A special feature of the Thai language is the possibility of adapting the level of politeness to the person one is speaking to. This allows a more or less formal touch to the conversation. You can even express the social rank you are giving somebody by choosing higher or lower words while speaking to him or her. These speech levels are historic remains of former conveniences in the society of older times but they are still used in the modern Thai language of daily life. Thai people among friends will not use the same words as they may with business partners. Talking to their boss, they will speak differently than when giving orders to a servant. The age of partners is also significant for the choice of vocabulary.
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