Isan, Issan, Isaan, And Even Esan

[jaideeguy]

I've seen all of the above spellings and maybe more. Is there an official/correct spelling??

same same with my home town up north....Bo Sang, Borsang, Bosang & more, all on road signs and written material.

[livingthedream]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

[loong]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

Isn't the correct spelling อีสาน ?

The most generally accepted version seems to be Isaan, but the official Royal Thai version is Isan

Edited June 1, 2010 by loong

[montrii]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

Isn't the correct spelling อีสาน ?

The most generally accepted version seems to be Isaan, but the official Royal Thai version is Isan

"อีสาน" Is correct. For those unfamiliar with the alphabet, note the symbol above the first letter, it's a vowel. Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel. The vowel should be long, sounding like the "ee" in English "beet." As a short vowel it would be like the "i" in "is."

Accurate transcription from Thai to English is often impossible, not just because of the tones (อีสาน,for example, has a mid tone on the first syllable and a rising on the second) but because 1) English letters often are pronounced differently in different words, and 2) Thai has many sounds that English doesn't have. So you really need a phonetic system independent of the English alphabet to transcribe it correctly.

I guess if you were to write it so it would be read more or less right it would probably go "eesaan." But that looks kinda dumb, and no one writes it like that anyway. "Issan" isn't good, because in English you'd expect the first vowel to be short. I use "Isaan," double "a" indicating the long "aah" sound, but hey, there really isn't any good way to do it. No standard English spelling for it, so really, take your pick. I recommend Isaan.

[loong]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

Isn't the correct spelling อีสาน ?

The most generally accepted version seems to be Isaan, but the official Royal Thai version is Isan

"อีสาน" Is correct. For those unfamiliar with the alphabet, note the symbol above the first letter, it's a vowel. Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel. The vowel should be long, sounding like the "ee" in English "beet." As a short vowel it would be like the "i" in "is."

Accurate transcription from Thai to English is often impossible, not just because of the tones (อีสาน,for example, has a mid tone on the first syllable and a rising on the second) but because 1) English letters often are pronounced differently in different words, and 2) Thai has many sounds that English doesn't have. So you really need a phonetic system independent of the English alphabet to transcribe it correctly.

I guess if you were to write it so it would be read more or less right it would probably go "eesaan." But that looks kinda dumb, and no one writes it like that anyway. "Issan" isn't good, because in English you'd expect the first vowel to be short. I use "Isaan," double "a" indicating the long "aah" sound, but hey, there really isn't any good way to do it. No standard English spelling for it, so really, take your pick. I recommend Isaan.

"Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel"

Actually, you have that back to front. I have written it with a long vowel, livingthedream has the incorrect short vowel

Edited June 1, 2010 by loong

[livingthedream]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

Isn't the correct spelling อีสาน ?

The most generally accepted version seems to be Isaan, but the official Royal Thai version is Isan

"อีสาน" Is correct. For those unfamiliar with the alphabet, note the symbol above the first letter, it's a vowel. Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel. The vowel should be long, sounding like the "ee" in English "beet." As a short vowel it would be like the "i" in "is."

Accurate transcription from Thai to English is often impossible, not just because of the tones (อีสาน,for example, has a mid tone on the first syllable and a rising on the second) but because 1) English letters often are pronounced differently in different words, and 2) Thai has many sounds that English doesn't have. So you really need a phonetic system independent of the English alphabet to transcribe it correctly.

I guess if you were to write it so it would be read more or less right it would probably go "eesaan." But that looks kinda dumb, and no one writes it like that anyway. "Issan" isn't good, because in English you'd expect the first vowel to be short. I use "Isaan," double "a" indicating the long "aah" sound, but hey, there really isn't any good way to do it. No standard English spelling for it, so really, take your pick. I recommend Isaan.

"Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel"

Actually, you have that back to front. I have written it with a long vowel, livingthedream has the incorrect short vowel

oops...

As a man once said whilst admiring his new orthopaedic shoe..' I now stand corrected'

loong is absolutely right.

[Thaddeus]

This subject has been raised before, and the general consensus of opinion is that you can only spell it correctly in Thai, if you are using English script it doesn't matter that much, and as long as it is understood by the reader, it doesn't matter at all.

[consnabit]

It goes this way. Whoever is in charge on any given day, selects to impose his or her personal interpretation and translation of a Thai word to English. Hundreds of examples of phonetically incorrect translations, among which is "Esaan" That would be as close to correct as one could get , if you spell as Thais pronounce. E, long E, saan, long aa. Check all the spellings in Wikipedia. Last year a new boss of bs, with a PHD, decided to change the spelling of the old airport, Don Muang. to Don Muaung. Of near that. Every sign was changed at his direction. You see booboos everywhere. They would never ask an English Professor from Oxford as that would result in a loss of "Face". Read an English textbook for teaching and you will see the same pattern of every form of grammar error and misspelling en masse.

[Dave the Dude]

It goes this way. Whoever is in charge on any given day, selects to impose his or her personal interpretation and translation of a Thai word to English. Hundreds of examples of phonetically incorrect translations, among which is "Esaan" That would be as close to correct as one could get , if you spell as Thais pronounce. E, long E, saan, long aa. Check all the spellings in Wikipedia. Last year a new boss of bs, with a PHD, decided to change the spelling of the old airport, Don Muang. to Don Muaung. Of near that. Every sign was changed at his direction. You see booboos everywhere. They would never ask an English Professor from Oxford as that would result in a loss of "Face". Read an English textbook for teaching and you will see the same pattern of every form of grammar error and misspelling en masse.

Good and Accurate post on this very boring subject

[isanbirder]

I believe the Thai Government issued an official transliteration system some time in the 1980s, but nobody took any notice... so the answer to OP's question is simply, No.

[montrii]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

Isn't the correct spelling อีสาน ?

The most generally accepted version seems to be Isaan, but the official Royal Thai version is Isan

"อีสาน" Is correct. For those unfamiliar with the alphabet, note the symbol above the first letter, it's a vowel. Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel. The vowel should be long, sounding like the "ee" in English "beet." As a short vowel it would be like the "i" in "is."

Accurate transcription from Thai to English is often impossible, not just because of the tones (อีสาน,for example, has a mid tone on the first syllable and a rising on the second) but because 1) English letters often are pronounced differently in different words, and 2) Thai has many sounds that English doesn't have. So you really need a phonetic system independent of the English alphabet to transcribe it correctly.

I guess if you were to write it so it would be read more or less right it would probably go "eesaan." But that looks kinda dumb, and no one writes it like that anyway. "Issan" isn't good, because in English you'd expect the first vowel to be short. I use "Isaan," double "a" indicating the long "aah" sound, but hey, there really isn't any good way to do it. No standard English spelling for it, so really, take your pick. I recommend Isaan.

"Loong has it as a short vowel, livingthedream has it, correctly, as a long vowel"

Actually, you have that back to front. I have written it with a long vowel, livingthedream has the incorrect short vowel

I eat my words, or in this case, names. right you are, I apologize, Uncle Loong! Was reading the posts in html, somehow got the names reversed. But a good effort by all. Apparently this has been done to death before anyway . . . but those who do not know history are condemned to repeat it, and I guess we just didn't know.

[feffejonsson]

How to spell thai words or names with latin letters naturally depends on what language the reader of those words or names speaks. Before I learned the thai alphabet I had to figure out from what country the author of a glossary came or if the author was thai what language he or she were translating to/for. Different europeans will pronounceate the words differently. Usually all translations should be pronounceated as if you were american. Sorry for all British people but in Thailand it seems that the schools teach american english rather than british english.

[Svenn]

I second 'Eesaan' would have been best could we go back in time, nowadays "Isaan" is best especially since this very forum, probably the one place in the world where the word gets the most use, spells it that way.

it's unfortunate though when i'm searching for thai restaurants with isaan food in the US, and i have to search with 4 different spellings.

[tracer5050]

I can never find Issan food in the US. Hard to find real Thai food unless you get to know the owner and then they will cook for you on the side ,

[Svenn]

I can never find Issan food in the US. Hard to find real Thai food unless you get to know the owner and then they will cook for you on the side ,

on the west coast at least, there a several Laotian restaurants, and even a few named Esan/Isan or whatever. There's a thai place down the street here ran by laotians who serve up a som tum just as mean and rotten as what'd you'd find in isaan itself

[zzaa09]

The correct spelling is อิสาน

-( sorry just wanted to be the first to say it ! )

Exactly! As there really isn't a correct, or even definitive romanized phonetic. Though, I'm sure there is an reasonably accepted European spelling by most {or not}.

[tom21]

if you want it in english say north east after all that what isaan means

[Chassa]

Don't ask us Aussies how to spell place-names, we can't even spell aboriginal place-names the same way twice e.g. Gunbalunya - Kunbalunjja (there are other multiple spellings).I suppose it depends on which Aborigine said the word to the translator (no written language). Don't matter every one calls it Oenpelli anyway!

There must be thousands of cases like this around the world.