Diminishing roots of Tai Ahom language and its links with Thailand

The influence of ancient Tai culture in India and Thailand is evident in their language.

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People from Assam, a state in the northeast of India, for example call themselves “axomiya”, with roots from the Tai Ahom community.

Tai language belongs to the Tai Kadai family and has three branches; Southwestern, Central, and Northern. Thai falls in the Southwestern group. Everyday terms have been retained in both Tai Ahom and Thai, illustrating the deep linguistic connection between the Tai peoples of Northeast India and Thailand.

The Tai Ahom trace their origins to the Mong Mao region, located in present-day Dehong, Yunnan province of China, or the Hukawng Valley in Myanmar.

Their settlement in Assam and subsequent assimilation with local peoples created an enduring cultural and historical bridge between the Tai world of Southeast Asia and Northeast India.

However, their traditional language is diminishing as modernisation remains a threat to indigenous culture.