ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tai–Kadai-speaking peoples

Okay kiddo, do you know that people speak different languages in different parts of the world? Well, there are some people who speak languages that come from a group called Tai-Kadai. Tai-Kadai refers to the family of languages that are spoken by some people in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand, Laos, and parts of China.

So, there are different groups of people who speak different Tai-Kadai languages. For example, there are the Thai people, who speak the Thai language, and the Lao people, who speak the Lao language. There are also the Zhuang people, who speak the Zhuang language, and the Dai people, who speak the Dai language.

These Tai-Kadai languages have some things in common, like the way they use tones to change the meaning of words. For example, in Thai, the word "maa" can mean "come," "horse," "lass," or "come and see." But by using different tones, like high, low, rising, or falling tones, you can tell which meaning is intended.

Overall, Tai-Kadai languages are an important part of the cultural and linguistic diversity in Southeast Asia!