Language Information
Thai is part of the Kra-Dai family of languages, which are found in Southeast Asia and parts of China and India. Thai is the only official language of Thailand, though there are as many as 50 indigenous languages spoken in the country. Outside of Thailand, there are also notable communities of Thai speakers in neighboring Southeast Asian countries (particularly China) as well as other areas of the world, such as the U.S. and the U.K.
Thai is a tonal language. The Thai script has 44 consonants, and Thai has many loanwords from Chinese, Sanskrit, Khmer, and Pali.
At Indiana University, Thai is offered at the beginning and intermediate levels every year by the Department of Southeast Asian & ASEAN Studies.