And What what does it mean''Siam''?
2006-11-25 21:03:39 · 4 answers · asked by Noot 2 in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Thailand
A revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. Previously named Siam, the country changed its name to Thailand in 1939, back to Siam after World War II, and again to Thailand in 1949.
2006-11-25 21:07:56 · answer #1 · answered by epbr123 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually they say it the way an American would say See as in see-yom/see-yam. I travel to Thailand often and the locals always say it that way while westerners say SA-yam. Leads to confusion as there are many places using "Siam " in the name.
Thailan has never been successfully invaded, and as previously stated Thai means "free"
The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia to the south, and the Andaman Sea and Myanmar to the west. The country's official name was Siam (Thai: สยาม; IPA: [saËjaËm], RTGS: Sayam), until May 11, 1949. The word Thai (à¹à¸à¸¢) means "freedom" in the Thai language and is also the name of the majority ethnic group.
2006-11-27 22:23:34 · answer #2 · answered by virg922 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Siam is just the English way of spelling it. In the Thai language it is pronounced "Sayam". The word "Thai" actually means "free" and the Thais are a freedom loving people.
As to the reason why the name of the country was changed, I can only surmise the following reason: The people were already known as Thais when the country's name was still Siam, so was the language, and I suppose they wanted to bring everything into conformity.
And as far as I know, the word "Siam" itself has no meaning, it's just a name.
2006-11-26 08:20:52 · answer #3 · answered by Dennis J 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
Just for the record - especially for Dennis J.
Siam means "Peace" and Thai means "Free"
2006-11-26 10:06:39 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋