| s and Sikhs | | | | Ramkamhaeng’s alphabet survived intact |
| The approximately20,000 Indians residing in Thailand | | | | through the centuries so that the 'modem Thai can |
| are almost equally divided between Hindus and Sikhs. | | | | read 13th century inscriptions as easily as could his |
| Most of the Hindu community is concentrated in | | | | ancestors. |
| Bangkok where it worships at four main Hindu temples. | | | | Importantly, Ramkamhaeng’s achievement |
| There are also several Brahman shrines at which | | | | afforded the Thais a vital sense of unity and lent |
| Hindus and Buddhists alike worship. The Hindus | | | | impetus to a distinctive Thai cultural identity. Indeed, |
| manage their own school whose curriculum is based | | | | several major literary works, mainly Buddhist in |
| on the Thai education system, though, in addition to | | | | character, were written during the following century. |
| Thai, it teaches Hindi, Sanskrit and English. | | | | The spoken Thai language lends itself to alliteration. |
| The Sikhs, too, are concentrated mainly in Bangkok. | | | | Similar sounding words create pleasing rhythmic |
| Divided into two sects, they worship at two different | | | | patterns and form a poetic language which is |
| temples. Collectively, the Sikhs run a free school for | | | | commonly used in everyday conversation. Indeed, |
| poor children, regardless of caste, creed or religion, and | | | | poetry is a major Thai art, and until 1850 all Thai literary |
| through several charitable associations, support the | | | | works were in verse form. Spoken and written similes |
| aged and the sick. | | | | are especially popular and parables are commonly |
| Language | | | | employed, particularly for training children. |
| Richly diverse in origin, the Thai language in use today | | | | A gregarious race that loves to joke and laugh, the |
| is the end-result of a centuries-long maturation. | | | | Thais greatly appreciate puns and double-entendres |
| Early Thai settlers in the late Dvaravati period gradually | | | | which, besides enlivening everyday vernacular, spice |
| enlarged their own Chinese-influenced, tonal, | | | | and propel outrageous dialogue in popular art forms |
| monosyllabic language by borrowing and adapting | | | | such as folk theatre. |
| certain Mon and Khmer words. Later, the Thais | | | | The written Thai language, read horizontally from left |
| absorbed polysyllabic Sanskrit (the classical language | | | | to right, as in English, consists of 44 consonants and 32 |
| of Hindu India) and Pali words as Brahmanism and | | | | vowels that combine to formulate syllabic sounds. The |
| Theravada Buddhism asserted their shaping influences. | | | | sounds are combined with five different tones-even, |
| Foreign traders and Chinese immigrants made minor | | | | high, low, rising and falling- to produce a melodious, |
| additions in later centuries. Today, standard Thai is | | | | lyrical language. |
| spoken nationwide with regional dialects differing | | | | Generally speaking, spoken grammar is simple. The |
| widely from north to south and east to west. | | | | basic structure of Thai sentences is subject/verb |
| King Ramkamhaeng of Sukhothai created the first | | | | object with adjectives following nouns. In many cases, |
| That alphabet in 1283, basing it on Mon and Khmer | | | | verbs can be changed into nouns with the use of a |
| scripts which, in turn, were derived from a South Indian | | | | prefix, e.g. khit (think) with the prefix kwam becomes |
| script. With minor modifications - particularly individual | | | | kwam khit (thought). |
| character evolution into more refined shapes – | | | | |