Thai Language Essay

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Markus Duran Language Paper Comm 143 Instructor Day The language that my partner and I picked was the Thai Language. Throughout this paper I will describe where the language is spoken, how many speakers currently speak it, the language family it belongs in, its written system, its syntax, its morphology, sounds the language has that are difficult for English speakers, pragmatic traps to be avoided when speaking the language and my intercultural experience. Location- The Thai Language is the official and native language of the Thailand people. It is one of the most ancient languages throughout Southeast Asia. The Language is one of the members of the Tai Group that belongs to the Tai- Kadai family. The Tai- Kadai group of languages has originated from Southern China though linguists have linked it to the Austronesian, the Austroasiatic, or Sino-Tibetan family of languages. (Slayden2010) According the to the web page Historical Background of Thai Language, Linguistic research has shown the area near the border of Northern Vietnam and Southeastern China as the probable place of origin for the Tai languages. Today the Tai family includes language spoken in Assam, Northern Burma, all of Thailand including the peninsula, Laos, Northern Vietnam and the Chinese provinces of Yunnan. (Comrie, 2009) Demographics- Over 20 million people speak the Thai Language. It is spoken all over the world, but primarily in Southeastern Asia. Language Family- The Thai language belongs to the Tai language family, a group of related languages spoken in Thailand, Laos, Burma, and Northern Vietnam and Southern China. The dialect spoken in Bangkok (capital of Thailand) and surrounding areas is called Central Thai. (Higbie) There are three main Tai languages spoken in Thailand. First is Southern Thai, which 4.5 million people speak the language of the former independent kingdom
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