<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article contains Lao text . Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Lao script . </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article contains Lao text . Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Lao script . </Td> </Tr> <P> Lao, sometimes referred to as Laotian (ລາວ' Lao' or ພາສາລາວ' Lao language') is a tonal language of the Tai--Kadai language family . It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northwest of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language . </P> <P> The Lao language serves as an important lingua franca as the country of Laos consists of multiple ethnic groups, whose population speaks about 86 different languages . </P>

What is the main language spoken in laos