Editing Isan language (section)

===Spoken status===
According to the EGIDS scale, Isan is at Stage VIA, or 'vigorous', meaning the language is used for 'face-to-face communication by all generations and the situation is sustainable'.<ref name=EGIDS>Lewis, M. P., Simons, G. F., and Fennig, C. D. (eds.). 2013. EGIDS. [http://www.ethnologue.com/about/language-status#EGIDS-origins "EGIDS Explanation"].</ref> Although various studies indicate that Isan is spoken by almost everyone in Northeastern Thailand, the language is under threat from Thai, as Thai replaces the unique vocabulary specific to Lao speakers, and language shift, as more and more children are being raised to speak only Standard Thai. The lack of prestige of the language and the need for Thai to advance in government, education and professional realms or seek employment outside of Northeastern Thailand, such as Bangkok, necessitate the use and mastery of proper Thai over proper Lao.<ref name="DraperJ2004"/>

The language suffers from a negative perception and diglossia, so speakers have to limit their use of the language to comfortable, informal settings. Parents often view the language as a detriment to the betterment of their children, who must master Standard Thai to advance in school or career paths outside of agriculture. The use of the Thai script, spelling cognate words in Isan as they are in Thai, also gives a false perception of the dialectal subordination of Isan and the errors of Isan pronunciation which deviate from Thai. As a result, a generational gap has arisen with old speakers using normative Lao and younger speakers using a very 'Thaified' version of Isan, increased code-switching or outright exclusive use of Thai. Many linguists and scholars of the Isan language believe that Thai relexification cannot be halted unless the script is returned, but this has little public or government support.<ref name="Tossa-2007">{{cite book|last1=Tossa|first1=Wajuppa|title=STORYTELLING, A MEANS TO REVITALIZE A DISAPPEARING LANGUAGE AND CULTURE IN NORTHEAST THAILAND (ISAN)|date=2007|publisher=The 3rd International Conference on Gross National Happiness 2007|location=Bangkok|url=http://gnh-movement.org/papers/tossa.pdf|access-date=18 September 2017|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213650/http://gnh-movement.org/papers/tossa.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="DraperJ2004"/>