Thai Language.....where Else Is It Useful......

[hookedondhamma]

The Tai Yai or Shan language spoken in Shan State of Burma is in the same language family as Thai and Lao.

Burmese, however, is completely different.

Cambodian (Khmer) is also entirely different from Thai, although they use similar alphabets, and Thai has a number of loanwords originating in Khmer.

Vietnamese and Malaysian are both totally different from Thai as well.

because so many receive thai tv in Cambodia, many understand basic Thai.

As a caveat, you can speak thai to get around in Lao and cambodia, but only as a tourist. Settl down somewhere and you will quickly find that your Thai becomes a source of resentment -- the locals will soon bgin to wonder when you will begin to make the effort in their real language that you made with thai

Fair point, I reckon it would be fairly easy to move from Thai to Laos, how about Thai to Cambodian?

Thai and Lao are mutually intelligible. I know that much as I have no problem speaking Thai in Laos and having the responses in Lao. A bit like going from Oxford to the thickest of Glaswegian accents.

I don't speak Khmer, but friends who speak both tell me that there are a plethora of words in Khmer used in Thai, but perhaps in slightly different contexts. I guess if I sat down and studied it for a year, or went to live there, then I'd be able to speak it. But the difference is in a very rough sense probably equivalent to German and English.

Perhaps the Lao listeners understand Thai for the reasons already given, and not because the languages are interchangeable

My Thai fiends will speak in their Issan dialect when they do not want some of the southerners listening in.

Seems like the isaan language has been morphing rapidly; I had no problems speaking Lao in Loei, but in Nongkhai and other areas it was clear there was a line between Isaan and Lao speak. Many dialects, I know. I guess when that glorious era went on to wipe out the native scripts of the Isaan alphabet and destroy much of their literature, the thaification began to work effortlessly.

I think Thai is useful anywhere there are thais. they hold he language in high regard, so knowing it makes things a bit more friendly and trusting.

Edited June 4, 2013 by hookedondhamma

[cup-O-coffee]

Useful or practical? Hang on a bit, then, I am still thinking...

[ABCer]

Hmmm... a variation on the same theme...

Like it or not - more than half of the world speaks English.

Therefore, from the points of view of Business, Communicability, Culture etc. it is far more important for Thais to speak English than visa-versa.

But I was severely bashed here for these outrageous ideas... think it's time for spanking again.

Didn't we explore this topic to death? Please stop these provocations...

A tad too sensitive are we? Where was it asked if learning Thai was more important than learning English? The topic is.......

" The Thai Language......Where Else Is It Useful "

Feel free to answer that question and leave English out of it.

theblether, you are right and wrong at the same time. I was merely addressing 'where else' in your question. As to being too sensitive on this issue - you missed me - English is not my mother tongue. It's my second language.

The Tai Yai or Shan language spoken in Shan State of Burma is in the same language family as Thai and Lao.

Burmese, however, is completely different.

Cambodian (Khmer) is also entirely different from Thai, although they use similar alphabets, and Thai has a number of loanwords originating in Khmer.

Vietnamese and Malaysian are both totally different from Thai as well.

because so many receive thai tv in Cambodia, many understand basic Thai.

As a caveat, you can speak thai to get around in Lao and cambodia, but only as a tourist. Settl down somewhere and you will quickly find that your Thai becomes a source of resentment -- the locals will soon bgin to wonder when you will begin to make the effort in their real language that you made with thai

Fair point, I reckon it would be fairly easy to move from Thai to Laos, how about Thai to Cambodian?

Thai and Lao are mutually intelligible. I know that much as I have no problem speaking Thai in Laos and having the responses in Lao. A bit like going from Oxford to the thickest of Glaswegian accents.

I don't speak Khmer, but friends who speak both tell me that there are a plethora of words in Khmer used in Thai, but perhaps in slightly different contexts. I guess if I sat down and studied it for a year, or went to live there, then I'd be able to speak it. But the difference is in a very rough sense probably equivalent to German and English.

Perhaps the Lao listeners understand Thai for the reasons already given, and not because the languages are interchangeable

My Thai fiends will speak in their Issan dialect when they do not want some of the southerners listening in.

Seems like the isaan language has been morphing rapidly; I had no problems speaking Lao in Loei, but in Nongkhai and other areas it was clear there was a line between Isaan and Lao speak. Many dialects, I know. I guess when that glorious era went on to wipe out the native scripts of the Isaan alphabet and destroy much of their literature, the thaification began to work effortlessly.

I think Thai is useful anywhere there are thais. they hold he language in high regard, so knowing it makes things a bit more friendly and trusting.

I suppose here is your answer. Haven't been much around Thailand, so count me as ignorant in this. Now that we know I'm not being touchy about English as such, I still believe in what I said, though it is not what you asked about.

[theblether]

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful. Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable.

[krisb]

I get strange looks back here in Canada when I say "Kraap pun Ka" when someone gives me something.

that's cause its korp kun ka.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hookedondhamma]

I get strange looks back here in Canada when I say "Kraap pun Ka" when someone gives me something.

that's cause its korp kun ka.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The romanization of Thai kills me everytime :-)

I thought there ws a srandard somewhere, though it doesn't seem to be enforced anywhere except roadsigns. Normally for those ons who can speak it it's fairly simple to make it the Thai from the romanizaton but to those that quite can't yet, I imagine it must be hell.

Edited June 4, 2013 by hookedondhamma

[krisb]

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

 

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful.  Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable. 

Sabai dee mai becomes sabai dee bor, or if they say that to you answer sabai Dee yuu. Kun tam alai is het yung. Falang is buk si dah.

Sap illi derrr they understand!

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[theblether]

I was constantly "corrected" today, instead of "aroy mak" I was told " sep lai", luckily I knew that one already as Kris had mentioned " sep " before

[itchybum]

If you find a Thai massage girl in say ...Australia and you speak some Thai to her, it is amazing the attitude change.

[sunlong]

Yes, if you care for whatever reason to build better relationships with or get better value out of Thai people then Thai is useful for those purposes.

It is also true that your investing that amount of time and trouble for those purposes will be suspect to some, accurate and/or fair or not.

[samran]

If you find a Thai massage girl in say ...Australia and you speak some Thai to her, it is amazing the attitude change.

"you love me long time" isn't Thai you know

[krisb]

I get strange looks back here in Canada when I say "Kraap pun Ka" when someone gives me something.

that's cause its korp kun ka.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The romanization of Thai kills me everytime :-)

I thought there ws a srandard somewhere, though it doesn't seem to be enforced anywhere except roadsigns. Normally for those ons who can speak it it's fairly simple to make it the Thai from the romanizaton but to those that quite can't yet, I imagine it must be hell.

Hmm, sorry I've lost you there mate? I don't quite understand.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[sunlong]

I thought there ws a srandard somewhere, though it doesn't seem to be enforced anywhere except roadsigns.

Not even there, I've often sat at a given intersection and seen the same Thai road or placename spelt three different ways, each department has its own book.

And be grateful, if they were to standardize it would be on the one that focuses on distinguishing between the Pali and Sanskrit derivations, farthest removed from a usable English phonetic transcription.

[hookedondhamma]

Sorry Kris; I meant the way we hear Thai and then spell it it in Roman letters can cause all sorts of weirdness - makes me wonder how successful those phrasebooks are without the audio recordings. But then again Thai typing is forbidden here so that's just how it is I guess.

Oooh I just read the post I made ... I forgot to double-check the autotype :-/

Edited June 4, 2013 by hookedondhamma

[ABCer]

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful. Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable.

You are absolutely right. I apologize. The subtlety of English sometimes escapes my understanding.

The actual reason for my response comes hot on the heels of a similar discussion about necessity for Expats to learn Thai. My opinion was strongly negative. As a result I butted in. Hope no harm done.

Mentally my remark about 'provocation' was a continuation of the mentioned discussion.

Edited June 4, 2013 by ABCer

[krisb]

Sorry Kris; I meant the way we hear Thai and then spell it it in Roman letters can cause all sorts of weirdness - makes me wonder how successful those phrasebooks are without the audio recordings. But then again Thai typing is forbidden here so that's just how it is I guess.

Oooh I just read the post I made ... I forgot to double-check the autotype :-/

Other side of the coin is my wife's family and their Thai id cards. Their surnames spelt 3 different ways! Not bad considering its only got 5 letters.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NeverSure]

Someone asked about Cambodia with no answer. I have never been to a non-English country where more English is spoken by the common person. They have been hammering it for many years in the schools. They also readily accept the US dollar anywhere.

For instance in France it is common to find those who work with the public speaking English, but not so much the average person.

One wouldn't need to know Cambodian (Khmer) if that helps.

[lovelaos]

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful. Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable.

Sabai dee mai becomes sabai dee bor, or if they say that to you answer sabai Dee yuu. Kun tam alai is het yung. Falang is buk si dah.

Sap illi derrr they understand!

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Have you ever been anywhere near Laos?

[rene123]

I get strange looks back here in Canada when I say "Kraap pun Ka" when someone gives me something.

Thats because of your face cream your wearing.....nothing to do with language.

55555

[rene123]

I get strange looks back here in Canada when I say "Kraap pun Ka" when someone gives me something.

that's cause its korp kun ka.

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Thank you for the correction. I don't have my Thai dictionary here in Canada, so I was trying to go by memory. Actually, I usually just say something that "sounds" like Cup Kun kah and every Thai knows what I mean.

When closely listening to Thais I seldom hear anything that remotely sounds like how it is printed in dictionaries. A good example is the name "Kanchanaburi". If you say that to a Thai they won't know what you asked. But, say something that sort of sounds like "Gangedenapoli" and they will take you to the correct bus depot.

It's a funny world and I love it.

[Tomtomtom69]

Back in the states it works great at picking up girls at Thai restaurants.

I also once met a Laotian guy back in the states. A Hmong. He spoke Thai because of watching Thai TV as a kid. He was missing several fingers of both hands because he played with a land mine.

Reminds me of a time when I visited a Thai restaurant in Brussels..

The service girls were Vietnamese, the bar man was from Laos and the chef was polish!

That's confusing. I wonder what language you used to order food? Thai would have worked with the Lao guy, but otherwise you've got Vietnamese, Polish and well the language of the land either French or Flemish or even English!

Similar story in the USA - I'll start by giving my impressions of Thai restaurants in El Paso, Texas. One Thai restaurant located in the general vicinity of the airport in El Paso's eastside is own and run by a Thai couple that I got to know - I believe the husband cooks the food but all the servers are African American. Only occasionally does the Thai cook come out and take orders himself. This restaurant probably makes the best Thai food in El Paso.

Another Thai restaurant had a Thai owner (former military and she is actually Thai-American and was born in the States I believe), but pretty much everyone else working for her was Hispanic. All the servers and pretty much all the chefs too (not sure if she might have had one Thai chef or if she was doing some of the cooking herself but I never saw any Thai people working in that restaurant apart from her and one temporary server, who is a personal friend of mine). However, my girlfriend (who is Thai) was refused a job there because apparently "she didn't have any fine dining and wine opening skills!" What a crock, considering such "skills" can be learned in the first hour on the job plus my girlfriend had previously worked as a server in a restaurant prior to that period. The Hispanic servers rarely knew what was on the menu and always had to confirm an order with us 2-3 times because "khao pad kung" and "khao rad kaphrao" were so unfamiliar to them.

In Albuquerque, NM the servers at a Thai restaurant there were white Americans, while the owner was a male Thai and the cooks were likely hispanic. At this restaurant orders were always correctly served.

In Thaitown, Los Angeles, CA where you would expect everyone to be Thai, the servers and cooks were but the cleaners were actually Hispanic! Gotta love that multicultural interaction though.

By contrast, in Australia you have a case of reverse racism when it comes to employing non-Thais and certainly non-Asians for any position at a Thai restaurant. A highly motivated Iranian PhD student, one of my dad's own students was refused a job as a server at a Thai restaurant near her university in Sydney, because she is not Thai! A very racist move that should have been referred to the anti-discrimination committee, but being from Iran she was probably used to being discriminated against as a woman and so probably didn't think much of this act of racial discrimination after initially being totally shocked of course.

[Tomtomtom69]

Someone asked about Cambodia with no answer. I have never been to a non-English country where more English is spoken by the common person. They have been hammering it for many years in the schools. They also readily accept the US dollar anywhere.

For instance in France it is common to find those who work with the public speaking English, but not so much the average person.

One wouldn't need to know Cambodian (Khmer) if that helps.

I'll let you know my experiences as a fluent Thai speaker in Cambodia. Coming from Poipet, near the border anywhere up to Sisophon at least some people you meet will speak at least some Thai. Traveling by taxi from Poipet bound for Phnom Penh, our first stop was an LPG gas "station", which consisted of a sundries shop and little more than a hose about 20km east of Poipet. I spoke Thai with one of the guys running the shop and he was delighted. I wouldn't have expected to find any English spoken there so I didn't even bother trying. Surprisingly, there were fewer people who could speak Thai in Poipet but it depends who you're dealing with. About half the people you'll meet in Poipet can probably speak at least some Thai, if not very well. Their Thai might very well be better than their English so I always try to ascertain who speaks what language better before proceeding.

Note that some Cambodians from the border regions despite having learned Thai, might prefer speaking English over Thai due to the Thai-Cambodian temple dispute issue. My take is that if someone comes from a border area like that is that I would rather speak Thai than English with them, just as I would with a Thai person. However, what it really comes down to fluency. Of course I'd rather speak to a Cambodian in English over Thai, provided his English was significantly better than his Thai. It all comes down to being understood, not using racial or other overtones to determine which language is spoken. I'll always determine which language is spoken better first, either English or Thai, when dealing with someone in Poipet which has a poor reputation for scams and touts hence being able to understand them and vice versa is of paramount importance. In short I'll pick the guy who speaks good Thai and little English over the guy that speaks some English and some Thai or no Thai because usually "some" really means very little.

Elsewhere in Cambodia many people I came across could speak quite good English, especially those working in the tourism industry, in trade and commerce or having any other interaction with foreigners and being reasonably well educated.

Khmer is still needed in the countryside. In the cities, unlike in Thailand where you go to a 7-11 and the server almost always gives you the price in Thai even before they know whether you can speak it and even ask if you would like a bag in Thai, in Cambodia, at least in Phnom Penh they'll automatically speak English first until or unless you make it known you can speak Khmer.

On the other hand a number of Cambodian based expats seem to think that Khmers expect foreign expats to pick up their language eventually, this despite nobody expecting a short term tourist or business traveler to speak any Khmer. It is thus little surprise that I have never met anyone there asking me if I could speak Khmer. These expats also claimed that the Thais don't expect foreigners to pick up Thai even after 20 years living in the country and that the Thais don't think foreigners can learn to speak Thai because "it's too difficult" meanwhile "Cambodians feel offended by expats who after years of living there still can't speak the local lingo". While there are some truths to this, this is a great big exaggeration.

Firstly, unless you are living in an expat enclave of Thailand, many Thais do expect an expat to eventually pick up some Thai, at least spoken Thai even if they often rave on about "how good your Thai is" despite it not being any good at all. I haven't spent enough time in Cambodia to know the actual perceptions of Cambodians towards the use of their language, but my guess is that because it's spoken by so few people (essentially only in Cambodia and amongst some of their brethren in border areas of Thailand and some Khmer Kroms in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, but overall by less than 20 million people worldwide and in those two countries the dominant languages of Thai and Vietnamese threaten eventually to wipe out any Khmer dialects spoken by these ethnic groups anyway) the general view is that only a really determined person who spends a lot of time outside the big cities would need to bother learning it.

In border areas of Myanmar, some people can speak Thai but hardly everyone. I would bank on 50% or less - surprisingly low as this may seem but it seems that you're more likely to find a Burmese speaking Thai in Mae Sot than a Thai speaking Burmese in Myawaddy. Exceptions are Burmese who have worked in Thailand in the past - they'll speak reasonably good Thai even if they can't read it.

Overall it seems that the Laotians have the best grasp of Thai outside of Thailand and this applies to most of it's citizens, especially urban folk. The overall similarity of the languages and spread of Thai culture through TV and the internet means most urban Laotians use Thai in some form even amongst themselves on a daily basis.

The only other places not mentioned where Thai would have some limited usefulness would be border areas of Malaysia near the Thai border, especially around Kota Bharu and small parts of Kuala Lumpur where you'll find Thai temples and immigrants, respectively, and Sipsongbanna in Yunnan, China. In the latter region, the people don't actually speak Thai but Dai, a similar language to Thai and Lao. This only applies to the ethnic Dai and not the Han Chinese immigrants of course. Thai won't get you far in the cities apart from market stalls etc. in Mengla and Jinghong but in the villages Thai may be more useful than Chinese even if it's not quite the same language but simple communication is mutually intelligible.

[theblether]

^^ Excellent stuff Tomtomtom69

[sunlong]

^^ Excellent stuff Tomtomtom69

Yes good information, talk about taking the OP at face value!

As a general note, I find it hard to imagine a Thai learning Burmese.

Also, I find both the Burmese and the Khmer to be much more facile at learning other languages than Thais.

I suspect their cultural programming about Thai superiority to be at fault rather than genetics.

Edited June 5, 2013 by sunlong

[sunlong]

For instance in France it is common to find those who work with the public speaking English, but not so much the average person.

Actually the French are all taught English in school - they just don't admit they can speak it while in France, real chip on their shoulder about their language, more sad than funny really.

Best is to start out trying to speak French to them, and if your skill level is really horrible, then - if it's an open-minded and kind person - they will take pity on you and switch to English.

But if you start out in English they'll take it as an insult.

By contrast, in Australia you have a case of reverse racism when it comes to employing non-Thais and certainly non-Asians for any position at a Thai restaurant. A highly motivated Iranian PhD student, one of my dad's own students was refused a job as a server at a Thai restaurant near her university in Sydney, because she is not Thai! A very racist move that should have been referred to the anti-discrimination committee, but being from Iran she was probably used to being discriminated against as a woman and so probably didn't think much of this act of racial discrimination after initially being totally shocked of course.

In most jurisdictions it is perfectly acceptable for a Thai restaurant to give preference to employing Thais for customer-contact positions, in order to give a more authentic overall experience to their customers.

Just as a company can require a young and beautiful receptionist for marketing purposes.

These common-sense exceptions only fall by the wayside where unions are allowed to override market realities, and countries/industries that allow that to happen will quickly find themselves on the decline.

Witness the US airlines as opposed to the Asian ones.

Edited June 5, 2013 by sunlong

[krisb]

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

 

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful.  Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable. 

Sabai dee mai becomes sabai dee bor, or if they say that to you answer sabai Dee yuu. Kun tam alai is het yung. Falang is buk si dah.

Sap illi derrr they understand!

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

 

Have you ever been anywhere near Laos?

Actually not yet. Live next door though. Whole village speaks it. Are you referring to the words I used? If you want me to use it over issan even through its the same family I'm not very good but still can do like an amateur can. Their slang gets me. Probably always will.

How bout you, how's your Laos?

[lovelaos]

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful. Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable.

Sabai dee mai becomes sabai dee bor, or if they say that to you answer sabai Dee yuu. Kun tam alai is het yung. Falang is buk si dah.

Sap illi derrr they understand!

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Have you ever been anywhere near Laos?

Actually not yet. Live next door though. Whole village speaks it. Are you referring to the words I used? If you want me to use it over issan even through its the same family I'm not very good but still can do like an amateur can. Their slang gets me. Probably always will.

How bout you, how's your Laos?

Not as good as it should be after 10 years of living here . Isaan Lao is slightly different from Lao Lao. Falang is Falang and despite what others say, it does come from the word Farangse (French)

[toybits]

Northwest Vietnam has many Tai or Dtai people whose language is almost identical to Thai. I spoke to some Vietnamese visitors coming from that area.

[Tomtomtom69]

^^ Excellent stuff Tomtomtom69

Yes good information, talk about taking the OP at face value!

As a general note, I find it hard to imagine a Thai learning Burmese.

Also, I find both the Burmese and the Khmer to be much more facile at learning other languages than Thais.

I suspect their cultural programming about Thai superiority to be at fault rather than genetics.

Haha well I had some time on my hands, plus I have a lot of experience in this area so I decided to give some in-depth insight.

Thais aren't usually interested in learning Burmese and the few that can, mostly can't speak it very well. The ones that can are almost invariably residents of border towns (mainly Mae Sot, Tha Song Yang or Sangkhlaburi in Kanchanaburi province) and they have Burmese laborers working for them. Residents of these and other border towns that don't have Burmese laborers working for them generally can't speak even a word of Burmese. I have worked with a number of Thais and Burmese in these border areas in the agricultural sector. I remember an exchange between one Thai guy in Mae Sot who used to run one of the cargo crossing piers for cargo coming from Myanmar and a Burmese lady from Thamenyar in Kayin State where I was going to purchase some goods for my company - the lady barely understood this guy's Burmese but her Thai is flawless. Despite her poor educational background it turns out this lady has worked in the garment industry in Thailand and given her Pa-O ethnicity, her native language is actually closer to Thai than to Burmese but in order to communicate outside her village, a knowledge of Burmese is of course necessary. So you're right, Burmese etc. generally learn to speak Thai much more readily than Thais learning to speak any other language especially Burmese or Khmer etc.

[Tomtomtom69]

lovelaos, on 06 Jun 2013 - 09:37, said:

krisb, on 05 Jun 2013 - 17:43, said:

lovelaos, on 05 Jun 2013 - 09:31, said:

krisb, on 04 Jun 2013 - 15:15, said:

theblether, on 04 Jun 2013 - 14:27, said:

^^ Accepting that English is not your first language, you did have a go by saying " please stop these provocations".......

There is nothing provocative about asking where else knowing the Thai language is useful. Anyway I've just spent a cracking few hours with the locals and I reckon it would be quite easy to understand Laos, the languages appear effectively interchangeable.

Sabai dee mai becomes sabai dee bor, or if they say that to you answer sabai Dee yuu. Kun tam alai is het yung. Falang is buk si dah.

Sap illi derrr they understand!

Sent from my LG-E612 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Have you ever been anywhere near Laos?

Actually not yet. Live next door though. Whole village speaks it. Are you referring to the words I used? If you want me to use it over issan even through its the same family I'm not very good but still can do like an amateur can. Their slang gets me. Probably always will.

How bout you, how's your Laos?

Not as good as it should be after 10 years of living here . Isaan Lao is slightly different from Lao Lao. Falang is Falang and despite what others say, it does come from the word Farangse (French)

Lao seems to have fewer homonyms than Thai. Case in point: farang can mean either guava or westerner (or Frenchman) in Thai (though these days farangseht or khon farangseht is more common to describe a French person) but in Lao, mak see da is a guava while a westerner or Frenchman is a falang or khon falang (which can mean either a Frenchman or westerner).

Lao also seems to have more French, even Vietnamese and Chinese influences than Isarn Thai or Thai-Lao (depending on what you want to call it) although they are etymologically about 99% the same otherwise). However, Isarn Thai lacks a writing system, instead relying on standard Thai thus relegating Isarn Thai to being a spoken language only much like Swiss German is in Switzerland.

In Lao, males usually say "doy" which sounds a bit like the Chinese "dui" meaning right or correct when answering something in the affirmative. Females either say "doy" or "jao". I have never heard a Thai Isarn speaker use "doy" but maybe I wasn't listening for it. I should ask one of my Thai Isarn friends if she knows this word; I suspect she might but probably wouldn't use it herself or even any males she knows would use it.

Butter in Lao is "beu" or essentially "beurre" from the French, whereas in Thai it's "neuy".