The Thai Language
Learning Thai will open doors to governmental agencies, global businesses, and nonprofit organizations operating in Thailand.
OHIO is highly regarded for its excellence in Southeast Asian languages, with one of the largest collections of research materials on Southeast Asia in North America.
About the Thai Language
Thai is the official language of Thailand, a kingdom of roughly 70 million people. A monosyllabic and tonal language, Thai is unique in that it bears little resemblance to any of the neighboring languages of East or Southeast Asia, including Chinese, Burmese, Khmer, Vietnamese, and Malay.
Thai is the most widely spoken language in the Tai language family. Tai languages are spoken by Thai peoples of modern Thailand; Lao peoples in the Republic of Laos; Shan peoples in northeastern Burma; and various highland peoples in northern Vietnam and southern China. More than 130 million people in Southeast Asia speak a Tai language.
Thai has its own script and its own unique alphabet. Although Thai has consonants and vowels like English, the vowels may be written either above, below, in front, or after the consonant. Tone markers are also written above consonants and vowels. Written Thai does not include spaces between words 鈥 each sentence appears as a single line, as pictured below. It is not as difficult as it looks!
喔犩覆喔┼覆喙勦笚喔⑧箑喔涏箛喔權笭喔侧俯喔侧笡喔｀赴喔堗赋喔娻覆喔曕复喔傕腑喔囙竸喔權箘喔椸涪 喙喔涏福喔掂涪喔氞笡喔｀赴喔斷父喔堗笖喔编箞喔 喔曕箟喔權箘喔∴箟喔椸傅喙堗箘喔斷箟喙佮笗喔佮竵喔脆箞喔囙竵喙夃覆喔權釜喔侧競喔侧箒喔ム赴喙喔堗福喔脆笉喙喔曕复喔氞箓喔曕竾喔竵喔囙覆喔 喙傕笖喔⑧箑喔｀覆喙勦笖喙夃福喔编笟喙喔覆 喔犩覆喔┼覆喔氞覆喔ム傅 喔副喔權釜喔佮袱喔 喙喔傕浮喔 喔堗傅喔 喔弗喔 喔∴覆喙冟笂喙 喔椸赋喙冟斧喙夃笭喔侧俯喔侧箘喔椸涪喙佮笗喔佮竵喔脆箞喔囙竵喙夃覆喔 喔覆喔傕覆喔∴覆喔佮浮喔侧涪 喔∴傅喔勦赋喙喔炧复喙堗浮喔∴覆喔佮競喔多箟喔權笗喔侧浮喔佮覆喔ム箑喔о弗喔
Why Study Thai at 51社区?
51社区 offers Thai language instruction as well as courses in Thai history, culture, art, literature, politics, and much more.
51社区 Libraries houses one of the largest collections of research materials on Southeast Asia in the United States. In addition to its world-class Malaysian Resource Center and renowned Indonesian collection, 51社区 Libraries is home to the David K. Wyatt Thai collection. Consisting of more than 15,000 volumes, about half of which are in Thai, the David K. Wyatt Collection includes most of the standard works on Thailand, a substantial number of Thai royal chronicles, King Chulalongkorn's (1868-1910) diaries and letters, and an extensive array of monographs, memoirs, and cremation volumes. The Wyatt Collection is one of the largest private library collections ever acquired by 51社区.
51社区 offers a growing number of undergraduate study abroad programs, internships, intensive language programs, and graduate student scholarships dedicated to the study of Thai and Thailand.
How We Teach
OHIO Thai language courses focus on all aspects of the language: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Our language model also emphasizes the importance of culture. Thai language students not only learn Thai but also understand its deep connections to the culture, history, traditions, and societal norms of the people who speak it.
OHIO Thai language courses focus on the language's structure and how to communicate effectively while also exploring Thai customs, beliefs, values, arts, literature, cuisine, social norms, and historical events that have shaped the language and its speakers. This approach helps students communicate more effectively and appropriately in various social and cultural contexts within Thailand and across Tai-speaking communities.
Course Offerings
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