Thai language

Thai language (Thai: ภาษาไทย), also known as Siamese, is the official and national language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people and Thai Chinese. It is a member of the Tai group of the Kra-Dai language family. Over half of its vocabulary is derived from or borrowed from Pali, Sanskrit, Mon, and Old Khmer. It is a tonal and analytic language, with complex orthography and relational markers.

Thai is mutually intelligible with Lao, the language of Laos; the two languages are written with slightly different scripts but are linguistically similar.

History

The history of the Thai language is thought to have originated in the area which is now the border between Vietnam and China, an idea supported by linguistic similarities between Thai and several languages in the southern Chinese provinces. Thai was heavily influenced by the languages and cultures of India, reflected in its writing system, vocabulary, and literature.

Phonology

Thai phonology is characterized by its five tones: mid, low, falling, high, and rising, which can change the meaning of words. The phonological structure of Thai not only includes the tones but also the vowels (short and long) and consonants, which are divided into three classes, each determining the tone of a word.

Grammar

Thai grammar is relatively simple. The language does not use conjugations or declensions and relies on particles to indicate tense and aspect. Word order is critical since it typically follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) pattern. Modifiers follow the words they modify.

Script

The Thai script is an abugida, where each consonant may include an inherent vowel sound that can be changed with diacritics. It was introduced in 1283 by King Ramkhamhaeng. The alphabet consists of 44 consonants and 15 vowel symbols that combine into at least 28 vowel forms and four tone diacritics.

Vocabulary

Thai vocabulary is primarily Tai in origin, with significant borrowings from Sanskrit, Pali, Mon, and Khmer. Modern Thai also incorporates many loanwords from English and other European languages.

Dialects

There are several dialects of Thai, including Central Thai (also known as Bangkok Thai), Northern Thai (Lanna), Northeastern Thai (Isan, which is closely related to Lao), and Southern Thai. Each dialect has its own unique characteristics but Central Thai is the dialect taught in schools and used by the media.

Writing System

The Thai writing system is based on an alphabet derived from the Khmer script. It is known for its complex rules of spelling, pronunciation, and tonal marking.

Usage

Thai is used in all facets of life in Thailand, from government, education, and media to daily communication. It is also taught in schools and universities around the world.

See Also

• Languages of Thailand
• Kra-Dai languages
• Tonal language
• Thai literature

External Links

• Thai-language.com
• Ethnologue report for language code: tha