Languages of Thailand
Thailand is home to 51 living indigenous languages and 24 living non-indigenous languages, with the majority of people speaking languages of the Southwestern Tai family, and the national language being Central Thai. Lao is spoken along the borders with the Lao PDR, Karen languages are spoken along the border with Myanmar, Khmer is spoken near Cambodia and Malay is spoken in the south near Malaysia. Sixty-two 'domestic' languages are officially recognized, and international languages spoken in Thailand, primarily by international workers, expatriates and business people, include Burmese, Karen, English, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese, among others.
Officially recognized languages
National breakdown
The following table comprises all 62 ethnolinguistic groups recognized by the Royal Thai Government in the 2011 Country Report to the UN Committee responsible for the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, available from the Department of Rights and Liberties Promotion of the Thai Ministry of Justice.| Kra-Dai | Austroasiatic | Sino-Tibetan | Austronesian | Hmong-Mien |
| 24 Groups | 22 Groups | 11 Groups | 3 Groups | 2 Groups |
| Kaloeng | Kasong | Guong | Malay | Hmong |
| Northern Thai | Kuy / Kuay | Karen | Moken / Moklen | Mien |
| Tai Dam | Khmu | - S'gaw Karen | Urak Lawoi' | |
| Nyaw | [Northern Khmer language|Khmer dialect|Thailand Khmer, Northern Khmer] | - Pwo Karen | ||
| Khün | Chong | - Kaya Karen | ||
| Central Thai | Sa'och | - Bwe Karen | ||
| Thai Korat | Kensiu | - Pa'O | ||
| Thai Takbai | Samre | - Padaung Karen | ||
| Thai Loei | Thavung | - Kayo Karen | ||
| Tai Lue | So | Jingpaw / Kachin | ||
| Tai Ya | Nyah Kur | Chinese | ||
| Shan | Nyeu | Yunnanese Chinese | ||
| Southern Thai | Bru | Bisu | ||
| Phu Thai | Blang | Burmese | ||
| Phuan | Palaung | Lahu | ||
| Yong | Mon | Lisu | ||
| Yoy | Lawa | Akha | ||
| Lao Khrang | Mlabri | Mpi | ||
| Lao Ngaew | Lamet | |||
| Lao Ti | Lavua | |||
| Lao Wiang/Lao Klang | Wa | |||
| Lao Lom | Vietnamese | |||
| Isan | ||||
| Saek |
Regional breakdown
Regional language data is limited. The following table shows all the language families of Northeast Thailand, as recognized in the report which is the source for the national breakdown.| Tai Language Family | Persons | Austroasiatic Language Family | Persons |
| Lao Esan / Thai Lao | 13,000,000 | Thailand Khmer / Northern Khmer | 1,400,000 |
| Central Thai | 800,000 | Kuy / Kuay | 400,000 |
| Thai Khorat / Tai Beung / Tai Deung | 600,000 | So | 70,000 |
| Thai-Loei | 500,000 | Bru | combined |
| Phu Thai | 500,000 | Vietnamese | 20,000 |
| Ngaw | 500,000 | Nyeu | 10,000 |
| Kaleung | 200,000 for | Nyah Kur / Chao Bon / Khon Dong | 7,000 |
| Yoy | Kaleung, Yoy and Phuan | So | 1,500 |
| Phuan | combined | Mon | 1,000 |
| Tai-dam | |||
| Total: | 16,103,000 | Total: | 1,909,000 |
| Cannot specify ethnicity and amount: | 3,288,000 | ||
| 21,300,000 |
Note that numbers of speakers are for the Northeast region only. Languages may have additional speakers outside the Northeast.
Provincial breakdown
Provincial-level language data is limited; those interested are directed to the Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand resource, or to the Ethnologue .| Province | Khmer % in 1990 | Khmer % in 2000 |
| Buriram | ||
| Chanthaburi | ||
| Maha Sarakham | ||
| Roi Et | ||
| Sa Kaew | ||
| Sisaket | ||
| Surin | ||
| Trat | ||
| Ubon Ratchathani |
Topolects
The sole official language of Thailand is Central Thai, a vernacular language in Central, Southwestern, and Eastern Thailand, along with Thai Chinese ethnic enclaves in outer parts of the country such as Hatyai, Bandon, Betong, Nangrong, Mueang Buriram, Mueang Khonkaen, Mueang Udonthani, and recently housing estate in Hangdong. Central Thai is a Kra-Dai language closely related to Lao, Shan, and numerous indigenous languages of southern China and northern Vietnam. It is the sole language of education and government, and is spoken throughout the country. In practice, almost all Thai nationality are proficient at the level of a native speaker in the Central Thai, despite less than half of the population claiming that they use it as their vernacular language. The standard is written in the Thai alphabet, an abugida that evolved from the Khmer script.There are several Thai topolects. The Central Thai and Southern Thai are successors of Sukhothai language which divided during the 17th century. Northern Thai is spoken in the northern provinces that were formerly part of the independent kingdom of Lan Na, while Isan and Phu Thai are native languages of the northeast. These languages are partially mutually intelligible with Central Thai, with the degree depending on standard sociolinguistic factors. Although all are classified as separate languages by most linguists, the Thai government has historically treated them as dialects of Thai to build Thai national identity. In the 2010 national census, no declared language option was given besides Thai.
Since the government and Royal Society treat the topolects as dialect, the varieties of Central Thai itself are marginalized and treated as if it doesn't exist, however, local Central Thai accent discrimination still occurs and is called a ner. The most well-known accents of Central Thai language are:
- Krungthep accent, accent of Teochews who were forced assimilation in the early 20th century to shift language to Central Thai, however, at present, it is become reverse Thaification, and now carrying the highest social prestige and cultural imperialism since as late of the 20th century. This accent is enclave dialect, which not dialect continuum, sub varieties in Bandon and Hatyai which season with many Southern Thai loanwords, were known as Kaeng Ka Luang.
- Rattanakosin accent, authentic accent of periphery of Bangkok, Royal Society register phonology on this accent, even this accent used to be a mainstream media in Thai before the Teochew language shift, today this accent serve as lower prestige accent.
- Accent of Suphanburi province.
Minority languages
The position of all minority languages, including the largest, i.e. Isan in the Northeast and Kham muang in the North, is precarious given that they are not well supported in Thailand's language education policy. In the far south, Kelantan-Pattani Malay, also known as Yawi, is the primary community language of the Malay Muslims. Khmer is spoken by older Northern Khmer. Varieties of Chinese are also spoken by the older Thai Chinese population, with the Teochew dialect being best represented. However, the younger Thai Chinese and Northern Khmer trend towards speaking Central Thai. The Peranakan in Southern Thailand speak Southern Thai at home.Sign languages
Several village sign languages are reported among the mountain peoples, though it is not clear whether these are independent languages, as only Ban Khor Sign Language has been described. Two related deaf-community sign languages developed in Chiangmai and Bangkok; the national Thai Sign Language developed from these under the influence of American Sign Language.Endangerment status of languages
The 2014 Ethnologue country report for Thailand, which uses the EGIDS language endangerment assessment scale, lists one national language, one educational language, 27 developing languages, 18 vigorous languages, 17 threatened languages, and 7 dying languages.Most widely spoken languages
ICERD 2011 country report data
The following table shows ethnolinguistic groups in Thailand with equal to or more than 400,000 speakers according to the Royal Thai Government's 2011 Country Report to the Committee Responsible for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.:99 and the Ethnolinguistic Maps of Thailand project. Note that the degree to which language speakers will have shifted in their idiolects towards Central Thai will depend on standard sociolinguistic factors, like age, education, gender, and proximity to an urban center.Ethnolinguistic groups of Thailand with equal to or more than 400,000 speakers:99
| Language | Speakers | Language Family |
| Central Thai | million | Tai-Kadai |
| Isan | million | Tai-Kadai |
| Kham Muang (Northern Thai) | million | Tai-Kadai |
| Pak Tai (Southern Thai) | million | Tai-Kadai |
| Northern Khmer | million | Austroasiatic |
| Yawi (Pattani Malay) | million | Austronesian |
| Ngaw | million | Tai-Kadai |
| Phu Thai | million | Tai-Kadai |
| Karen | million | Sino-Tibetan |
| Kuy | million | Austroasiatic |
Ethnologue data
The figures in the following table are for first language speakers, following Ethnologue. Note that Ethnologue describes 'Isan' as 'Northeastern Thai', following Thai government practice until the 2011 Country Report.Languages by number of speakers in Thailand with more than 400,000 speakers
| Family | Language | ISO | Speakers | Status | Notes |
| Tai-Kadai | Central Thai | th | million | 1 | |
| Tai-Kadai | Northeastern Thai | tts | million | 3 | |
| Tai-Kadai | Northern Thai | nod | million | 4 | |
| Tai-Kadai | Southern Thai | sou | million | 5 | |
| Tai-Kadai | Phu Thai | pht | million | 6a | |
| Austroasiatic | Northern Khmer | kmx | million | 5 | |
| Austronesian | Yawi | mfa | million | 5 | |
| Sino-Tibetan | Burmese | my | million | Non-indigenous |
aExpanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale of Ethnologue:
0 : "The language is widely used between nations in trade, knowledge exchange, and international policy."
1 : "The language is used in education, work, mass media, and government at the national level."
2 : "The language is used in education, work, mass media, and government within major administrative subdivisions of a nation."
3 : "The language is used in work and mass media without official status to transcend language differences across a region."
4 : "The language is in vigorous use, with standardization and literature being sustained through a widespread system of institutionally supported education."
5 : "The language is in vigorous use, with literature in a standardized form being used by some though this is not yet widespread or sustainable."
6a : "The language is used for face-to-face communication by all generations and the situation is sustainable."
6b : "The language is used for face-to-face communication within all generations, but it is losing users."
7 : "The child-bearing generation can use the language among themselves, but it is not being transmitted to children."
8a : "The only remaining active users of the language are members of the grandparent generation and older."
8b : "The only remaining users of the language are members of the grandparent generation or older who have little opportunity to use the language."
9 : "The language serves as a reminder of heritage identity for an ethnic community, but no one has more than symbolic proficiency."
10 : "The language is no longer used and no one retains a sense of ethnic identity associated with the language."
Census data
The following table employs 2000 census data and includes international languages. Caution should be exercised with Thai census data on first language. In Thai censuses, the four largest Tai-Kadai languages of Thailand are not provided as options for language or ethnic group. People stating such a language as a first language, including Lao, are allocated to 'Thai'. This explains the disparity between the three tables in this section. For instance, self-reporting as Lao has been prohibited, due to the prohibition of the Lao ethnonym in the context of describing Thai citizens, for approximately one hundred years. The 2011 Country Report data is therefore more comprehensive in that it differentiates between the four largest Tai-Kadai languages of Thailand and between languages described as 'local languages' and 'dialects and others' in the census.'''* Above the age of five'''