Understanding Isaan

[transam]

11 hours ago, Isaanlife said:

Not one person I have ever met in Isaan is concerned with grammar.

 

Hard to understand grammar with a 3rd grade education and life doing manual labor in the fields.

 

Most are in awe you can even speak with them and get a good laugh out of it.

 

How many people out here are as concerned with grammar as you?

 

The answer is no one.

I have never met anyone in Isaan that's concerned about anything.....????

[Bruno123]

22 hours ago, youreavinalaff said:

Not sure how passing on knowledge and understanding can be deemed pedantic. But, there you go. I bet your teachers loved you. ????????

Here's the way I see it, after 22 years of living in and traveling around Isaan.

 

There always has been and always will be animosity between those of Laos heritage and those of other, particularly Khmer, heritage. I have even seen this boil over into mass fist fights at concerts in Buriram.

 

Laos is the dominant dialect in Isaan when compared to other languages. To a point that many Laos speakers really do think their language is the language of Isaan. Especially in provinces further away from the Khmer, and Gui, speaking regions of Southern; Surin, Sissaket, Buriram, and SaKeaw.

 

Thus, in areas where only Laos is spoken they are likely to call their language Isaan. This is, as pointed out by another poster, incorrect.

 

If you travel to an area where Laos is spoke alongside another dialect, such as Khmer, Gui or Thai Korat, the local Laos speakers will be aware of the other dialects and refer to their language, and correctly so, as Laos, even though they may feel disdain towards those other heritages.

 

Likewise, if you go to a Khmer,Gui or Thai Korat speaking area, they would never refer to their own dialect as Isaan.

 

I, personally, think it is fun to try to learn the different languages that are spoken in this lovely and diverse area of Thailand. If I were to refer to any individual language as Isaan then I would find it more difficult to learn and certainly would gave difficulty differentiating between them.

 

I found this interesting.  

 

As an aside, I play a musical instrument; when growing up and playing in bands, I would take care when it came to the tuning of my instrument. Some would understand about tuning their instruments and others were happy with 'near enough'; totally oblivious to the unwanted harmonics being produced.

Was so hard for me to listen to it; whilst they were happy enough to be playing something close to music.

 

[1FinickyOne]

1 hour ago, youreavinalaff said:

I wonder if you would ever consider walking into a bar and shouting that out to a bunch of guys you had never met???  

 

Highly unlikely.

Why would I ever walk into a bar and shout out anything to a bunch of guys I never met... nonetheless call them an affectionate nickname? Of course it is highly unlikely and incredibly silly of you to ask. 

 

Would you ever walk into a bar and shout out "Don't unharness the horses driver, the Innkeeper has been struck by lightning!" 

[youreavinalaff]

3 hours ago, 1FinickyOne said:

Why would I ever walk into a bar and shout out anything to a bunch of guys I never met... nonetheless call them an affectionate nickname? Of course it is highly unlikely and incredibly silly of you to ask. 

 

Would you ever walk into a bar and shout out "Don't unharness the horses driver, the Innkeeper has been struck by lightning!" 

My point proved. Thank you.

[Sticky Rice Balls]

On 1/16/2022 at 9:13 AM, OneMoreFarang said:

Come on, Private Dancer is the best non-fiction book about life in Thailand.

And there are lots of characters in that book. You can identify with anyone you like and I am sure we all recognize people who we know in some of those characters.

Tina Turner turns out to be the Dancer(spoiler alert)

[Kiwithl]

On 1/18/2022 at 9:04 PM, Isaanlife said:

Mass fist fights over how to name the local language? Get real man.

 

If you in fact live in Isaan, rural Isaan, not the city like Udon Thani, and have any experience at all, the locals will ask you if you can speak Isaan period!

 

If my area, people such as my father in law, never went past grade 3 in school.

 

Do you think he has a clue about all the different dialects of language? Get real man.

 

Who is their right mind refers to their local languages in English? No one.

 

You wouldn't have a clue what they were saying unless you were an expert in every single dialect, which you are not.

 

You try to come off  as knowing what you are talking about, when in fact, you have no clue.

 

As Isaan is the largst populous area in Thailand, it is also the lowest educated.

 

I have never, ever heard one person in Isaan say they speak Laos?

 

My wife, had a really good laugh with that one.

 

My Isaan wife (and her mother) occasionally point out to other Thai people from Isaan or elsewhere, be they relatives, friends or passing acquaintances, that our daughter can speak three languages; Thai, Lao and Farang. In this case Lao means Thai Isaan, Lao dialect, Farang means English. Around here the local language and/or dialect is always referred to as Lao by everyone. I have heard it referred to as Isaan language but very, very rarely.

[starky]

So your saying falangs or foreigners generalise isaan? Really? So isaan is not recognised by Thais as an area of Thailand it is a falang construct? Isaan only exists due to the foreigners that live there? 

[starky]

On 1/16/2022 at 11:54 AM, Isaanlife said:

Do you actually think Udon Thani is the same as rural Thailand as previously shown?

Udon is a bloody big joint mate. Encompassing many suburban and rural areas and socio economic places. My place out in the moo ban is dead poor with basically only subsistence farmers. My house in town has many Thais with beautiful mercs, lambos bms and all the other nice cars and 10 million baht houses with all the bells and whistles so not sure where you are coming from. Parts of Udon are 100% rural Thailand and have been way longer than the 20 odd years I've been living up there.

[HashBrownHarry]

On 1/15/2022 at 4:07 PM, bbko said:

Phetabun

Phetchabun is not Isaan.

[starky]

On 2/2/2022 at 11:08 AM, Kiwithl said:

My Isaan wife (and her mother) occasionally point out to other Thai people from Isaan or elsewhere, be they relatives, friends or passing acquaintances, that our daughter can speak three languages; Thai, Lao and Farang. In this case Lao means Thai Isaan, Lao dialect, Farang means English. Around here the local language and/or dialect is always referred to as Lao by everyone. I have heard it referred to as Isaan language but very, very rarely.

Obviously thai is proper school taught formal Thai. Lao Thai is basically slang used up on the border as it is for Khmer dialects further east and other dialects around the country. It has never in my experience been referred to as Isaan always lao in my part of the country. As soon as here a Bo I think lao ????

[starky]

On 1/18/2022 at 6:28 PM, youreavinalaff said:

Not sure how passing on knowledge and understanding can be deemed pedantic. But, there you go. I bet your teachers loved you. ????????

Here's the way I see it, after 22 years of living in and traveling around Isaan.

 

There always has been and always will be animosity between those of Laos heritage and those of other, particularly Khmer, heritage. I have even seen this boil over into mass fist fights at concerts in Buriram.

 

Laos is the dominant dialect in Isaan when compared to other languages. To a point that many Laos speakers really do think their language is the language of Isaan. Especially in provinces further away from the Khmer, and Gui, speaking regions of Southern; Surin, Sissaket, Buriram, and SaKeaw.

 

Thus, in areas where only Laos is spoken they are likely to call their language Isaan. This is, as pointed out by another poster, incorrect.

 

If you travel to an area where Laos is spoke alongside another dialect, such as Khmer, Gui or Thai Korat, the local Laos speakers will be aware of the other dialects and refer to their language, and correctly so, as Laos, even though they may feel disdain towards those other heritages.

 

Likewise, if you go to a Khmer,Gui or Thai Korat speaking area, they would never refer to their own dialect as Isaan.

 

I, personally, think it is fun to try to learn the different languages that are spoken in this lovely and diverse area of Thailand. If I were to refer to any individual language as Isaan then I would find it more difficult to learn and certainly would gave difficulty differentiating between them.

 

Yep. Absolutely correct. Lot of pride up in the country. Never heard one of my immediate family say they speak passa issan. They lao through and through but not Laos Laos of course because they Thai ????????????????