Southern Thai language

Southern Thai
ภาษาไทยถิ่นใต้
Pronunciation/pʰaː.sǎː tʰaj tʰìn tâːj/
Native toSouthern Thailand, Kedah, Kelantan and Tanintharyi Region
EthnicitySouthern Thai
Thai Chinese
Peranakans
Malaysian Siamese
Thai Malays
Native speakers
4.5 million (2006)
Kra–Dai
Thai script
Thai Braille
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Regulated byNone
Language codes
ISO 639-3sou
Glottologsout2746

Southern Thai (ภาษาไทยถิ่นใต้ [pʰaːsǎː tʰaj tʰìn tâːj]), also known as Dambro (ภาษาตามโพร [pʰaːsǎː taːm pʰroː]), Pak Tai (ภาษาปักษ์ใต้ [pʰaːsǎː pàk tâːj]), or "Southern language" (ภาษาใต้ [pʰaːsǎː tâːj]), is a Southwestern Tai ethnolinguistic identity and language spoken in southern Thailand, as well as by small communities in the northernmost states of Malaysia. It is spoken by roughly five million people and as a second language by the 1.5 million speakers of Pattani and other ethnic groups such as the local Peranakan communities, Negritos and other tribal groups. Most speakers are also fluent in or understand the Central Thai dialects.