Thai Language

[Braveheart]

The Thai language (Thai: ภาษาไทย, transcription: phasa thai; IPA: [pʰaːsaːtʰaj]), is the national and official language of Thailand and the mother tongue of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai-Kadai language family. The Tai-Kadai languages are thought to have originated in what is now southern China, and some linguists have proposed links to the Austroasiatic, Austronesian, or Sino-Tibetan language families. It is a tonal and analytic language. The combination of tonality, a complex orthography, relational markers and a distinctive phonology can make Thai difficult to learn for those who do not already speak a related language.

 

Languages and Dialects

 

Standard Thai, also known as Central Thai or Siamese, is the official language of Thailand, spoken by about 25 million people (1990) including speakers of Bangkok Thai (although the latter is sometimes considered as a separate dialect). Khorat Thai is spoken by about 400,000 (1984) in Nakhon Ratchasima; it occupies a linguistic position somewhere between Central Thai and Isan on a dialect continuum, and may be considered a variant or dialect of either.

 

In addition to Standard Thai, Thailand is home to other related Tai languages, including:

[*]Isan (Northeastern Thai), the language of the Isan region of Thailand, is considered by some to be a dialect of the Lao language, which it very closely resembles (although it is written in the Thai alphabet). It is spoken by about 15 million people (1983).

[*]Nyaw language, spoken mostly in Nakhon Phanom province, Sakhon Nakhon province, Udon Thani province of Northeast Thailand.

[*]Galung language, spoken in Nakhon Phanom province of Northeast Thailand.

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