Isan language
Encyclopedia
Isan language is the collective name for the dialects of the Lao language as they are spoken in Thailand. It is spoken by approximately 20 million people, which is nearly one-third of the entire population of Thailand, predominantly in the Isan
region of northeastern Thailand. There are also large numbers of speakers, migrant workers, in Bangkok
. It serves as the primary lingua franca
of the Isan region, used as a communication medium amongst native speakers and second language speakers amongst various other minority groups, such as the Northern Khmer
. There are more speakers of Lao (Isan) in Thailand than in Laos.
Although the Lao language
is vibrant in Thailand, spoken as the main language in 88% of speakers’ households, the language suffers from a lack of alphabet, reduced transmission, and absence in media, official events, and education. The language is also heavily being influenced by Thai, as this is the principal language of writing, education, government, and most official situations and a second language for most speakers. Code-switching
is common, depending on the context or situation. Adoption of Thai neologisms has also further differentiated Isan from standard Lao.
branch of the Tai–Kadai languages. It is often considered to be a Thai dialect, a Lao dialect, or a language in its own right. This has given Isan a wealth of other names including Thai Isan, Lao Isan, Lao, or Northeastern Thai. In general, speakers refer to the language either as Isan or Lao, although the term ‘Lao’ can be used pejoratively by Thai speakers or the preferred term by those who acknowledge the Lao roots. Although Lao and Thai are mutually intelligible to some extent, Isan is closer to standard Lao than it is to standard Thai.
and northern Vietnam
beginning three millennia ago. Evidence of these migrations are recorded in the legends of a possibly mythic king, Khun Borom
whose descendants settled as far as Assam
, central China
, Hainan Island, and Southeast Asia
, fleeing from population pressures, Han Chinese
expansion, Mongol wars
as well as searching suitable riparian areas for wet-rice cultivation.
The forerunners of the modern Tai peoples of Thailand and Laos displaced the indigenous Austro-Asiatic
and Negrito
peoples and established their own kingdoms, with the Lao concentrated along the Mekong
River Valley and the predecessors to the Siamese states settling along the Chao Phraya River Valley. The Lao kingdoms consolidated into the Kingdom of Lan Xang
in 1354, and its territory included most of what is now Laos
and the Isan
region, as well as Lannathai and some Chinese territory. The rival Siamese forced Lan Xang
into serving as a vassal state. Pressures from Vietnam
, Siam, China
, and Angkor
after a political crisis lead to a split into three kingdoms that were rapidly annexed by Siam. After this incorporation, the 18th and 19th century, the invading Siamese enslaved whole villages, conscripted others into corvée labour, or forced the population to relocate into Isan from the more prosperous eastern shores for the purpose of settling and developing the region. Competing French and British interests necessitated Siam
be a buffer zone, but Siam lost huge territorial concessions to maintain its freedom, including Isan, which did not fully become Siamese territory until the 1904. From this point on, the history of the Lao in Thailand and the Lao in Laos were divided.
The region remained a neglected, rural area. Thaification
policies were undertaken to strip the Lao of their identity and connection with their colonized, and later Communist, brethren on the other shore of the Mekhong River, including the introduction of Thai-language schooling; mandatory use of Thai in written communication, government, business, and education; a name change of the region, its people and language from ‘Lao’ to ‘Isan’; banning publications in the Lao alphabet
; as well as prejudice of the ‘foreigners’ by Central Thai. With the absence of Isan in most media outlets and formal spheres and high rates of bilingualism with Thai, the Lao languages have diverged significantly in recent years as Thai pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar have made inroads.
Isan is primarily spoken in the 19 provinces that constitute Northeastern Thailand, a territory that is roughly the size of England and Wales combined. It is also spoken in large parts of Uttaradit
and Phitsanulok
provinces and parts of Eastern Thailand
.
There are small villages and pockets of Lao speakers in northern and central Thailand, a legacy of forced Lao settlement in these regions from the 18th and 19th centuries that have maintained Lao speech and culture. Although these small closely related groups may profess a Lao identity, they are not Isan because they are from outside the region. Due to internal and seasonal migration from Isan to Bangkok, there exists a large number of Lao speakers in Bangkok and other major Thai cities. It can also be safely assumed that a good portion of Thai citizens living abroad are also Isan speakers.
. In Thailand, the local Lao dialects are officially viewed as a dialect of the Thai language, and the language is absent in most public and official domains. Despite these pressures of government policy to assimilate the people and language to the Thai nation state, Thai has failed to supplant Lao as the mother tongue for the majority of Isan households. Lao features of the language have been stabilised by the shared history and mythology, morlam folk music still sung in Lao, and a steady flow of Lao immigrants, day-labourers, traders, and growing cross-border trade.
, dialects of the Lao language in Thailand share several features that set them apart from standard Lao, mainly the adoption of Thai neologisms, code-switching between Thai and Lao, and influences on grammar and tone distribution which make certain standard Lao words and manners of speaking seem very archaic or are just obsolete. However, dialectal isoglosses mirror the population movements from modern-day Laos into the Isan region and can be matched to those in Laos.
Isan is currently written in the Thai alphabet
, although this system is inadequate for representing two distinct phonemes used in Isan and the tones are not written according to Lao tonal rules. Secular writing was written in the Tai Noy script, which the modern Lao alphabet is a direct descendant. This script was widely used in Isan until 2414 BE (1871 AD), when the Thai government banned both the language and its script from schools and general writing. It continues in a limited extent to palm-leaf manuscripts preserved in Isan temple libraries, and can still be seen throughout the region on very old temple murals. The Tai Noy script was the 'secular' script in use for records, stories, songs, poetry, and display. Religious literature was often written in a Mon
-based script also used formerly for Kham Mueang. Secret codes, charms, and occult writing often used the old Khrom script, an older version of the Khmer alphabet.
Below, the lyrics to the song Duang Champa (ดวงจำปา,duaːŋ càmpàː) a famous song to all Lao speakers. One can see that both scripts are similar and that cognate words are spelt nearly the same.
(Thai rendering of Isan): เห็นสวนดอกไม้ บิดาปลูกไว้ ตั้งแต่ใดมา เวลา หงอยเหงา ยังช่วยบรรเทาให้หายโศกา
(Standard Lao of Laos): ເຫັນສວນດອກໄມ້ ບິດາປູກໄວ້ ຕັ້ງແຕ່ໃດມາ ເວລາ ຫງອຽເຫງົາ ຍັງຊ່ວຽບັນເທົາໃຫ້ຫາຽໂສກາ
Simplification of consonant clusters
Isan is written in Thai, but consonant clusters are usually not pronounced.
Replacement of /r/ with /l/ or /h/
Isan pronounces and sometimes spells words etymologically containing ร /r/ as either ล (Lao ຣ or ລ) /l/ or ฮ (Lao: ຮ) /h/.
Replacement of /tɕʰ/ with /s/
Isan pronounces and spells words etymologically containing ช /tɕʰ/ as ซ /s/ and pronounces words with and ฌ /tɕʰ/ as ซ /s/ and ฉ /tɕʰ/ as if it were spelt with ส /s/.
Replacement of /j/ with /ɲ/
Words spelt with ญ and consonantal ย are pronounced as /ɲ/ if etymologically related to Lao ຍ. If words with ย are related etymologically to Lao letter ຢ, they retain the /j/ pronunciation.
Replacement of /w/ with /v/
It is very common for Isan speakers to pronounce ว as /v/.
Shortening of Diphthongs
Diphthongs that contain vocalic ว are often shortened.
Retention of certain historical Lao pronunciations
can be different. Tone in Thai determined by complex rules determined by consonant tone class, presence of tone markers, and vowel type. Since these rules are catering to Thai tonal patterns, they are deficient for representing Isan speech and their distinct tonal patterns.
Although in formal situations, standard Thai is often used, formality is marked in Isan by polite particles attached to the end of statements, and use of formal pronouns. Compared to Thai, Isan sounds very formal as pronouns are used with greater frequency, which occurs in formal Thai, but is more direct and simple compared to Thai. The ending particles เดอ (doe, dɤː) or เด (de, deː) function much like ครับ (khrap, kʰráp), used by males, and คะ (kha, kʰaʔ), used by females, in Thai. (Isan speakers sometimes use the Thai particles in place of or after เดอ or เด.) Negative statements often end in ดอก (dok, dɔ̀ːk), which can also be followed by the particle เดอ and its variant.
Verbs are easily made into nouns by adding the prefixes ความ (khwam/kʰwaːm) and การ (kan/kːan) before verbs that express abstract actions and verbs that express physical actions, respectively. Adjectives and adverbs, which can function as complete predicates, only use ความ.
Pronouns
Pronouns are often dropped in informal contexts, and are often replaced with nicknames or kinship terms, depending on the relation of the speaker to the person to whom is being spoken. Pronouns can also change depending on the register of speech, with many of the more formal pronouns borrowed from formal Thai speech registers. The more formal the language, the more likely that pronouns will not be dropped and that formal pronouns would be used. Pronouns can be pluralised by adding พวก (phuak, pʰuak) in front of the pronoun, e.g., พวกข่อย (phuak khoy/pʰuak kʰɔːj) is the same as เฮา (hao) or พวกเฮา (phuak hao/pʰuak haw). Age and status is important in determining usage. Younger boys and girls names are often prefixed with บัก (bak, bak) and อี (i, iː) respectively. Older males and females use อ้าย (ai, aːj) and เอี้อย (euay, ɯːaj) respectively instead. People who are much older may be politely addressed as aunt, uncle, mother, father, or even grandmother or grandfather depending on their age. Isan age-based name prefixes are often identical to or similar to vulgar, disparaging age-based name prefixes in Central Thai and should be avoided outside of Lao/Isan speaking regions in Thailand.
Comparatives take the form "A X ก่วา B" (kwa, gwaː), A is more X than B. The superlative is expressed as "A X ที่สุด (thisut, tʰiːsut), A is most X.
Because adjectives or adverbs can be used as predicates, the particles that modify verbs are also used.
Negation: Negation
is indicated by placing บ่ (bo, bɔː) before the word being negated.
Future tense
: Future tense is indicated by placing the particles จะ (cha, tɕaʔ) or ซิ (si, siː) before the verb.
Past tense: Past tense
is indicated by either placing ได้ (dai, daj) before the verb or แล้ว (laew, lɛːw) after the verb or even using both in tandem for emphasis. แล้ว is the more common one, and can be used to indicate completed actions or current actions of the immediate past. ได้ is often used with negative statements and never for present action.
Present progressive: To indicate an on-going action, กำลัง (kamlang, kam.laŋ) can be used before the verb or อยู่ (yu, juː) after the verb. These can also be combined for emphasis. In Isan and Lao, พวม (phuam, pʰuam) is often used instead of กำลัง.
The verb 'to be' can be expressed in many ways. In use as a copula, it is often dropped between nouns and adjectives. Compare English She is pretty and Isan สาวงาม (literally lady pretty). There are two copulas used in Isan, as in Lao, one for things relating to people, เป็น (pen, pen), and one for objects and animals, แม่น (maen, mɛːn).
, which indicates questions by a rising tone, or Spanish
, which changes the order of the sentences to achieve the same result, Isan uses question tag words. The use of question words makes use of the question mark (?) redundant in Isan.
General yes/no questions end in บ่ (same as บ่, 'no, not').
Other question words
Answers to questions usually just involve repetition of the verb and any nouns for clarification.
Words asked with a negative can be confusing and should be avoided. The response, even though without the negation, will still be negated due to the nature of the question.
. However, there are traits that distinguish Isan both from Thai and its Lao parent language.
Isan is clearly differentiated from Thai by its Lao intonation and vocabulary. However, Isan differs from Lao in that the former has more English and Chinese loanwords, via Thai, not to mention large amounts of Thai influence. The Laotian Lao adopted French and Vietnamese loanwords as a legacy of French Indochina. Other differences between Isan and Lao include terminology that reflect the social and political separation since 1893 as well as differences in neologisms created after this. These differences, and a few very small deviations for certain common words, do not, however, diminish nor erase the Lao characters of the language.
Isan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
region of northeastern Thailand. There are also large numbers of speakers, migrant workers, in Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
. It serves as the primary lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
of the Isan region, used as a communication medium amongst native speakers and second language speakers amongst various other minority groups, such as the Northern Khmer
Northern Khmer people
Nothern Khmer people, also known in Thai as Thai-Khmer people , is the designation used to refer to ethnic Khmers native to the Isan region of Northeast Thailand. Khmers have had a presence in this area since at least the time of the Khmer Empire. With the fall of the Angkor, however, the Khmers of...
. There are more speakers of Lao (Isan) in Thailand than in Laos.
Although the Lao language
Lao language
Lao or Laotian is a tonal language of the Tai–Kadai language family. It is the official language of Laos, and also spoken in the northeast of Thailand, where it is usually referred to as the Isan language. Being the primary language of the Lao people, Lao is also an important second language for...
is vibrant in Thailand, spoken as the main language in 88% of speakers’ households, the language suffers from a lack of alphabet, reduced transmission, and absence in media, official events, and education. The language is also heavily being influenced by Thai, as this is the principal language of writing, education, government, and most official situations and a second language for most speakers. Code-switching
Code-switching
In linguistics, code-switching is the concurrent use of more than one language, or language variety, in conversation. Multilinguals—people who speak more than one language—sometimes use elements of multiple languages in conversing with each other...
is common, depending on the context or situation. Adoption of Thai neologisms has also further differentiated Isan from standard Lao.
Classification
Isan belong to the TaiTai languages
The Tai or Zhuang–Tai languages are a branch of the Tai–Kadai language family. The Tai languages include the most widely spoken of the Tai–Kadai languages, including standard Thai or Siamese, the national language of Thailand; Lao or Laotian, the national language of Laos; Burma's Shan language;...
branch of the Tai–Kadai languages. It is often considered to be a Thai dialect, a Lao dialect, or a language in its own right. This has given Isan a wealth of other names including Thai Isan, Lao Isan, Lao, or Northeastern Thai. In general, speakers refer to the language either as Isan or Lao, although the term ‘Lao’ can be used pejoratively by Thai speakers or the preferred term by those who acknowledge the Lao roots. Although Lao and Thai are mutually intelligible to some extent, Isan is closer to standard Lao than it is to standard Thai.
History
The Tai languages of Southeast Asia were introduced by migrations from southern ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and northern Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
beginning three millennia ago. Evidence of these migrations are recorded in the legends of a possibly mythic king, Khun Borom
Khun Borom
Khun Borom Rachathirath is the legendary progenitor of the Tai-speaking peoples, considered by the Lao and others to be the father of their race....
whose descendants settled as far as Assam
Assam
Assam , also, rarely, Assam Valley and formerly the Assam Province , is a northeastern state of India and is one of the most culturally and geographically distinct regions of the country...
, central China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Hainan Island, and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, fleeing from population pressures, Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
expansion, Mongol wars
Mongol Conquests
Mongol invasions progressed throughout the 13th century, resulting in the vast Mongol Empire which covered much of Asia and Eastern Europe by 1300....
as well as searching suitable riparian areas for wet-rice cultivation.
The forerunners of the modern Tai peoples of Thailand and Laos displaced the indigenous Austro-Asiatic
Austro-Asiatic languages
The Austro-Asiatic languages, in recent classifications synonymous with Mon–Khmer, are a large language family of Southeast Asia, also scattered throughout India and Bangladesh. The name Austro-Asiatic comes from the Latin words for "south" and "Asia", hence "South Asia"...
and Negrito
Negrito
The Negrito are a class of several ethnic groups who inhabit isolated parts of Southeast Asia.Their current populations include 12 Andamanese peoples of the Andaman Islands, six Semang peoples of Malaysia, the Mani of Thailand, and the Aeta, Agta, Ati, and 30 other peoples of the Philippines....
peoples and established their own kingdoms, with the Lao concentrated along the Mekong
Mekong
The Mekong is a river that runs through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is the world's 10th-longest river and the 7th-longest in Asia. Its estimated length is , and it drains an area of , discharging of water annually....
River Valley and the predecessors to the Siamese states settling along the Chao Phraya River Valley. The Lao kingdoms consolidated into the Kingdom of Lan Xang
Lan Xang
The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Kao was established in 1354 by Fa Ngum.Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, Prince Fa Ngum of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong married a daughter of the Khmer king. In 1349 he set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army to establish his own country...
in 1354, and its territory included most of what is now Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and the Isan
Isan
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
region, as well as Lannathai and some Chinese territory. The rival Siamese forced Lan Xang
Lan Xang
The Lao kingdom of Lan Xang Hom Kao was established in 1354 by Fa Ngum.Exiled as an infant to Cambodia, Prince Fa Ngum of Xieng Dong Xieng Thong married a daughter of the Khmer king. In 1349 he set out from Angkor at the head of a 10,000-man army to establish his own country...
into serving as a vassal state. Pressures from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Siam, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Angkor
Angkor
Angkor is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The word Angkor is derived from the Sanskrit nagara , meaning "city"...
after a political crisis lead to a split into three kingdoms that were rapidly annexed by Siam. After this incorporation, the 18th and 19th century, the invading Siamese enslaved whole villages, conscripted others into corvée labour, or forced the population to relocate into Isan from the more prosperous eastern shores for the purpose of settling and developing the region. Competing French and British interests necessitated Siam
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
be a buffer zone, but Siam lost huge territorial concessions to maintain its freedom, including Isan, which did not fully become Siamese territory until the 1904. From this point on, the history of the Lao in Thailand and the Lao in Laos were divided.
The region remained a neglected, rural area. Thaification
Thaification
Thaification is the process by which people of different cultural and ethnic origins living in Thailand become assimilated to the dominant Thai culture, or more precisely, to the culture of the Central Thais...
policies were undertaken to strip the Lao of their identity and connection with their colonized, and later Communist, brethren on the other shore of the Mekhong River, including the introduction of Thai-language schooling; mandatory use of Thai in written communication, government, business, and education; a name change of the region, its people and language from ‘Lao’ to ‘Isan’; banning publications in the Lao alphabet
Lao alphabet
The Lao alphabet, Aksone Lao , is the main script used to write the Lao language and other minority languages in Laos. It is ultimately of Indic origin, the alphabet includes 27 consonants , 7 consonantal ligatures , 33 vowels , and 4 tone marks...
; as well as prejudice of the ‘foreigners’ by Central Thai. With the absence of Isan in most media outlets and formal spheres and high rates of bilingualism with Thai, the Lao languages have diverged significantly in recent years as Thai pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar have made inroads.
Geographic Distribution
Uttaradit Province
Uttaradit is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan...
and Phitsanulok
Phitsanulok Province
Phitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....
provinces and parts of Eastern Thailand
Eastern Thailand
Eastern Thailand is a region of Thailand bordering Cambodia on the east and Central Thailand on the west.-Geography:Eastern Thailand lies between the Sankamphaeng Range, which forms the border of the Northeastern plateau to the north and the Gulf of Thailand to the south...
.
There are small villages and pockets of Lao speakers in northern and central Thailand, a legacy of forced Lao settlement in these regions from the 18th and 19th centuries that have maintained Lao speech and culture. Although these small closely related groups may profess a Lao identity, they are not Isan because they are from outside the region. Due to internal and seasonal migration from Isan to Bangkok, there exists a large number of Lao speakers in Bangkok and other major Thai cities. It can also be safely assumed that a good portion of Thai citizens living abroad are also Isan speakers.
Legal Status
Lao only enjoys official status in LaosLaos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. In Thailand, the local Lao dialects are officially viewed as a dialect of the Thai language, and the language is absent in most public and official domains. Despite these pressures of government policy to assimilate the people and language to the Thai nation state, Thai has failed to supplant Lao as the mother tongue for the majority of Isan households. Lao features of the language have been stabilised by the shared history and mythology, morlam folk music still sung in Lao, and a steady flow of Lao immigrants, day-labourers, traders, and growing cross-border trade.
Dialects
As the language is in a diglossic situation with standard ThaiThai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
, dialects of the Lao language in Thailand share several features that set them apart from standard Lao, mainly the adoption of Thai neologisms, code-switching between Thai and Lao, and influences on grammar and tone distribution which make certain standard Lao words and manners of speaking seem very archaic or are just obsolete. However, dialectal isoglosses mirror the population movements from modern-day Laos into the Isan region and can be matched to those in Laos.
| Dialect | Lao Provinces | Thai Provinces | |
| Vientiane Lao (ภาษาลาวเวียงจันทน์) | Vientiane, Vientiane Capital Prefecture, Bolikhamsai | Nong Bua Lamphu, Chaiyaphum Chaiyaphum Province Chaiyaphum is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Khon Kaen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Lopburi and Phetchabun.- Etymology :... , and parts of Nong Khai Nong Khai Province Nong Khai is the northernmost of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Loei... , Yasothorn, Khon Kaen Khon Kaen Province -History:The first city of the area was established in 1783 when Rajakruluang settled there with 330 people. King Rama I made Rajakruluang the first governor of the area when establishing tighter connections with the Isan area. The main city was moved six times until in 1879 it reached its modern... , and Udon Thani Udon Thani Province Udon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :... . |
|
| Northern Lao (ภาษาลาวเหนือ) | Luang Prabang, Sainyabuli, Oudomxay. | Loei Loei Province Loei is one of the most sparsely populated provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Nongbua Lamphu, Khon Kaen, Phetchabun, Phitsanulok... and parts of Udon Thani Udon Thani Province Udon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :... and Khon Kaen Khon Kaen Province -History:The first city of the area was established in 1783 when Rajakruluang settled there with 330 people. King Rama I made Rajakruluang the first governor of the area when establishing tighter connections with the Isan area. The main city was moved six times until in 1879 it reached its modern... .*1 |
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| Northeastern Lao/Tai Phuan Phuan The Phuan , also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan or Lao Phuan, are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of the northeastern Isan region with other groups scattered in central Thailand and Laos . According to the Ethnologue Report, the Phuan number 204,704 and that is... (ภาษาลาวตะวันออกเฉียงเหนือ/ภาษาไทพวน) |
Xiangkhoang and Houaphanh. | Parts of Sakon Nakhon Sakon Nakhon Province Sakon Nakhon is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani... , Udon Thani Udon Thani Province Udon Thani is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Sakon Nakhon, Kalasin, Khon Kaen, Nong Bua Lamphu and Loei.- Geography :... .*2 |
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| Central Lao (ภาษาลาวกลาง) | Savannakhet and Khammouan. | Mukdahan Mukdahan Province Mukdahan is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Amnat Charoen, Yasothon, Roi Et, Kalasin, Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom. To the east it borders the Mekong River, across which lies Savannakhet Province of Laos.-Geography:The province is located in the... and parts of Sakon Nakhon Sakon Nakhon Province Sakon Nakhon is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nong Khai, Nakhon Phanom, Mukdahan, Kalasin and Udon Thani... and Nong Khai Nong Khai Province Nong Khai is the northernmost of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Bueng Kan, Sakon Nakhon, Udon Thani and Loei... . |
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| Southern Lao (ภาษาลาวใต้) | Champasak, Salavan, Sekong Sekong Province Sekong is a province of Laos, located in the south-east of the country.-Geography:Sekong was created in 1984, when it was split off from Salavan Province. It is bordered by Vietnam to the east, Attapeu Province to the south, Salavanh Province to the north, and Champasak Province to the west... , and Attapeu. |
Ubon Ratchathani Ubon Ratchathani Province -History:The area was part of the Khmer Empire. Before the late eighteenth century, this area evidently was outside Siamese or Thai Ayutthaya Kingdom.... , Amnat Charoen Amnat Charoen Province Amnat Charoen is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Ubon Ratchathani, Yasothon and Mukdahan. To the east it borders Salavan of Laos.-Geography:... , and parts of Yasothorn, Buriram Buriram Province Buri Ram or is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Sa Kaeo, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Maha Sarakham and Surin. To the south-east it borders Oddar Meancheay of Cambodia... , Si Sa Ket, Surin Surin Province Surin is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Buriram, Maha Sarakham, Roi Et and Sisaket... and Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima Province Nakhon Ratchasima or , often shortened to Korat or Khorat , is one of the north-eastern provinces of Thailand... *3 |
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| Western Lao (ภาษาลาวตะวันตก) | *4 | Kalasin Kalasin Province Kalasin is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Sakon Nakhon, Mukdahan, Roi Et, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani.-Geography:... , Maha Sarakham Maha Sarakham Province Maha Sarakham is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the northeastern region of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Kalasin, Roi Et, Surin, Buriram and Khon Kaen.... , and Roi Et Roi Et Province Roi Et is one of the provinces of Thailand, located in the North-East of Thailand. Neighboring Provinces are Kalasin, Mukdahan, Yasothon, Sisaket, Surin and Maha Sarakham.... . |
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- (1) Also spoken in large parts of Uttaradit ProvinceUttaradit ProvinceUttaradit is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan...
and PhitsanulokPhitsanulok ProvincePhitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....
which are outside the IsanIsanIsan is the northeastern region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau, bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, by Cambodia to the southeast and the Prachinburi mountains south of Nakhon Ratchasima...
region. - (2) Sometimes considered a separate language, as it is traditionally spoken by Tai PhuanPhuanThe Phuan , also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan or Lao Phuan, are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of the northeastern Isan region with other groups scattered in central Thailand and Laos . According to the Ethnologue Report, the Phuan number 204,704 and that is...
tribal members, a closely related but distinct TaiTai peoplesThe Tai ethnicity refers collectively to the ethnic groups of southern China and Southeast Asia, stretching from Hainan to eastern India and from southern Sichuan to Laos, Thailand, and parts of Vietnam, which speak languages in the Tai family and share similar traditions and festivals, including...
group. Also spoken in a few small and scattered Tai Phuan villages in SukhothaiSukhothai ProvinceSukhothai is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phrae, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Kamphaeng Phet, Tak, and Lampang...
, UttaraditUttaradit ProvinceUttaradit is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phitsanulok, Sukhothai, Phrae and Nan...
, and PhraePhrae ProvincePhrae is one of the northern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Phayao, Nan, Uttaradit, Sukhothai and Lampang.-Geography:Phrae is located in the valley of the river Yom.-History:...
. - (3) Gives way to Northern Khmer in Si Sa Ket, Surin, and Buriram, and to Khorat ThaiKhorat ThaiKhorat Thai or Korat Thai people refers to an ethnic group named by their main settlement area which is in Nakhon Ratchasima province, unofficially called “Korat”, of Thailand. Korat Thai people call themselves Tai Berng , Tai Derng , or Tai Korat...
and, to some extant, Northern Khmer in Nakhon Ratchasima. - (4) Western Lao dialect is not spoken in LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
.
Writing System
Thai alphabet
Thai script , is used to write the Thai language and other, minority, languages in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants , fifteen vowel symbols that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks ....
, although this system is inadequate for representing two distinct phonemes used in Isan and the tones are not written according to Lao tonal rules. Secular writing was written in the Tai Noy script, which the modern Lao alphabet is a direct descendant. This script was widely used in Isan until 2414 BE (1871 AD), when the Thai government banned both the language and its script from schools and general writing. It continues in a limited extent to palm-leaf manuscripts preserved in Isan temple libraries, and can still be seen throughout the region on very old temple murals. The Tai Noy script was the 'secular' script in use for records, stories, songs, poetry, and display. Religious literature was often written in a Mon
Mon language
The Mon language is an Austroasiatic language spoken by the Mon, who live in Burma and Thailand. Mon, like the related language Cambodian—but unlike most languages in Mainland Southeast Asia—is not tonal. Mon is spoken by more than a million people today. In recent years, usage of Mon has...
-based script also used formerly for Kham Mueang. Secret codes, charms, and occult writing often used the old Khrom script, an older version of the Khmer alphabet.
Below, the lyrics to the song Duang Champa (ดวงจำปา,duaːŋ càmpàː) a famous song to all Lao speakers. One can see that both scripts are similar and that cognate words are spelt nearly the same.
(Thai rendering of Isan): เห็นสวนดอกไม้ บิดาปลูกไว้ ตั้งแต่ใดมา เวลา หงอยเหงา ยังช่วยบรรเทาให้หายโศกา
(Standard Lao of Laos): ເຫັນສວນດອກໄມ້ ບິດາປູກໄວ້ ຕັ້ງແຕ່ໃດມາ ເວລາ ຫງອຽເຫງົາ ຍັງຊ່ວຽບັນເທົາໃຫ້ຫາຽໂສກາ
Phonology
Isan shares most of its phonology with Thai and Lao. It lacks the /r/ and /tɕʰ/ of Thai, but includes /v/ and /ɲ/ found in Lao. However, due to language contact with Thai, Thai pronunciation does creep into Isan speech.Simplification of consonant clusters
Isan is written in Thai, but consonant clusters are usually not pronounced.
- เพลง song (phleng, pʰleːŋ) and ครอบครัว family (khrop khrua, kʰrɔ̂ːp kʰrua) are pronounced as เพง (Lao: ເພງ) and คอบคัว (Lao: ຄອບຄົວ) (khop khua, kʰɔ̂ːp kʰúaː).
Replacement of /r/ with /l/ or /h/
Isan pronounces and sometimes spells words etymologically containing ร /r/ as either ล (Lao ຣ or ລ) /l/ or ฮ (Lao: ຮ) /h/.
- รถ car (rot, rót) and รำ dance (ram, ram) are pronounced as ลด (Lao: ລົດ) and ลำ (Lao: ລຳ(lam, lám).
- รัก love (rak, rák) and ร้อน (ron, rɔ´ːn) "hot" pronounced and written as ฮัก (Lao: ຮັກ) (hak, hāk) and ฮ้อน (Lao: ຮ້ອນ) (hon, hɔ̂ːn) respectively.
- In Thai, the letter ร is colloquially pronounced as /l/.
- In Lao, the letter ຣ is generally pronounced as /l/, except in loanwords.
Replacement of /tɕʰ/ with /s/
Isan pronounces and spells words etymologically containing ช /tɕʰ/ as ซ /s/ and pronounces words with and ฌ /tɕʰ/ as ซ /s/ and ฉ /tɕʰ/ as if it were spelt with ส /s/.
- ช้าง elephant (chang, tɕʰáːŋ) and ฌาน meditative absorption (chan, tɕʰaːn) are pronounced and written as ซ้าง (Lao: ຊ້າງ)(sang, sâːŋ) and pronounced as ซาน (Lao: ຊານ) (san, sáːn).
- ฉบับ copy (chabap, tɕʰàʔ bàp) and ฉิ่ง cymbal (ching, tɕʰìŋ) are pronounced as สบับ (Lao: ສະບັບ) (sabap, sáʔ báp) and สิ่ง (Lao: ສິ່ງ) (sing, sīŋ).
- Educated and urban speakers may pronounce the /tɕʰ/ phoneme, but /s/ is still more common.
Replacement of /j/ with /ɲ/
Words spelt with ญ and consonantal ย are pronounced as /ɲ/ if etymologically related to Lao ຍ. If words with ย are related etymologically to Lao letter ຢ, they retain the /j/ pronunciation.
- ผู้หญิง girl (phuying, pʰûː jǐŋ) and ยาย maternal grandmother (yai, jaːj) are pronounced as ผู้หญิง (Lao: ຜູ້ຍິງ) (phunying, pʰȕː ɲíŋ) and ยาย (Lao: ຍາຍ) (nyai, ɲáːj).
- ยา medicine (ya/jaː) and อยู่ (yu, jùː) to be somewhere are pronounced as ยา (Lao: ຢາ) (ya/jaː) and อยู่ (Lao: ຢູ່) (yu, jūː) not (nya, ɲaː) and (nyu, ɲūː)
Replacement of /w/ with /v/
It is very common for Isan speakers to pronounce ว as /v/.
- เวร to turn (wen, weːn) and วาสนา luck (watsana, wâːt sàʔ nǎː) is pronounced as เวร (Lao: ເວນ) (ven, véːn) and วาสนา (Lao: ວາສນາ) (vatsana, wâːt sáʔ nǎː).
Shortening of Diphthongs
Diphthongs that contain vocalic ว are often shortened.
- กว่า noun modifier (kwa/kwàː) and ควาย water buffalo (khwai/kʰwaːj) are pronounced as กั่ว (Lao: ກວ່າ) (kua, kūaː) and ควย (Lao: ຄວາຍ) (khuay, kʰúɛj).
- ควย in Thai slang means penis, and this feature of Isan is often deprecated.
Retention of certain historical Lao pronunciations
- แม่โขง Mekong River (maekhong, mɛˆː kʰǒːŋ) pronounced as แม่ของ (Lao: Lao ແມ່ຂອງ.) (mae khong, mɛ̄ː kʰɔə̌ːŋ).
Tones
Although most words are shared between Thai, Isan, and Lao, problems in understanding can arise as tone is a phonemic feature in all three speech varieties. Standard Thai has five tones, although Lao dialects have anywhere from five to seven. Due to regional variation, the word กา/ກາ crow (ka, kàː) is pronounced low-falling in Standard Lao and middle in Standard Thai, but one might also hear it pronounced with high, mid-rising, or low tone depending on the origin of the speaker. Even if the word is pronounced with a same tone, the pitchPitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
can be different. Tone in Thai determined by complex rules determined by consonant tone class, presence of tone markers, and vowel type. Since these rules are catering to Thai tonal patterns, they are deficient for representing Isan speech and their distinct tonal patterns.
| Tone Class | Inherent Tone | ไม้เอก (อ่) | ไม้โท (อ้) | Long Vowell | Short Vowel | |
| High | Rising | Low | Falling | Low | Low | |
| Middle | Middle | Low | Falling | Low | Low | |
| Low | Middle | Falling | High | Middle | Falling |
| Tone Class | Inherent Tone | ไม้เอก (อ่) | ไม้โท (อ้) | Long Vowel | Short Vowel | |
| High | Rising | Mid | Low Falling | High | Low Falling | |
| Middle | Low | Mid | High Falling | Low Falling | High | |
| Low | High | Mid | High Falling | High-Falling | Mid |
Grammar
Isan words are not inflected, declined, conjugated, making Isan, like Lao and Thai, an analytic language. Special particle words function in lieu of prefixes and suffixes to mark verb tense. The majority of Isan words are monosyllabic, but compound words and numerous other very common words exist that are not. Typologically, Isan is a subject–verb–object (SVO) language, although the subject is often dropped. Word order is an important feature of the language.Although in formal situations, standard Thai is often used, formality is marked in Isan by polite particles attached to the end of statements, and use of formal pronouns. Compared to Thai, Isan sounds very formal as pronouns are used with greater frequency, which occurs in formal Thai, but is more direct and simple compared to Thai. The ending particles เดอ (doe, dɤː) or เด (de, deː) function much like ครับ (khrap, kʰráp), used by males, and คะ (kha, kʰaʔ), used by females, in Thai. (Isan speakers sometimes use the Thai particles in place of or after เดอ or เด.) Negative statements often end in ดอก (dok, dɔ̀ːk), which can also be followed by the particle เดอ and its variant.
- เพ่ินเฮ็ดปลาแดกเดอ (phoen het padaek doe, pʰɤn het paːdɛːk dɤː) He makes fish padaekPadaekPadaek, sometimes Padek, Lao bagoong, is a traditional Laotian condiment made from pickled or fermented fish that has been cured. Often known as Laotian fish sauce, it is a thicker, seasoned fish sauce that often contains chunks of fish in it...
. - บ่เป็นหยังดอก (bo pen nyang dok, bɔː peːn ɲaŋ dɔːk) It does not matter.
Nouns
Nouns are not marked for plurals, gender nor are they declined for cases, and do not require an indefinite nor definite article. Plurals are often indicated with the use of classifiers, words to mark the special classes that nouns belong to. For instance, หมา (mǎː, ma) 'dog' has the classifier โต (to, toː) which, as its meaning 'body' implies, includes all things with legs, such as people, animals, tables and chairs. 'Three dogs' would be rendered as หมา ๓ โต (ma sam to, mǎː sǎːm toː), literally 'dog three classifier'.| Isan | Thai | Lao | Category | |
| คน (ฅน), kʰon | คน (ฅน), kʰōn | ຄົນ, kʰon | People in general, except clergy and royals. | |
| คัน, kʰan | คัน, kʰān | ຄັນ, kʰán | Vehicles, also used for spoons and forks in Thai. | |
| คู่, kʰuː | คู่, kʰûː | ຄູ່, kʰūː | Pairs of people, animals, socks, earrings, etc. | |
| ซบับ, saʔbap | ฉบับ, tɕʰaʔbàp | ສະບັບ, saʔbáp | Papers with texts, documents, newspapers, etc. | |
| โต, toː | ตัว, tūa | ໂຕ, tòː | Animals, shirts, letters; also tables and chairs (but not in Lao). | |
| กก, kok | ต้น, tôn | ກົກ, kók | Trees. ต้น (or Lao ຕົ້ນ) is used in all three for columns, stalks, and flowers. | |
| หน่วย, nuɛj | ฟอง, fɔ̄ːŋ | ໜ່ວຍ, nūɛj | Eggs, fruits, clouds. ผล (pʰǒn) used for fruits in Thai. | |
Verbs are easily made into nouns by adding the prefixes ความ (khwam/kʰwaːm) and การ (kan/kːan) before verbs that express abstract actions and verbs that express physical actions, respectively. Adjectives and adverbs, which can function as complete predicates, only use ความ.
- แข่งม้า (khaengma/kʰɛ̀ːŋ.máː) to horserace (v.) nominalises into การแข่งม้า (kan khaengma/kːan kʰɛ̀ːŋ.máː) horseracing (n.)
- เจ็บ (jep/tɕèp) to hurt (others) (.v) nominalises into ความเจ็บ (khwam jep/kʰwaːm tɕèp) hurt (caused by others) (n.)
- ดี (di, diː) good nominalises into ความดี (khwam di, kʰwaːm diː) goodness (n.)
Pronouns
Pronouns are often dropped in informal contexts, and are often replaced with nicknames or kinship terms, depending on the relation of the speaker to the person to whom is being spoken. Pronouns can also change depending on the register of speech, with many of the more formal pronouns borrowed from formal Thai speech registers. The more formal the language, the more likely that pronouns will not be dropped and that formal pronouns would be used. Pronouns can be pluralised by adding พวก (phuak, pʰuak) in front of the pronoun, e.g., พวกข่อย (phuak khoy/pʰuak kʰɔːj) is the same as เฮา (hao) or พวกเฮา (phuak hao/pʰuak haw). Age and status is important in determining usage. Younger boys and girls names are often prefixed with บัก (bak, bak) and อี (i, iː) respectively. Older males and females use อ้าย (ai, aːj) and เอี้อย (euay, ɯːaj) respectively instead. People who are much older may be politely addressed as aunt, uncle, mother, father, or even grandmother or grandfather depending on their age. Isan age-based name prefixes are often identical to or similar to vulgar, disparaging age-based name prefixes in Central Thai and should be avoided outside of Lao/Isan speaking regions in Thailand.
| Pronoun | Thai Royal/IPA | Thai Equivalent | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ข้อย | khoy/kʰɔːj | ฉัน | I/me (informal, general) |
| ข้าน้อย | khanoy/kʰaːnɔːj | ผม (m.), ดิฉัน (f.) | I/me (formal) |
| เฮา | hao/haw | เรา | we/us |
| เจ้า | chao/tɕaw | คุณ | you (general) |
| ท่าน | than/tʰaːn | ท่าน | you (very formal) |
| เขา | khao/kʰaw | เขา | he/him/she/her (formal, general) |
| ขะเจ้า | khachao/kʰaʔ.tɕaw | พวกเขา | they |
| เพิ่น | phoen/pʰɤn | เขา | he/him/she/her (very formal) |
| มัน | man/man | มัน | it (very rude if used on a person) |
Adjectives and Adverbs
There is no general distinction between adjectives and adverbs, and words of this category serve both functions and can even modify each other. Duplication is used to indicate greater intensity. Only one word can be duplicated per phrase. Adjectives always come after the noun they modify; adverbs may come before or after the verb depending on the word. There is usually no copula to link a noun to an adjective.- เด็กหนุ่ม (dek num, dek num) A young child.
- เด็กหนุ่ม ๆ (dek num num, dek num num) A very young child.
- เด็กหนุ่มที่ไว้ (dek num thi vai, dek num tʰiː vaj) A child who becomes young quickly.
- เด็กหนุ่มที่ไว้ ๆ (dek num thi vai vai, dek num tʰiː vaj vaj) A child who becomes young quickly.
Comparatives take the form "A X ก่วา B" (kwa, gwaː), A is more X than B. The superlative is expressed as "A X ที่สุด (thisut, tʰiːsut), A is most X.
- เด็กหนุ่มก่วาผู้แก่ (dek num kwa phukae, dek num kwaː pʰuːkɛː) The child is younger than an old person.
- เด็กหนุ่มที่สุด (dek num thisut, dek num tʰiːsut) The child is youngest.
Because adjectives or adverbs can be used as predicates, the particles that modify verbs are also used.
- เด็กซิหนุ่ม (dek si num, dek siː num) The child will be young.
- เด็กหนุ่มแล้ว (dek num laew, dek num lɛːw) The child was young.
Verbs
Verbs are not declined for voice, number, or tense. To indicate tenses, particles can be used, but it is also very common just to use words that indicate the time frame, such as พรุ่งนี้ (phung ni, pʰuŋ niː) tomorrow or มื้อวานนี้ (meu wan ni, mɯː vaːn niː) yesterday.Negation: Negation
Negation
In logic and mathematics, negation, also called logical complement, is an operation on propositions, truth values, or semantic values more generally. Intuitively, the negation of a proposition is true when that proposition is false, and vice versa. In classical logic negation is normally identified...
is indicated by placing บ่ (bo, bɔː) before the word being negated.
- อีน้องกินหมากเล่น (i nong kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ kin maːk len) Younger sister eats tomatoes.
- อีน้องบ่กินหมากเล่น (bao bo kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ bɔː kin maːk len) Younger sister does not eat tomatoes.
Future tense
Future tense
In grammar, a future tense is a verb form that marks the event described by the verb as not having happened yet, but expected to happen in the future , or to happen subsequent to some other event, whether that is past, present, or future .-Expressions of future tense:The concept of the future,...
: Future tense is indicated by placing the particles จะ (cha, tɕaʔ) or ซิ (si, siː) before the verb.
- อีน้องจะกินหมากเล่น (i nong cha kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ tɕaʔ kin maːk len) Younger sister will eat tomatoes.
- อีน้องซิกินหมากเล่น (i nong see kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ siː kin maːk len) Younger sister will eat tomotoes.
Past tense: Past tense
Past tense
The past tense is a grammatical tense that places an action or situation in the past of the current moment , or prior to some specified time that may be in the speaker's past, present, or future...
is indicated by either placing ได้ (dai, daj) before the verb or แล้ว (laew, lɛːw) after the verb or even using both in tandem for emphasis. แล้ว is the more common one, and can be used to indicate completed actions or current actions of the immediate past. ได้ is often used with negative statements and never for present action.
- อีน้องได้กินหมากเล่น (i nong dai kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ daj kin maːk len) Younger sister ate tomatoes.
- อีน้องกินหมากเล่นแล้ว (i nong kin mak len laew, iːnɔːŋ kin maːk len lɛːw) Younger sister (just) ate tomatoes.
- อีน้องได้กินหมากเล่นแล้ว (i nong dai kin mak len laew, iːnɔːŋ daj kin maːk len lɛːw) Younger sister (definitely) ate tomatoes.
Present progressive: To indicate an on-going action, กำลัง (kamlang, kam.laŋ) can be used before the verb or อยู่ (yu, juː) after the verb. These can also be combined for emphasis. In Isan and Lao, พวม (phuam, pʰuam) is often used instead of กำลัง.
- อีน้องกำลังกินหมากเล่น (i nong kamlang kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ kam.laŋ kin maːk len) Younger sister is eating tomatoes.
- อีน้องกินอยู่หมากเล่น (i nong kin yu mak len, iːnɔːŋ kin juː maːk len) Younger sister is eating tomatoes.
- อีน้องพวมกินหมากเล่น (i nong phuam kin mak len, iːnɔːŋ pʰuam kin maːk len) Younger sister is eating tomatoes.
The verb 'to be' can be expressed in many ways. In use as a copula, it is often dropped between nouns and adjectives. Compare English She is pretty and Isan สาวงาม (literally lady pretty). There are two copulas used in Isan, as in Lao, one for things relating to people, เป็น (pen, pen), and one for objects and animals, แม่น (maen, mɛːn).
- นอกเป็นหมอ (Nok pen mo, Nok pe mɔː) Nok is a doctor.
- อันนี้แม่นสามล้อ (an nee maen sam lo, an niː mɛːn saːm lɔː) This is a pedicab.
Questions and Answers
Unlike EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, which indicates questions by a rising tone, or Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, which changes the order of the sentences to achieve the same result, Isan uses question tag words. The use of question words makes use of the question mark (?) redundant in Isan.
General yes/no questions end in บ่ (same as บ่, 'no, not').
- สบายดีบ่ (sabai di bo, saʔbaj diː bɔː) Are you well?
Other question words
- จังได (changdai, tɕaŋdaj) or หยัง (nyang, ɲaŋ) เฮ็ดจังได (het changdai, het tɕaŋ.daj) What are you doing?
- ไผ (phai, pʰaj) ไผขายไขไก่ (phai khai khai kai, pʰaj kʰaːj kʰaj kaj) Who sells chicken eggs?
- ไส (sai, saj) Where? ห้องน้ำอยู่ไส (hong nam yu sai, hɔːŋnam juː saj) Where is the toilet?
- อันได (andai, andaj) Which? เจ้าได้กินอันได (chao kin andai, tɕaw gin an.daj) Which one did you eat?
- จัก (chak, tɕak) How many? อายุจักปี (ayu chak pi, aːju tɕak piː) How old are you?
- ท่อใด (thodai, tʰɔːdaj) How much? ควายตัวบทท่อใด (khwai ɗua bot thodai, kʰwaj bot tʰɔːdaj) How much is that buffalo over there?
- แม่นบ่ (maen bo, mɛːn bɔː) Right?, Is it? เต่าไว้แม่นบ่ (Tao vai maen bo, ɗaw vai mɛːn bɔː) Turtles are fast, right?
- แล้วบ่ (laew bo, lɛːw bɔː) Yet?, Already? เขากลับบ้านแล้วบ่ (khao kap laew bo, kʰaw gap baːn lɛːw bɔː) Did he go home already?
- หรือบ่ (loe bo, lɤː bɔː) Or not? เจ้าหิวข้าวหรือบ่ (chao hio khao loe bo, tɕaw hiw kʰaw lɤː bɔː) Are you hungry or not?
Answers to questions usually just involve repetition of the verb and any nouns for clarification.
- Question: สบายดีบ่ (sabai di bo, saʔbaj diː bɔː) Are you well?
- Response: สบายดี (sabai di, saʔbaj diː) I am well or บ่สบาย (bo sabai, bɔː saʔbaj) I am not well.
Words asked with a negative can be confusing and should be avoided. The response, even though without the negation, will still be negated due to the nature of the question.
- Question: บ่สบายบ่ (bo sabai bo, bɔː saʔbaːj bɔː) Are you not well?
- Response: สบาย (sabai, saʔbaj) I am not well or บ่สบาย (bo sabai, bɔː saʔbaːj ) I am well.
Vocabulary
The Tai languages of Thailand and Laos share a large corpus of cognate, native vocabulary. They also share many common words and neologisms that were derived from Sanskrit, Pali, Mon and Khmer and other indigenous inhabitants to IndochinaIndochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
. However, there are traits that distinguish Isan both from Thai and its Lao parent language.
Isan is clearly differentiated from Thai by its Lao intonation and vocabulary. However, Isan differs from Lao in that the former has more English and Chinese loanwords, via Thai, not to mention large amounts of Thai influence. The Laotian Lao adopted French and Vietnamese loanwords as a legacy of French Indochina. Other differences between Isan and Lao include terminology that reflect the social and political separation since 1893 as well as differences in neologisms created after this. These differences, and a few very small deviations for certain common words, do not, however, diminish nor erase the Lao characters of the language.
| English | Isan | Lao | Thai | English | Isan | Lao | Thai | |
| language | ภาษา, pʰáː sǎː | ພາສາ, pʰáː sǎː | ภาษา, pʰaː sǎː | city | เมือง, mɯ´ːaŋ | ເມືອງ, mɯ´ːaŋ | เมือง, mɯːaŋ | |
| religion | ศาสนา, sȁːt sáʔ nǎː | ສາສນາ, sȁːt sáʔ nǎː | ศาสนา sàːt sàʔ nǎː | government | รัฐบาล, lāt tʰáʔ bàːn | ຣັຖບາລ, rāt tʰáʔ bàːn | รัฐบาล, rát tʰàʔ baːn | |
| heaven | สวรรค์, sáʔ vǎn | ສວັຣຄ໌, sáʔ vǎn | สวรรค์, sàʔ wǎn | to be well | สบาย, sáʔ bàːj | ສະບາຽ, sáʔ bàːj | สบาย, sàʔ baːj | |
| child | เด็ก, dék | ເດັກ, dék | เด็ก, dèk | to be happy | ดีใจ dìː t͡ɕàːj | ດີໃຈ, dìː t͡ɕàːj | ดีใจ, di: tɕaːj | |
| street | ถนน, tʰáʔ nǒn | ຖນົນ, tʰáʔ nǒn | ถนน, tʰàʔ nǒn | sun | อาทิตย์, ʔaː tʰīt | ອາທິຕຍ໌, ʔaː tʰīt | อาทิตย์, ʔa: tʰít | |
| English | Isan | Lao | Thai | English | Isan | Lao | Thai | |
| no, not | บ่, bɔː | ບໍ່, bɔː | ไม่, mâj | to speak | เว้า, vâw | ເວົ້າ, vâw | พูด, pʰûːt | |
| how much | ท่อใด, tʰɔ̄ː dàj | ທໍ່ໃດ, tʰɔ̄ː dàj | เท่าไหร่, tʰâw ràj | to do, to make | เฮ็ด, hēt* | ເຮັດ, hēt | ทำ, tʰam | |
| to learn | เฮียน, hían | ຮຽນ, hían | เรียน, rian | glass | จอก, t͡ʃɔ̏ːk | ຈອກ, t͡ʃɔ̏ːk | แก้ว, kɛ̂ːw | |
| yonder | พู้น, pʰûn | ພຸ້ນ, pʰûn | โน่น, nôːn | fruit | หมากไม้, mȁːk mâj | ໝາກໄມ້, mȁːk mâj | ผลไม้, pʰǒn láʔ máːj | |
| too much | โพด, pʰôːt | ໂພດ, pʰôːt | เกินไป, kɤn paj | to call | เอิ้น, ʔɤˆːn | ເອີ້ນ, ʔɤˆːn | เรียก, rîːak | |
| a little | หน่อยนึง, nɔ̄ːy nɯ¯ŋ | ໜ່ອຽນຶ່ງ, nɔ̄ːj nɯ¯ŋ | นิดหน่อย, nít nɔ`ːj | house, home | เฮือน, hɯ´ːan** | ເຮືອນ, hɯ´ːan | บ้าน, bâːn | |
| to lower | หลุด, lút | ຫຼຸດ (ຫລຸດ), lút | ลด, lót | sausage | ไส้อั่ว, sȁj ʔua | ໄສ້ອ່ົວ, sȁj ʔūa | ไส้กรอก, sâj krɔ̀ːk | |
| to walk | ย่าง, ɲāːŋ | ຍ່າງ, ɲāːŋ | เดิน, dɤːn | older child | ลูกกก, lûːk kók | ລູກກົກ, lûːk kók | ลูกคนโต, lûːk kʰon toː | |
| frangipani blossom | ดอกจำปา, dɔ̏ːk t͡ʃam paː | ດອກຈຳປາ, dɔ̏ːk t͡ʃam paː | ดอกลั่นทม, dɔ`ːk lân tʰom | tomato | หมากเล่น, mȁːk lēːn*** | ໝາກເລັ່ນ, mȁːk lēːn | มะเขือเทศ, mâʔ kʰɯ̌ːa tʰêːt | |
| much, many | หลาย, lǎːj | ຫຼາຍ, lǎːj | มาก, mâːk | father-in-law | พ่อเฒ่า, pʰɔ̄ː tʰȁw | ພໍ່ເຖົ້າ, pʰɔ̄ː tʰȁw | พ่อตา, pʰɔ̑ː taː | |
| to stop | เซา, sáw | ເຊົາ, sáw | หยุด, jùt | to like | มัก, māk | ມັກ, māk | ชอบ, tɕʰɔ̂ːp | |
| good luck | โซกดี, sôːk diː | ໂຊຄດີ, sôːk diː | โชคดี, tɕʰôːk diː | delicious | แซบ, sɛ̂ːp | ແຊບ, sɛ̂ːp | อร่อย, ʔàʔ rɔ`j | |
| fun | ม่วน, mūan | ມ່ວນ, mūan | สนุก, sàʔ nùk | really | อิหลี, ʔīː lǐː**** | ອີ່ຫຼີ, ʔīː lǐː | จริง, tɕiŋ | |
| elegant | โก้, kôː | ໂກ້, kôː | หรูหรา, rǔː rǎː | ox | งัว, ŋúaː | ງົວ, ŋúaː | วัว, wua | |
- 1 Also appears in Isan ทำ and Lao ທຳ, /tʰám/.
- 2 Very formal Thai word เรือน (rɯːan) is cognate. Thai word also appears in Isan บ้าน and Lao ບ້ານ /bâːn/.
- 3 Also known as เขอเคอ in Isan and ເຂືອເຄືອ in Lao, /kʰɤˇːa kʰɤˇːa/.
- 4 Also appears as จริง (Lao: ຈິງ) /t͡ʃiŋ/.
| English | Isan | Lao | Thai | English | Isan | Lao | Thai | |
| ice | น้ำแข็ง, /nâm kʰɛ̌ːŋ/ | ນ້ຳກ້ອນ, /nâm kɔ̂ːn/* | น้ำแข็ง, /náːm kʰɛ̌ŋ/ | plain (adj.) | เปล่า, /paw/ | ລ້າ, /lâː/ | เปล่า, /plàːw/ | |
| necktie | เน็กไท, /nēk tʰáj/ | ກາຣະວັດ, /kaː rāʔ vát/** | เน็กไท, /nék tʰáj/ | province | จังหวัด, /t͡ʃàŋ vát/ | ແຂວງ, /kʰwɛ̌ːŋ/*** | จังหวัด, /tɕaŋ wàt/ | |
| wine | ไวน์, /váj/ | ແວງ /vɛ́ːŋ/**** | ไวน์, /waːj/ | noodle soup | ก๋วยเตี๋ยว, /kuǎj tǐaw/ | ເຝີ, fɤ̌ː***** | ก๋วยเตี๋ยว, /kuǎj tǐaw/ | |
| January | มกราคม, /mōk káʔ ráː kʰóm/ | ມັງກອນ, /máŋ kɔ̀ːn/ | มกราคม, /mók kàʔ raː kʰom/ | paper | กะดาษ, /káʔ dȁːt/ | ເຈັ້ຽ, /t͡ɕìa/ | กระดาษ, /kràʔ dàːt/ | |
| window | หน้าต่าง, /nȁː tāːŋ/ | ປ່ອງຢ້ຽມ, /pɔ̄ːŋ jîam/ | หน้าต่าง, /nâː tàːŋ/ | book | หนังสือ, /nǎŋ.sɨ̌ː/ | ປຶ້ມ, /pɨ̂m/ | หนังสือ, /nǎng.sɯ̌ː/ | |
| motorcycle | มอเตอร์ไซค์, /mɔ́ː tɤ̀ː sáj/ | ຣົຖຈັກ, /lōt t͡ʃák/ | มอเตอร์ไซค์, /mɔː tɤː saj/****** | butter | เนย, /nɤ´ːj/ | ເບີ, /bɤ`ː/******* | เนย, /nɤːj/ | |
- 1 Formerly น้ำก้อน, but this is now archaic/obsolete.
- 2 From French cravate, /cra vat/
- 3 Thai and Isan use แขวง to talk about provinces of Laos.
- 4 From French vin (vɛ̃) as opposed to Thai and Isan ไวน์ from English wine.
- 5 From Vietnamese phở /fə̃ː/, noodle soup.
- 6 From English motorcycle.
- 7 From French beurre, /bøʁ/
| English | Isan | Lao | Thai | English | Isan | Lao | Thai | |
| to work | เฮ็ดงาน, hēt ŋáːn | ເຮັດວຽກ hēt vîak* | ทำงาน, tʰam ŋaːn | papaya | บักหุ่ง, bák hūŋ | ໝາກຫຸ່ງ, mȁːk hūŋ | มะละกอ, màʔ làʔ kɔː | |
| fried beef | ทอดซี้น, tʰɔ̂ːt sîːn | ຂົ້ວຊີ້ນ, kʰȕa sîːn | เนื้อทอด, nɯ´ːa tʰɔ̂ːt | hundred | ร้อย, lɔ̂ːj | ຮ້ອຍ, hɔ̂ːj | ร้อย, rɔ́ːj | |
| barbecued pork | หมูปิ้ง, mǔː pîːŋ | ປີ້ງໝູ, pîːŋ mǔː | หมูย่าง, mǔː jâːŋ | ice cream | ไอติม, ʔaj tim | ກາແລ້ມ, kaː lɛ̂ːm | ไอศกรีม, ʔaj sàʔ kriːm | |
- 1 Lao ເຮັດ, to do + Vietnamese việc, to work, /viək/ (ວຽກ).
External links
- Basic Isaan phrases (Some basic Isaan phrases with sound files).