Puut Issan

[bina]

just ordered from here: but sea mail so will know in three months if good or not...

Isan-Thai-English Dictionary at US Doll 55.-(a quite substantial book)

I also carry quite some books on Isan. You can find them under my Laos section

Please look at the web page http://thailine.com/lotus

Regards Diethard Ande, White Lotus, Bangkok

T27048 - Udom Buasri and Klein, Ankana - US$17.50

>SHORT ESARN PROVERBS PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE OF ESARN

>(Khon Kaen, 1995)

>67 pp., 210 x 295 mm, 20 pp. english translation, pbk.

>

>----- M/053 - - US$15.00

>GEOLOGICAL MAP OF TH. CHANGWAT UDON THANI 1: 250 000

>

>>

>>22 277 Seri Phongpit & Kevin Hewison Village Life: Culture and Transition

>>in Thailand's Northeast>(Bangkok 2001) ISBN 974-7534-92-4

>>192 pp., illus., 150 x 210 mm, pbk. $14.50

>

>

>22 206 Falvey, Lindsay Thai Agriculture: Golden Cradle of MillenniaBangkok

>2000)

>>476 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk. $20.00

now i guess i'll have to add that grammar book that every one is talking about to my next list of 'must haves'....

>

[SiamJai]

Wow... that book about Isaan proverbs looks exciting!

I've been a fan of White Lotus books, as they have many rare gems. Thank you for the link to their site.

I wonder about this Isaan Thai-English dictionary though ... isn't it the same thing as ordering a simple Lao-English dictionary? I had the impression that, aside from subtle nuances, native speakers of the two languages can understand each other.

I hope you will have fun with the books, Bina.

[gburns57au]

Wow... that book about Isaan proverbs looks exciting!

I've been a fan of White Lotus books, as they have many rare gems. Thank you for the link to their site. 

I wonder about this Isaan Thai-English dictionary though ... isn't it the same thing as ordering a simple Lao-English dictionary? I had the impression that, aside from subtle nuances, native speakers of the two languages can understand each other. 

I hope you will have fun with the books, Bina.

Thais generally dont understand Lao or Khmer....it is more different than subtle nuances...

But really Isan is an area encompassing areas where Loa, Khmer and Thai are spoken....Isan is not a language.

[SiamJai]

Thais generally dont understand Lao or Khmer

Yes, generally. However, the Thais living in the northeast part of the country do understand the Lao. I lived there for a while, have some friends there, both on Thai and on the Lao side.

Isan is not a language

So why do Thais refer to it as "pasaa Isaan" then? But seriously, I know. It's not a separate language, but rather a dialect of the region which is also called Isaan.

[gburns57au]

Thais generally dont understand Lao or Khmer

Yes, generally. However, the Thais living in the northeast part of the country do understand the Lao. I lived there for a while, have some friends there, both on Thai and on the Lao side.

Obviously Thais living in that area will understand, I was referring more to central Thais.

Isan is not a language

So why do Thais refer to it as "pasaa Isaan" then? But seriously, I know. It's not a separate language, but rather a dialect of the region which is also called Isaan.

Not even a dialect....Khmer and Lao are distinctly different languages from each other as well as to the Thai language. the term phout Pasaa Isan is usually used in 3 ways.....do you, can you and she/he......usually in the first 2 instances the actual language is qualified in the reply or next question.....the last one is used to say...I dont understand her so dont ask me to eavesdrop....LOL

[meadish_sweetball]

Thais generally dont understand Lao or Khmer

Yes, generally. However, the Thais living in the northeast part of the country do understand the Lao. I lived there for a while, have some friends there, both on Thai and on the Lao side.

Obviously Thais living in that area will understand, I was referring more to central Thais.

Isan is not a language

So why do Thais refer to it as "pasaa Isaan" then? But seriously, I know. It's not a separate language, but rather a dialect of the region which is also called Isaan.

Not even a dialect....Khmer and Lao are distinctly different languages from each other as well as to the Thai language. the term phout Pasaa Isan is usually used in 3 ways.....do you, can you and she/he......usually in the first 2 instances the actual language is qualified in the reply or next question.....the last one is used to say...I dont understand her so dont ask me to eavesdrop....LOL

Khmer is a separate language from Thai and Lao. Thai and Lao are so close they are mutually intelligible. Khmer is not part of the Tai language family.

You could call the Isaan language/dialect "Lao" (some Isaan people do amongst themselves) but then that confuses it with the national language of Laos that has a writing system and is currently moving away from the dialect spoken in Isaan for political reasons.

[gburns57au]

Khmer is a separate language from Thai and Lao. Thai and Lao are so close they are mutually intelligible. Khmer is not part of the Tai language family.

You could call the Isaan language/dialect "Lao" (some Isaan people do amongst themselves) but then that confuses it with the national language of Laos that has a writing system and is currently moving away from the dialect spoken in Isaan for political reasons.

Quite right....most people do see the Lao lingo as the Isan lingo....the Khmers only represent a small portion of the Isan area. As is evidenced here by most people using Lao terms and calling it Isan...

[withnail]

So what about the Lao-English, English-Lao Dictionary from Benjawan Poomsan Becker if you ignored the Laos writing system and just stuck to the transliterations would this encompass the isaan dialect fully or not.

[gburns57au]

So what about the Lao-English, English-Lao Dictionary from Benjawan Poomsan Becker if you ignored the Laos writing system and just stuck to the transliterations would this encompass the isaan dialect fully or not.

Probably not....as someone mentioned, there are something like 19 dialects in Isan. However most of them would be understandable to each other with just some minor differences.

[poolcleaner]

I picked up this from Bookazine for 1000 Baht.

22 275 Mollerup, Asger THAI - ISAN - LAO PHRASEBOOK, With MP3 Sound Tracks on CD-ROM

This phrasebook is the first comprehensive book to teach the Thai, Isan, and Lao languages simultaneously. As the languages are tonal, the attached CD-ROM in MP3 format makes it easier to get acquainted with the tones. The book aims at: (1) beginners, who want to know the basics of the languages; (2) students who might know most of the vocabulary already, but want to learn to read and write and determine tones; (3) advanced students, who already know Thai and want to know Isan or Lao, and (4) the people of Isan, who want to read and write Lao, and the people of Laos, who want to read and write Thai.

(Bangkok 2001) ISBN 974-7534-88-6

237 pp., 210 x 290 mm, pbk. (without disk) $22.50 or (with disk) $27.50

There is certainly a difference between Laos and Issan

[bina]

actuallly i contemplated buying that book also, but i dont read thai well enough to deal yet with a fourth language (lao) , guess this has to go on next years book list when i become rich and famous.....

[Diggerbasher]

Learningthai.com have a new northeastern section.

[bina]

thanx that actually explained some of the words (for animals) that i found confusing as i was often given one word and then someone would 'correct' me to the central thai word

went to the bumper sticker site; going to copy a few and put them on my animal jalopy, that ought to confuse the israelis..55555555555

thanx for reminding me of that site.. and best of all, i found that i can read lots of words now...