Facts about the Thai Language
Spoken in: Thailand, Laos, Upper Bruma, China Yunnan Province, USARegion: Asia
Total speakers: 25 million.
Official language of: The kingdom of Thailand
Thai (Siamese) is the official language of the Kingdom of Thailand. It is but one of many languages and dialects belonging to the historical or proto-Tai family, which is divided into three major branches: Northern Tai, Central Tai, and South-western Tai. Thai (Siamese) is in the third branch of the family.
Thailand has a population of over 60 million. Perhaps as many as half of these speak Central/Standard Thai at home, school, or business. The remaining half speak a regional dialect or a non-Tai language, such as Hmong or Lahu in the North, Lao or Khmer in the Northeast, and Malay in the South. In the U.S. there are large Thai communities, the largest of which is in the Los Angeles area. More modest settlements of largely professional Thais (doctors, nurses, engineers, restaurateurs) live in Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.