Linguistically, the people in SEA could be divided into at least 4 broad groups.
Tai-Kadai (also called “Tai-Thai”) – besides Thailand and Laos, Tai-speakers are also found in central and southern parts of China, northern Vietnam, Shan State of Myanmar, and India’s Assam State.
Austronesian/Malayo-Polynesian – primarily found among Southeast Asian and Pacific islanders. This language is subdivided into over 1,268 spoken languages. SEA speakers of this language family could also be found in Madagascar, Africa. Austronesian includes, Javanese, Malay, Tagalog, Cebuano, Minangkabau