The Shan language is a native language of Myanmar that is spoken by the Shan people. Well, there's Thai. Most Thai people, especially the less well-educated, do not speak any English, although they may understand (but will not speak due to shyness) a few common words. Cambodia has a single official language which is Khmer. Laotian is spoken in Laos. In 2001, 80 percent of the populace said that the principle language they spoke at home was Australian English. Karen languages, languages spoken in lower Myanmar (Burma) and on the borders of Thailand. Although both are “dead” languages, similar to Latin, you can still hear Pali spoken daily as it is the language of the Buddhist scriptures and chants. Austroasiatic languages [ edit ] While the more widely spoken and better-known Austroasiatic languages are spoken in Southeast Asia (e.g. This is Yapese’s distinct feature setting it apart from the other languages of the nation. Nearly every person in the country is able to speak and write Standard Thai, having learned the language from government schools and through its use in print and broadcast media. changes in how many languages are spoken in australia recently Throughout the past 15 years, there have been some significant changes in what languages are spoken in Australian homes. Thai is spoken as a first language by 20.2 million people and by 40 million speakers as a second language in Thailand. Statistics are from Ethnologue 2003-10-4. The language is used in government administration, imparting education at all levels, media, etc. Major Spoken Languages: Thai, English, Chinese, Malay, Lao, Mon-Khmer Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, domiciles people belonging to different parts of the globe and thus, acts as a common cultural platform for many communities. In particular, there was an influx from the American Military, which was based in Vietnam and used neighboring Thailand as their R&R base. English features in the system of many schools in Laos, and it is increasingly being regarded as the language of global commerce. Lao is spoken along the borders with the Laos PDR, Karen languages are spoken along the border with Myanmar, Khmer is spoken near Cambodia and Malay is spoken in the south near Malaysia. Its closest relatives are Lao, Shan, and Southern Thai. After the Vietnamese language, Khmer is also the second most widely spoken Austroasiatic language. Many of these languages are spoken by larger numbers outside of Thailand. It is also spoken in some parts of Burma’s Kachin state as well. But the languages with the most impact on Thai, especially the roots of Thai words, are the Indian languages of Pali and Sanskrit. Most speakers of dialects and minority languages speak Central Thai as well, since it is the language used in schools and universities all across the kingdom. China is the largest country in Asia, comprising a total area of 9,596,961 square kilometers or 3,705,407 square miles, and is distinguished for having many distinct features, including the variety of languages spoken in China. It may belong to the wider category of Sino-Tibetan languages, but this is a contested claim. He was right. Approximately 3.2 million people speak the Shan language. While many have now picked up English at least to a … Thailand: At a Glance There are also small populations of speakers in Thailand and Malaysia. Thailand is home to 71 living languages, with the majority of people speaking languages of the Southwestern Tai family, and the national language being Thai. Mostly spoken in Yap State, the Yapese language is an Austronesian language. What language is spoken in Thailand? Thai and Lao, the official languages of Thailand and Laos, respectively, are the best known of the languages. In the 1960s, it became more common for Thai people to learn the English language, as the number of foreign visitors grew. Southeast Asia - Southeast Asia - Linguistic composition: Language patterns in Southeast Asia are highly complex and are rooted in four major language families: Sino-Tibetan, Tai, Austro-Asiatic, and Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian). Read more about Thailand's linguistic diversity here. And of course Thai has lots of Chinese influence. The spoken language is believed to have originated in the area which is now the border between Vietnam and China, an idea which provides clues to the origin of the Thai people, an area of continued academic debate. The Shan language belongs to the Tai–Kadai language family. Thailand - Thailand - Tai: The national language of Thailand, known as Standard Thai, is based on the language spoken in central Thailand. Institutional: 199, Developing: 363, Vigorous: 672, In Trouble: 871, Dying: 201 Thai (ภาษาไทย) Thai is a Tai-Kadai language spoken by about 65 million people mainly in Thailand (ประเทศไทย), and also in the Midway Islands, Singapore, the UAE and the USA Thai is closely related to Lao, and northern dialects of Thai are more or less mutually intelligible with Lao, particularly the Lao spoken in northern Thailand. Thai language, the standard spoken and literary language of Thailand, belonging to the Tai language family of Southeast Asia. As visitors to Thailand also include many Europeans and other Asians, Thai people's language skills often also include these other languages to varying degrees. In Asia alone, there are 2,294 languages spoken, in Africa 2,144, Americas 1,061, the Pacific 1,313, and Europe with 287 languages. The official national language, spoken by almost 100 per cent of the population, is Thai, classified by linguists as belonging to a Chinese -Thai branch of the Sino -Tibetan family. In total, there are around 120 to 175 languages in the Philippines, depending on how they are classified. Conversely, there are around 46 languages that only have a single speaker! In addition, there are 3 main dialects which widely spoken in some regions: Northeastern Thai (Isan), Northern Thai, and … In the 19 th century, the lingua franca was Spanish due to Philippines being under the colonial influence of Spain. If Ethnologue says 67% of Thai speakers speak it as a second language, what language are those people speaking as their first language? When I first moved to Thailand, my professor made the joke that by the end of my Master’s program, I would speak 3 languages: English, Thai, and Thai-English. Thai houseThe written Thai Language was introduced by the third Sukothai period king, Ramkamhaeng, in 1283. And then there are the other 72 languages. Most of these languages are spoken in mountainous areas. Thai (also known as Central Tai, Siamese, Standard Thai, Thaiklang) is a member of the Southwestern branch of the Tai-Kadai language family.The word thai means ‘free’ in the Thai language. Khmer and Vietnamese ), smaller languages of that family are spoken by indigenous communities of northern and eastern Bangladesh. Approximately 7,000 people speak this language with an interesting characteristic whereby speaker pronounce all the words that have vowels at their beginnings with a glottal stop. Malay became predominant after the 13 May Incident. * Thai Dam, spoken by about 20,000 (1991) in Isan and Saraburi province. The Hmong language is a part of the Hmong-Mien family of languages, spoken in southern China, Laos and Thailand in addition to parts of Northern Vietnam. The younger generation in Laos is particularly eager to adopt English. GUEST EDITORIAL by Karl Victor The organization Ethnologue has a peculiar statistic in its 2015 report on Thailand. 7,117 languages are spoken today. Languages derived from the Sino-Tibetan group are found largely in Myanmar, while forms of the Tai group are spoken in Thailand and Laos. The language of the central Thai population is the language taught in schools and used in government. The Tai languages are divided into three linguistic groups—the Southwestern, the Central, and the Northern. With over 20 million native speakers globally, it is also the predominant language spoken in Bangkok. More than 80 languages are used by the different ethnicities of Laos. Burmese, spoken by two thirds of the population, is the official language.. Cham is related to the Malayo-Polynesian languages of … A profile of the languages in Thailand. Perhaps reading and writing are easier, but speaking the language is not as simple. The languages share a common grammar and tone structure. There are 10 dialects of Malay used throughout Malaysia. There are approximately a hundred languages spoken in Myanmar (also known as Burma). (Source: Ethnologue) The exact number of languages spoken … See language lists, maps, statistics, and more. The Karen languages are usually divided into three groups: northern (including Taungthu), central (including Bwe and Geba), and southern (including Pwo and Sgaw); only Pwo and Sgaw of the southern group have The Thai language comes in […] It belongs to the same language family that also includes Thai, Shan and other languages spoken across Laos, Thailand, Burma, Southern China and Northern Vietnam. Thai is the official language of Thailand and the native language of Thai people.The standard Thai is spoken in the central region and around the country. A variant of the Malay language that is spoken in Brunei is also commonly spoken in East Malaysia. But stop to think just how many languages are spoken in Philippines—more than 170! The language is mostly spoken in the country’s Shan State. Thai Language. Other Chamic languages are spoken in parts of Vietnam (Raglai, Rhade, Jarai, Chru, and H’roi) and on the Chinese island of Hainan (Tsat). While the official Thai language is widely spoken throughout Thailand, many Thais also speak and understand English, though more so in Bangkok and the major tourist areas. And beyond that, the languages themselves are in flux. It took me about 2 months to understand my professor’s heavy Thai accent. The Vientiane variety of … Ahom, an extinct language once spoken in Assam (India), has a considerable amount of literature. Several other small Thai-speaking groups include the Shan, Lue, and Phutai. Languages spoken by ethnic minorities represent six language families: Sino-Tibetan, Austro-Asiatic, Tai–Kadai, Indo-European, Austronesian and Hmong–Mien, as well as an incipient national standard for Burmese sign language. They’re living and dynamic, spoken by communities whose lives are shaped by our rapidly changing world. It is based largely on the dialect of Bangkok and its environs in the central region of the country but retains certain consonant distinctions (such as l versus r, kl v That number is constantly in flux, because we're learning more about the world's languages every day. And what does this mean for Thailand’s divided politics? It is spoken by nearly 90% of the country’s population. The official language of Malaysia is the Malaysian standardised form of the Malay language (Malay: Bahasa Malaysia). Thai is the only official and national language of Thailand as well as being the first language of the Thai people. Minority Languages Spoken In Laos. 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