This means when you go to other parts of Thailand nobody will understand you. most Thais don't understand Issan!

Issan are not Thais'?

their families originate from laos ,

hence they use , and many want to keep the issan/laos language ..

i can speak basic thai , conversation was ok , in southern thailand .

then i met a lady from issan , moved up to udon ,

and now trying to learn their lingo ..

p.s she tells me , she is issan lady , not thai lady .

Their families came from a section of Thailand now referred to as Issan, or as some call it, Laos. But it is not the country of Laos, as we know it today. They share a somewhat common language, but it is only one of many, many dialects that are spoken in Thailand. Even in Issan, there are many different dialects. There is a village near my wife's village where they speak a language she does not understand at all! This is one of the problems Thailand has...it is made up of many different types of peoples and many different "kingdoms".

I personally find the Issan culture among the most interesting. Especially the music!

Around a century ago, France has negotiated with Thailand "Natural Boundaries. Particularly inside the Mekong loop, (Nonghai region) some territories have been exchanged again territories close to LOEI. At this time, nobody has asked to the populations what they wanted.

So yes some parts were Laos and have been exchanged....