This Lao language textbook is the second draft of a book developed for teaching Lao to United States Peace Corps volunteers (PCVs) and is designed to be used with a Lao language instructor familiar with competency based curricula. It is not designed for self-instruction, although after some hours of use, students may be familiar enough with the format, phonetics, and explanations of sentence patterns to use it for self-study. The text is intended for about 150 hours of instruction. Eighty-eight competencies or survival language skills form the framework for the materials' content. An introductory section gives basic information about the phonetics, sentence structure, and alphabet of the Lao language. The subsequent 88 lessons, each addressing one competency, focus on fifteen areas of daily living skills (classroom language, shopping, asking for and giving directions, transportation, food, time, communication, community services, the family, social life, medicine, the wat, housing, and work). Each topic section begins with cultural notes. Each competency or lesson includes: a short dialogue in Lao; a vocabulary list in the International Phonetic Alphabet, English, and Lao; and brief explanations of relevant grammatical structures and vocabulary. Appended materials include additional language and vocabulary notes, maps, and a glossary. (MSE)