Language Shift in the Thai Chinese Community

It is a striking fact that many of the people of Chinese ancestry in Thailand do not speak a Chinese variety. The Thai Chinese have no doubt experienced language shift from Chinese to Thai. The shift is largely the result of assimilation, which the government encouraged. The most important contributing factors to the shift during the first half of the 20th century include the decline of Chinese education, pro-Thai enactments and positive attitudes towards Thai society and the Thai language.