Resumen de Introduction

Liang Morita, Wilaiwan Khanittanan, Voravudhi Chirasombutti

• When people who live outside Thailand hear about Thailand, it is mostly about the beauty of the country, the warmth of the people, or the beloved monarch King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Many are, however, unaware that Thai language and society are just as worthy of attention and study. They may or may not know about the different varieties of Thai spoken in different parts of the country or the diversity of ethnic and linguistic backgrounds from which the people come from (Premsrirat this volume). Outsiders may not be aware that a different variety of Thai, ra:-cha:-sàp, is used when Thais talk to or about the King and his family members (Khanittanan this volume).