2.1.2 Southern Thai = Southern Thai is a dialect of Standard Thai spoken in the southern part of Thailand from Chumporn province to Narathiwat province. It is the dialect that Thai Buddhists and Thai Muslims in the southernmost use as their mother tongue. There is no recognized system of orthography for this dialect as separate from that of the Standard Thai which is used officially over the whole country Of all linguistic features the major distinctions between Southern Thai and Standard Thai seem to involve the phonological and lexical systems rather than syntax. Tone is the major feature distinguishing phonological systems.