Abstract
Thailand is situated at the heart of Southeast Asia and as such, exhibits all the remarkable characteristics of the region, which is one the most complex areas of language and ethnicity in the world. The 70 languages of Thailand belong to five language families: Tai, Austroasiatic, Hmong-Mien, Sino-Tibetan, and Austronesian. All languages are hierarchically interrelated in Thai society with Standard Thai, the only official language, at the highest level. It is used as a medium of instruction in school and in the mass media all over the country. The ethnic minorities are in diglossic situations. They use their ethnic language at home and in their community and Standard Thai at school and on formal occasions.
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