Khorat Thai
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 2,000,000 (est.) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
Nakhon Ratchasima Province,  Thailand
|
|
| Languages | |
| Thai, others | |
| Religion | |
| Theravada Buddhism |
Khorat Thai or Korat Thai (Thai: ไทยโคราช) people refers to an ethnic group named for their main settlement area in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, unofficially called "Korat". Korat Thai people call themselves Tai Berng (ไทยเบิ้ง), Tai Derng (ไทยเดิ้ง), or Tai Korat (ไทยโคราช). Other tribes in northern Thailand also refer to them by those names.
The proposed theories of the origin of the name Tai berng are:
Thai Khorat people have their own traditions and cultures called Khorat culture, which is similar to the culture of Thai people on the central plain, but their own unique words, dialect, costumes, songs, and beliefs are different from the rest of the Tai-speaking peoples. Some say Thai Khorat people speak a dialect which is halfway between Thai and Isan (Lao.)
There are 2,000,000 Khorat Thai in Thailand.
Thai Khorat people occupy Nakhon Ratchasima and adjacent provinces:
The Khorat Thai can be traced back at least to the late 18th century, when King Narai of the Ayutthaya Kingdom ordered a new city built as the eastern fortress of his kingdom. This was the origin of Nakhon Ratchasima city. The city thus marked the boundary between Ayutthaya and the Lao regions.
The Khorat Thai are closely related to the Thai people. Some claim they are descended from Thai soldiers who married Khmer women, though evidence proving this is lacking.
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Wikipedia