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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume III - 2011 51 Nitaya Kanchanawan Thai-ization of Malayu Patani Malayu Patani is the language used in the area of the former çPatani Regioné which incorporates present day Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat provinces. For a long time this language has been written using an adapted version of Yawi, an alphabet derived from Arabic characters. Thai-ization of Malayu Patani has been introduced to support bilingual education in that region. Students are being encouraged to use both the Thai Malayu dialect (Malayu Patani/Stun) and the Thai language as the learning medium. It is believed that reading and writing Malayu Patani using Thai characters will lead to better learning of the Thai language as well as the content of other subjects. And, at the same time, Thai government officials working in the Southern border region as well as others interested in the language may easily learn the Malayu Patani language. Another advantage of Thai-ization of Malayu Patani is the development of bilingual dictionaries of Malayu Patani › Thai for a better understanding of both languages. This writing system is based on the sound system of Amphoe Mueang Pattani, which is understood in the three provinces along the Southern border (Royal Institute 2010). 45-53_mac9 5/3/12, 10:08 PM 51