Thai alphabet
Quick Summary
The Thai alphabet, established in the 13th century, is derived from the southern Indic script. Writing proceeds from left to right, using spaces for punctuation but not word division. The alphabet includes 42 consonant signs, 4 tone markers, and numerous vowel markers.1
The Thai language, spoken in Thailand, belongs to the Tai language family of Southeast Asia. It is based on the dialect of Bangkok but retains consonant distinctions in its written form that are often merged in speech. Other dialects exist in different regions of Thailand, with Northeastern dialects being similar to those of Laos.1
Thai words are often monosyllabic and use tones to differentiate meanings, with five distinct tones: mid, low, falling, high, and rising. The language has 21 consonant sounds and 9 vowel qualities. Thai grammar lacks inflection but widely uses word compounding for expressiveness. The typical sentence structure is subject-verb-object, with modifiers following the words they modify. Thai also incorporates loanwords from various languages, including Chinese, Sanskrit, Pali, Khmer, Portuguese, and English.12
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