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SanukJoeII, on 2011-05-20 10:54:45, said:
Xangsamhua, on 2011-05-20 09:50:56, said:
SanukJoeII, on 2011-05-20 09:25:10, said:
Ask Isan people and they tell you they "wao lao", not wao Isan! They are more than 21 million people, you think you know better?
Joe ( who lives in Isan and wao lao nit noi).
Joe's observation is interesting. I've not lived in the Northeast for nearly 40 years and have travelled there little since then. I have lived in Vientiane and do speak Lao. However, I'd have to take Joe's word for it as to how Issan people really identify themselves in terms of language and culture.
Some Issan people I've come across in Bangkok are very happy to speak with my wife in Lao (she's from Vientiane, but studied in Bangkok and has lived in Thailand for many years). Others prefer to use Thai.
It would be interesting to know to what extent Issan people still identify with their ancestral roots rather than the Thai geopolitical entity they now live in. That is, do they see themselves at heart as displaced Lao rather than Thai?
As history shows most Isan people come from the country Lao and were forced to migrate, hence their appreciation of the Lao language and until not so long ago of the Lao script.
As they were forced to migrate and forced to write Thai script there might be a silent opposition against that, resulting in sticking to their Lao language. They chose for it, as every child learns Thai in school, some get a shock experience when they hear/see Thai for the first time at school.
The contrary might be possible too: Laotians (at the border regions?) might oppose Isan people as different, speaking Isan and not Lao as that is their language.
Also known is that some Lao movement wants Isan back to Lao, although no Isan movement supports such.
Fact is that Isan people have chosen to speak their language Lao, but are able to speak Thai too. Many students in Udon (that I know) university chose Lao as their second language.
I have met numerous Isan people in the beginning of my stay in Isan, who didn't understand my attempts to speak Thai, when translated into Lao by my then wife they suddenly understood, reason for me to abandon my Thai language books, buy and download Lao language and got familiar with Isan people speaking Lao. Now when in Udon meeting people speaking Thai I reject and ask them if they not wao lao? Hilarious and they love it! Nothing better than a farang who speaks Lao as it is showing respect for their roots language!
Joe
Maybe Ajarn Joell could then explain why Isaan is so different in so many Provinces. I generally find that the many Isaan dialects spoken by natives along the river are not understood by those living say 250 kms away.
