"Spoken Thai is soft and musical, and the script is graceful . If you learn to read it, you will be alternately praised and doubted by your fellow westerners, but appreciated by Thais, many of whom speak passable English, especially in Bangkok.

The script, of south Indian derivation, is beautiful, featuring graceful loops and rounded characters, and the lilt of Thai is easier on the ear than the sing-song of Mandarin, Cantonese, or the staccato syllables of Japanese. At first listen, you will not realize even if someone is angrily scolding you in Thai because the smiles and tones convey a kinder sound than the meaning of the utterance."
                                                                                           François Micheloud

Thai is the national language of Thailand, spoken by around eighty percent of the sixty million residents of the South-East Asian country.

There are four major Thai dialects, corresponding to the southern, the northeastern, and the central regions of the country; the latter is called Central Thai or Bangkok Thai which is taught in all schools, and it is widely understood in all regions. A few minor Thai dialects are Phuan and Lue, spoken by small populations.

The four primary dialects of Thai should not be confused with four different "languages" used by Thais in different social circumstances. For example, certain words are used only by Thai royalty, creating a royal language. There are also languages used for religious figures, polite everyday interactions, and gruff or crude communications.

Within Thailand, small ethnic minority groups account for around sixty languages which are not considered related to Thai.

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