Of course, every country has at least one language that the citizens use for communicating. So, if you want to know more about Thailand, you would like to know about the languages that are spoken in Thailand. In this post, we will take the time to explain the various languages spoken in Thailand.
When it comes to the languages spoken in Thailand, Thai is the #1 and official language of the country. From schools to government functions, offices, and lots more, people in Thailand speak the Thai language for almost everything. But it is worthwhile to know that 73 living languages are used from day to day in Thailand, according to Ethnologue.
Out of the 73 languages spoken in Thailand, about 51 of them are indigenous languages whereas others are non-indigenous languages. As highlighted by Thaiconsulate.hr, the Thai language has several dialects, and these dialects are sometimes treated as different languages. We will shed more light on these dialects below.
Thai – Thailand’s official language
Babbel.com states that Thai is the official language of Thailand. The majority of those living in Thailand speak this particular language as it is used for almost all kinds of activities – whether formal or informal.
As noted by Autolingual.com, the Thai language belongs to the family of Kra Dai languages as well as the subdivision of Tai. In the country, there are 35 million individuals that use the language as their first language. However, additional 45 million residents of Thailand utilize the Thai language as their second language. A few thousands of people outside of Thailand also speak the language.
It should be understood that the Thai language boasts of having around 20 distinctive dialects. Notably, these dialects are so different from the original Thai language that they have been classified as separate languages.
Also, the most commonly used dialect of this well-known language is often called “Central or Standard Thai”. It is from Central Thai that other dialects have been brought out. Central Thai is used for the educational system, official communication, etc. in Thailand. Also, it is the most widely spoken dialect in Bangkok, which is the capital city of this Southeast Asian country.
Besides, the dialects of the Thai language can be roughly grouped into four categories – north, northeast, central, and south dialects. Under each category of the dialects, there are still numerous sub-dialects.
In addition, almost everyone that can speak the other dialects of Thai can also speak Central Thai. Besides, many Thais can still understand most dialects even if they don’t normally speak them.
What are the differences and similarities of the dialects of the Thai language?
According to World Atlas, the tone of words are is used for determining the variations of the meaning of words. However, the letters for writing these dialects are always the same. But the meaning of the word differs according to the way it is voiced by the speaker.
Furthermore, all dialects of the Thai language utilize varying versions of words according to social context as well as familiarity. Hence, as you learn the language, you will need to understand the context for using the words.
Other languages and dialects in Thailand
As stated above, the Thai language comes with a wide range of dialects. Therefore, we will check out each of these dialects briefly.
- Isan
This particular language is believed to be the dialect of the Lao language which originated from Laos. Statistically, more than 20 million residents of Thailand speak the Isan language. Apart from the Central Thai language, this is the most widely spoken language in Thailand. Most of the speakers are based in Bangkok, Eastern, and Northern parts of the country.
When it comes to writing the Isan language, the Lao script is used by the writer. The vocabulary and grammar of the Isan language make it to be quite different from the Thai language.
- Northern Thai
Although Northern Thai may sound like a basic dialect of the Thai language, it is actually a different language entirely. The language is somewhat related to the Lao language and comes with its separate scripting script known as Tai Tham. The language is spoken by more than 6 million individuals in Thailand. The majority of the speakers of Northern Thai are found in the northern region of the country.
- Southern Thai
Pak Thai or Dambro is another word used for describing the Southern Thai language. The language is quite similar to the Thai language as it uses the same Thai script. Generally, about 4.5 million individuals are known to speak this language. Notably, the main speakers of the Southern Thai language are located in the southern area of Thailand and Northern Malaysia.
- Northern Khmer
In Thailand, there are more than 1.4 million speakers of the Northern Khmer language. Many people believe that this language is just a dialect of the Khmer language because of the similarities between the two languages. Most of the speakers of this language are found in North-Eastern Thailand.
- Mon
Like the Northern Khmer language, the Mon language has some resemblance to the Khmer language. It should be noted that the Burmese writing system is used for Mon. Also, around 1 million people speak this language in both Myanmar and Thailand.
- Phu Thai
Phu Thai is another relatively popular language that is spoken in Thailand. Based on its writing script and other characteristics, Phu Thai is quite similar to several Austroasiatic languages. As a result of this, the Phu Thai language is quite different from most other languages spoken in Thailand with Kra-Dai origin.
Overall, there are about 800,000 speakers of this language. These speakers are found in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam.
- Tai Dam
In general, more than 800,000 people speak the Tai Dam language in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and China. This language uses a unique writing script known as the Tai Viet. Comparatively, the Lao and Thai languages are somewhat related to Tai Dam. But unlike Thai and Lao, Tai Dam does not have words borrowed from Sanskrit and Pali.
- Kuy
With more than 300,000 speakers in North-eastern Thailand, Kuy is one of the most widely spoken languages in the country. While several scripts are used for writing the Kuy language, the Thai writing system is more popular among the speakers of this language.
- Shan
In Myanmar, millions of individuals speak the Shan language, but only about 100,000 people use the language in Thailand. The writing script of this language is derived from the Burmese alphabet. Other names for the Shan language are Kam Tal and Phasa Thai Yai in the Northern and Southern parts of Thailand respectively.
- Tai Lue
Tai Lue is another native language that numerous people speak in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, and China. Only about 80,000 individuals use this language from day to day in Thailand. In terms of structure, there are some similarities between the Tai Lue language and the Northern Thai language. In addition, numerous writing scripts are used for Tai Lue.
- Vietnamese
Although Vietnamese is normally spoken in Vietnam, about 25,000 individuals also speak this language in Thailand. In fact, Vietnamese is considered the first language of these individuals. Besides, more individuals are learning the language as it is usually taught in many language schools in the country.
- Lawa
Since only about 15,000 individuals speak the Lawa language in the country, it is one of the less popular languages in Thailand. Most of the speakers of the Lawa language are from the Northern side of the country. In addition, this language comprises two variants – an Eastern variant and a Western variant. Both the Latin and Thai writing scripts are used for the language.
- Wa
If you have ever visited, you would probably have come across the speakers of the Wa language. The language is also spoken in Thailand but only by around 10,000 people.
Austronesian languages
Several Austronesian languages are also spoken in Thailand with millions of individuals using them regularly. These languages include:
- Yawi (The Malay Language)
Otherwise referred to as Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Yawi is one of the leading Austronesian languages in Thailand. The Malay language is used for communication by at least 3 million individuals in the southern region of the country. Despite its name, you should know that Yawi does not have much resemblance with Malay, the major Malaysian language.
- Urak Lawoi
If you visit Southern Thailand, you will find about 5,000 speakers of Urak Lawoi. Expectedly, the speakers of this language also speak many other languages.
- Moken
This language has around 8,000 speakers in both Myanmar and Southern Thailand. Therefore, it is one of the languages with the least speakers in Thailand.
Sino-Tibetan languages
There are claims that about 17 Sino-Tibetan languages in Thailand. Even though these languages have some similarities, they are not particularly the same. The most popular of this family of languages include:
- Burmese
Burmese is hardly spoken by natives in Thailand. So, the majority of the speakers are Burmese immigrants that came into the country to seek a greener pasture. Also, we have many Burmese refugees living around the borders between Myanmar and Thailand. Overall, there are about 1.4 million speakers of this language in the Land of Smiles.
- Chinese
In general, there are around 230,000 Chinese speakers in Thailand. However, over 10 million individuals with Chinese ancestry live in the country. Furthermore, many schools are teaching students Mandarin; hence, the number of Chinese speakers in the country is bound to increase in the future.
Other relatively popular Sino-Tibetan languages in Thailand are:
- S’gaw Karen
- Guong
- Lahu
- Pwo Karen
- Bisu
- Kayo Karen
- Kaya Karen
- Bwe Karen
- Yunnanese Chinese
- Lisu
- Mpi
- Padaung Karen
- Akha
Hmong-Mien languages
- Hmong
The Hmong people are found in the northern side of Thailand, and their language is known as Hmong. It is believed that at least 125,000 individuals speak this language.
- Mien
Like the Hmong people, the Mien people are also indigenous to the northern part of the country. In total, about 30,000 individuals speak the Mien language in Thailand. It should be noted that there are numerous variants of this language.
Western immigrant languages
When it comes to western languages spoken in Thailand, English is the #1 language to consider. According to Babbel.com, numerous Thais learned the English language during their school days. Some even attended language schools to master this language. For several individuals in the country, it is the second language.
Nevertheless, many Thais in the rural parts of the country do not speak English. The majority of the speakers of the English language are found in Bangkok, Phuket, and other leading tourist centers in Thailand. Lots of stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. often provide information to their clients in the English language as well as the Thai language.
Other western immigrant languages in Thailand include:
- French
- German
Why do people speak so many languages in Thailand?
As we have shown above, more than 70 languages are spoken in Thailand. Consequently, you may be wondering why numerous languages are spoken by people in Thailand.
As stated by World Atlas, the first reason is that many of the indigenous people of the country have significantly different origins. So, it is not usual that different groups of people have varying languages. Also, the colonial superpowers created various borders to claim different lands during the colonial era. As a result of this, the people developed many variants of the same language.
It should be noted that many other countries with a similar history also have lots of languages. Hence, Thailand is not an exception.
Conclusion
Finally, over 70 languages are spoken by the people of Thailand. While many of these languages are indigenous, others are languages of immigrants that have been integrated into the country. However, the Thai language is the most widely spoken and official language of Thailand. It is used in both formal and informal settings. As a consequence of this, the Thai language is spoken by most of the indigenous people of Thailand. In addition to this, many people speak the English language as their second language in this Southeast Asian nation.
