Thailand - a country of two languages

Below are some common questions we are asked about Isaan Thai. We trust that our answers help you to decide whether you want to learn Isaan Thai or not.

1) Why should I learn to speak and understand Isaan Thai?

2) Isn't the language Isaan people speak just Lao?

3) Just how different is the Isaan Thai language to Central Thai?

4) Just how different is Isaan Thai to Lao?

5) Can I use Isaan Thai to teach myself Lao?

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1) Why should I learn to speak and understand Isaan Thai

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, or want to understand and participate in conversations your Isaan Thai partner / girlfriend/ boyfriend is having with their family, friends and fellow people from the North East of Thailand. Whilst it is true that Central Thai is the official language that is used by government and mass media, and the language that is taught in schools, people living in or originating from North East Thailand (Isaan) in everyday conversation 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.

People from Isaan make up 35% of Thailand 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. 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.

Therefore, to communicate effectively with Isaan people and understand what is being said, you need to be able to Speak Isaan Thai. 

Our side panel visual on left of this page show alternating Central Thai and Isaan Thai words. If you know just a little Central Thai you will see just how different Isaan Thai can be.

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. This is due to mass media communication via television bringing Central Thai into the homes of most Isaan people via the television soaps and the teaching of Central Thai to school children. This has led to an increase in the use of Central Thai words in the everyday Isaan Thai language. In Laos, the Lao language has also evolved from it's origins due to French, Vietnamese and Marxist - Leninist influences leading to an increase in words unfamiliar to Isaan Thai people being used in Lao. 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 making it distinct to both Central Thai and Lao languages.

Distinctions between what words constitutes Lao elements of the Isaan Thai language and what constitutes Central 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).

3) Just how different is the Isaan Thai language to Central Thai? 

 There are some significant differences between the Isaan Thai and Central Thai language. These differences include:

1) Different words: The Isaan Thai language has many words distinct from Central Thai.

2) Different tones: Isaan Thai has distinctly different tones for words that are also used in Central Thai. In fact the vast majority of words that Isaan Thai share with Central Thai are spoken with a completely different tone.

3) Different pronunciation: Kon Isaan takes the way they pronounce words from their Lao heritage, and as a result many words are spoken very differently from the Central Thai counter-part. Some of the main differences are:

• There is no ‘r’ consonant in the Lao language. Words common with Central Thai words that start with an ‘r consonant are pronounced with an 'l’ or ‘h’ sound.

• There is no ‘ch’ consonant sound in Lao so Central Thai words beginning with ‘ch’ are pronounced with an ‘s’ sound.

• The majority of words that have a ‘y’ as the start consonant in Central Isaan words are pronounced as ‘ny’.

• Certain letters are dropped in consonant clusters.

• Certain consonant clusters are pronounced differently.

• The vowel lengths of some words are longer than that of Central Thai.

• The vowel lengths of some words are shorter than that of Central Thai.

• Different spelling: Isaan Thai is a spoken language with no official writing system. It is possible to spell Isaan Thai words with Central Thai script (as we do in our Isaan Thai course) but to accurately reflect the different tones of words common to both Isaan Thai and Central Thai the way they are spelt in Thai script differs.

Therefore, the person who has learnt Central Thai faces many hurdles when it comes to communicating in Isaan Thai.

And

 4) Just how different is Isaan Thai to Lao?

 Whilst Isaan Thai features many words and characteristics common with the Lao language, there are some significant differences between the two languages.

• Different words in the Lao language: The Lao language contains many words and phrases not actively used in Isaan Thai.

• Different words in the Isaan Thai language: Isaan Thai language contains many Central Thai words and phrases that do not feature in the Lao language.

• Different word tones: Both Isaan Thai and Lao are tonal languages where the tone of a word determines its meaning. The tone of words common to both Isaan Thai and Lao are pronounced with completely different tones in the vast majority of cases.

• Different number of tones: Isaan Thai features five tones; mid, low, falling, high and rising. Lao features six, two of which differ from that used in Isaan Thai (although there is some debate on this. It has been argued that Northern Lao has six tones, the rest of the country five. However, Vientiane Lao, the dialect most Lao books teach, is generally taught with six tones - mid, low, low falling, high falling, high, and rising).

• Different written script: Isaan Thai does not have a written script. If Isaan Thai words are written out people use the Central Thai script for spelling words but there is no established system for doing this. This is different to the Lao script used by Lao people to write their words.

5) Can I use Isaan Thai to teach myself Lao?

Some familiarity with a language is better than none at all. In this respect learning Isaan Thai with the intention of learning Lao can only be helpful. The key pronouns, questions words and grammar are the same, as are the speech patterns and how things are expressed. The vast majority of words we use in this course are in active use in Laos. The culture is very similar to the one we represent in our course; very traditional and rural. So much of what is learnt in our Isaan Thai course is relatable and transferable. More significantly, the Lao language now taught to the school children at school in Laos is based on the five word tones we use, and the tone of a Lao word matches that as used by our course and the people of Isaan.