Thailand, English in

Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia. In 2020 it had a total population of 66.19 million (Thailand Board of Investment, 2021). It has borders with many neighboring countries: Myanmar to the north and west, Laos to the north and east, Cambodia to the east, and Malaysia to the south. Due to its central location, people of many different ethnic groups migrated and settled in the area long before the official establishment of the country. As a result, the present-day Thai population is made up of more than 60 ethnic groups with ethnic languages from five different language families (Premsrirat et al., 2004). Some of them are mutually intelligible; others are not. Although many ethnic languages and dialects are spoken by Thai nationals, Thailand can still be described as a monolingual country, given that “Standard Thai,” or Central Thai, is the only official language of the country. Even if the official language of Thailand retains its dominance throughout the country, Thai people need an international language to communicate with people from other language backgrounds as the Thai economy relies heavily on international trade and tourism. With the long history of English in the country and its influential roles recognized by people worldwide, English is undoubtedly “the international language of Thailand” (Smalley, 1994). Although a command of English is not essential for Thai people, they realize that the ability to use it can bring advantages and opportunities. Thus, English always has its place in Thailand.