Tai Studies

Ian James
© November 2009

/tai/ in Lanna script

The Tai language family

Languages in bold below are major languages, in terms of numbers of speakers, or by having national status. Those marked with an asterisk have their own distinctive writing system (which in some cases is used by others in the language family).

Subdivisions of the Tai language family:

  • Northern Tai
    • Northern Zhuang (China)
    • Bouyei, Buyi (China)
    • E (China)
    • Tai Mène (Laos)
    • Yoy, Yay (Thailand)
  • Central Tai
    • Southern Zhuang (China)
    • Ts’ün-Lao (Vietnam)
    • Nung (Vietnam)
    • Tay (Vietnam)
    • Cao Lan (Vietnam)
  • Southwestern Tai
    • Pa Di (China)
    • Tai Ya (China)
    • Tai Hongjin (China)
    • Northwest Southwestern Tai
      • Phake (Assam)
      • Ahom (Assam - extinct)*
      • Aiton (Assam)
      • Khamyang (Assam)
      • Khamti (Assam, Myanmar)
      • Khün (Myanmar)*
      • Shan, Tai Yai (Myanmar)*
      • Dehong Dai, Tai Nüa, Tai Le (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos)*
      • Xishuangbanna Dai, Lu, Tai Lue (China, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar)*
    • Tai Thanh (Vietnam)
    • Tày Sa Pa (Vietnam)
    • Chiang Saeng (East Central Southwestern Tai)
      • Tai Hang Tong (Vietnam)
      • Thu Lao (Vietnam)
      • Tai Daeng (Vietnam)
      • Tai Dón (Vietnam)
      • Tày Tac (Vietnam)
      • Tai Dam (Vietnam)*
      • Thai Song (Thailand)*
      • Phuan (Thailand)
      • Northern Thai, Lanna, Thai Yuan (Thailand)*
      • Thai (Thailand)*
    • Tai Long (Laos)
    • Pu Ko (Laos)
    • Lao-Phutai
      • Lao (Laos)*
      • Isan (Thailand, Laos)*
      • Nyaw (Thailand)
      • Phu Thai (Thailand)
    • Southern Thai, Pak Thai (Thailand)
    • Yong (Thailand)
    • Turung (India)
  • Others
    • Tai Pao
    • Tai Do
    • Rien
    • Tay Khang
    • Kuan

Spread of the Tai language family:

Tai language map
Adapted from Wikipedia’s Kradai language map.

Writing systems of the Tai family

In all cases, the languages which use neither Roman alphabet nor Chinese logograms use writing systems deriving from the Brahmi family of scripts. The parent in most cases is Pallava (a South Indian script), though languages around Assam and Myanmar may have had influence from North Indian or Central Asian scripts. Those with an asterisk have fair representation on Omniglot:
Ahom*
Dehong Dai
Shan
Khün (variation of Lanna)
Tai Lue*
Tai Dam*
Tai Song (variation of Tai Dam)
Lao*
Lanna*
Isan (variation of Lanna)
Thai*

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This page © Ian James - last modified Nov.29,2009