Languages of Chiangrai

[Joel Barlow]

One of the wonderful things about Chiangrai is its multicultural diversity, its variety of religions, languages, food and clothing styles and beliefs.

I've been wondering just how many languages, and count about 15:

Lahu: over 100,000 speakers of two main dialects, Lahu-na (also used by some non-Lahu) and Lahu-nyi (Red Lahu; there alre also a few White Lahu)

Akha, with dialects Jeu v g'oe v and A v kui v (Akhui/Akö/Akhö/Ak'ë) Akha, which isn't readily intelligible to other Akha; 3 depends on who's counting!

Karen, mostly S’gaw (White) Karen

Hmong (I find mention of Green, Blue, White and other dialects)

Lisu, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Burmese, Tai Lue, Tai Yai/Shan, Kham Muang, Central Thai, Lao, English, Wa/Lawa, and Bengali (in Pai, Mae Hong Son, I

encountered Islamic Yawi speakers running e-mail shops).

Does anyone know much about what languages Muslims here tend to speak? Or how many there are? I get the iompression that it's like with the Akha: depends on who is counting.

[DonaldBattles]

I am often confused by the difference between Islam and Arabic languages. Yawi is a southern dialect which I think is akin to Malay and the 2 above.

The local Thai language seems to be a mixture of Esan and Northern Thai. It is difficult for central Thai speakers to understand.

[Joel Barlow]

Yawi is more a language than a dialect, although related to Malay (but not Arabic). Many Muslims here are "Jeen Haw" and speak the Yunnan dialect of Mandarin.

Lao, Tai Lue, Tai Yai/Shan, Kham Muang and Central Thai are all related, with somke mutual intelligibility, but different enough to be considered different languages. Kham Muang, our local language, has different dialects (here it's somewhat different than in ChiangMai or Nan). Lao has it's own alphabet; Kham Muang certainly did, but it's mostly out of use. What alphabet the Shan of Myanmer prefer I'd like to have a better idea of - as with using Thai money, many find Thai language useful (for radio, TV, print media, even the the internet).

In that area east of the "Superhighway, south of the Kok, where you often see goats running about, the language of at least some of the Imans, which I've heard over loudspeakers, is not Chinese. I doubt it's Arabic, but don't know.

[my friend I]

The Muslims at the downtown mosque speak Northern Thai

[Joel Barlow]

That's interesting. I used to eat at the little Islamic food there on Soi Issaraphap (Soi Freedom).

Some 'research' through google indicates that the muezzin issuing calls to prayer must use Arabic,

"the language of Islam". Up in the hills, many Jeen Haw (aka Chin Ho) are Islamic and speak a form of Mandarin.

I doubt 100 people here speak Arabic!

[brianmarinus]

I am told this is the alphabet they used 100 years ago here-notice the numbers of letters..

[DonaldBattles]

The two Akha villages up the road from me in Doi Hang seem to be mostly Christians. Not heard of any of them being Muslims.

[sceadugenga]

They would definitely be one of the smaller minority groups, just comparing the number of temples, churches and mosques in the greater Chiang Rai city area would be a an indication of this.

I tend to see the most Muslims, and by this I mean women who dress in the traditional manner, in Mae Sai.

Maybe refugees from Burma?

[my friend I]

I thought all the language in a mosque is arabic. They teach arabic in madrassas all over the world because the scriptures are in arabic

Joel , do you know of a language/dialect that is spoken west of Chiang Kham that sounds similar to Nan.?.

[Joel Barlow]

Sorry, don't even know Chiang Kham.

Seems to be that Islam is like Catholicism used to be: done in a language many of its adherents don't know.

Some are Chinese, some "South Asian" and maybe some Malay. I'm curious about corresponding differences,

but apparently am likely to stay that way.

As for "Nan" - do you mean a dialect of Nan Province? That's also something I don't know about!

But it used to be its own kingdom, so it's easy to assume there is one.

[brianmarinus]

The two Akha villages up the road from me in Doi Hang seem to be mostly Christians. Not heard of any of them being Muslims.

My wife tells me that you are right and that most Akha people in Chiang Rai area are Christians.

[Joel Barlow]

Never heard of an Akha, Lahu, Lisu, Hmong or Yao Muslim. Hadn't heard of Karen ones until a border refugee village was burned down, Jan 2011 maybe it was... news reports mentioned mosques there. But many Haw Chinese have been Islamic for maybe 1000 years, some of them trading here as long ago as when the first T'ai arrived about 750 years ago.

In Tak one encounters Sikhs and other South Asians, and I believe there are some in other western parts of the north, too.

There are lots of mosques here in Chiang Rai, but I encounter very little discussion of who attends them, and suspect government (and CIA) population figures re: their numbers here to be way low. Hilltribe population figures certainly are, which is justified through pointing out that many are "illegals"... perhaps many Muslims are too, but I've certainly no evidence of that.

[apache9441]

I thought all the language in a mosque is arabic. They teach arabic in madrassas all over the world because the scriptures are in arabic

Joel , do you know of a language/dialect that is spoken west of Chiang Kham that sounds similar to Nan.?.

I don't know Chiang Kham too well either but I'd guess that west of it would most likely be typical northern Thai as it's quite lowland in it's terrain.

Chiang Kham itself is well known for a large Thai Lue population.

[my friend I]

Sorry, don't even know Chiang Kham.

Seems to be that Islam is like Catholicism used to be: done in a language many of its adherents don't know.

Some are Chinese, some "South Asian" and maybe some Malay. I'm curious about corresponding differences,

but apparently am likely to stay that way.

As for "Nan" - do you mean a dialect of Nan Province? That's also something I don't know about!

But it used to be its own kingdom, so it's easy to assume there is one.

Yes Nan has its own language. You don't hear it that much any more. Older people and people out in the boonies. Its ugly sounding like someone gargling marbles.