Udon Thani Timeisaan thai language
isaan thai language
isaan thai language
Klong Isaan.jpg คลอง - ภาคอีสาน ประเทศไทย (forgotten place) - Photo by Love Krittaya
Learn Speak Thai
1) Why should I learn to speak and understand Isaan Thai
Central Thai is the official language that is used by government and mass media, and the language that is taught in schools. However people from the North East of Thailand (Isaan) speak a language that has distinct differences to Central Thai. The differences are so great that anyone who has learnt Central Thai will have great difficulty in understanding and communicating with people from Isaan. This is because their language of first choice, and the language they speak to each other, is Isaan Thai.
isaan people make up 35% of Thailands population. They are widely dispersed throughout Thailand, and a very high percentage work in the tourist related industries in Bangkok and the major tourist resorts in search of work. Wherever you go, it’s highly likely the Thai you come in contact with is in fact an Isaan Thai, be it hotel staff, restaurant workers, taxi drivers, street vendor or bar girl.
To communicate effectively with Isaan people and understand what is being said, you need to be able to Speak Isaan Thai. This is particularly true if you are visiting or living in N.E Thailand.
2) Isn’t the language Isaan people speak just Lao?
Yes and no. Whilst the core elements of Isaan Thai originates from the Lao language, over the last 40 years or so there has been a significant Thai-ification of the language spoken by people from N.E Thailand. In Laos, the Lao language has also evolved from it’s origins due to French, Vietnamese and Marxist – Leninst influences. As a result there is now some divergence between the Isaan Thai and Lao languages. Today, Isaan Thai is effectively made up of a mix of Lao, Central Thai and Isaan origin words and phrases.
Distinctions between what words constitutes Lao elements of the Isaan Thai language and what constitutes Thai is also blurred by the fact that Central Thai is a close cousin of its Lao counterpart. The origins of both languages are the same. Both Thai and Lao are members of the Thai half of the Kadai family of languages. As a consequence, both Central Thai and Lao feature common words, albeit with different word tones. Both languages also incorporate a significant number of words taken from Sanskrit (the classic language of India) and Pali (the vernacular language of Buddhism).
If you have never seen Wikipedia’s entry for Isan language, you will learn considerably more by checking it out. And its entry for Isan also discusses the language.
Thai-language.com has considerable information on the Isaan language, and the forum often discusses it.
The Christian site The Living Hour has a wonderful collection of books (some are only e-book format) on learning Thai, and promise an English-Isaan (Isan) Dictionary very soon. Maybe it will be available by the time you are reading this.
Thai Language Phrases Lesson 5: Shopping PART 1
http://learn-thai-podcast.com learn Thai online with our video and audio lessons. In this Thai phrase lesson you learn words and phrases that are useful while shopping at a department store. Have fun shopping and speaking Thai!
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Tags: Isaan, Isaan language, Isan, Languages, Linguistics, Natural, Social Sciences, Tai-Kadai, Thai language, thailand
