The word "Tai" as a noun is the name given to a number of languages that are spoken as part of a family of languages in use in southern parts of China and Southeast Asia. The Shan, Thai and Lao languages form a part of the Tai family. It can also be used to refer to the native speakers of any of the languages included in the Tai group be they from Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Thailand or China. It is also used in short to refer to a Thai person. The word Tai can also be used as an adjective in the above sense. The people who speak the Tai language are mostly from the Theravada Buddhist School. They are believed to number well over seventy five million. There is also a Mount Tai in China.
