Thai is a part of the Tai-Kadai language family found in Southeastern Asia and the southern parts of China. This language family consists of some 60 languages and Thai is the predominant language in this part of Asia. Often referred to as standard Thai or Siamese, Thai language is the official language in Thailand, spoken by some 40 percent of population. The language is characterized as tonal and analytic, meaning that it uses intonation to distinguish meaning, and that the meaning is shaped with help of word order. Words like 'Sir' or 'Madam' that have the purpose of adding politeness to the conversation don't exist in the same form in Thai language. The polite word in Thailand refers to the gender of the speaker and not of the listener, so men will end their sentences with 'khrap' and women with 'kha'. Thai has ten different ways of saying 'you', depending on whether you are addressing your lover or your friend or a member of a different social circle. Basically, all usages of personal nouns are dictated by social hierarchy, though it is very common in Thai language to use nicknames rather than pronouns.
|
| A sign reflecting Thai customs and mentality |
Thai alphabet consists of some 80 symbols (forty-four consonants, fifteen basic vowel characters and at least twenty-eight combinations of vowel forms) and its origins come form the Indic language family. The symbols may seem very similar to one another. A foreigner trying to learn Thai will find that this is the tip of an iceberg when it comes to mastering the language. Words, or rather syllables can be pronounced in five pitches (low, middle, high, rising and falling), each of them representing a different meaning. There is one Thai sentence often quoted in language textbooks that foreigners will never be able to translate correctly without hearing the correct pronunciation. The sentence is 'Mai mai mai mai mai' and it means 'New wood doesn't burn, does it?' Each 'mai' has a different pitch. More than half of Lao grammar and vocabulary corresponds with Thai rules and scripts, which is one of the firmest proofs of their identical origin.
For all those strongly discouraged about ever mastering the language, here are some good news - Thai grammar is considered to be a lot simpler than the grammar of many European languages. There aren't any articles (a, an and the) or word modifications that express tenses, genders and plurals. Many language constructions such as tenses or verb-to-noun conversions are accomplished by adding particles to the basic format (subject-verb-object).
50% of the population speak other languages and dialects of the Thai family, such as Lao, which is spoken in the northeastern part of the country. All of them, including the official language (which is actually a dialect of central Thailand), have many similarities to some of the Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam languages. Four Thai dialects can be found on the territory of Thailand, somewhat corresponding to Thai regions: southern, northern, northeastern and central Thai.
Apart from Thai-Kadai group of languages, another sixty non-related languages are spoken in Thailand: the Mon-Khmer family of languages dominates among the hill tribes of the north, while some Malay is spoken in the southern part of Thailand. Chinese is also widespread, along with English language that many educated Thais speak. These two languages, in addition to Japanese, are primarily used in commerce.
The four Thai dialects should be distinguished from the four Thai 'languages', which are used by all Thais, depending on the social environment. For instance, the royals have their own linguistic rules and vocabulary, creating 'royal language'. Different 'languages' are also used in spiritual and everyday surroundings.
