of ancient Khmer temples in southern Isan and Laos. He hopes this book will ease the way for other foreigners, who share the same attraction for Thailand and Laos, and wish to learn the languages.

The author and his grand-daughter, 
Jasmin Imuthai Mollerup,
Denmark 1998.

Joy, Phu Njai Phan and the author, 
Kaeng Nang, Isan, Thailand, 2001.

All websites of the same author:

www.thai-isan-lao.com

Computer animation

Front cover of the Phrasebook

A detail from a 3000 years old piece of earthenware from Ban Kok Phanom Dee east of present day Bangkok, dating back before the history of Thai and Lao languages.

It is chosen as an illustration of the intertwinement of the Tai Kadai languages.

With courtesy to Professor Charles Higham.