One of the most fascinating words for linguists is the word tea. This is because it is a wanderwort, or a wandering word, which travels far and wide across the languages of the world. Wanderwörter can spread from any original language and make their way into many, or even all the languages of the world! Of course, the latter would be very difficult to achieve due to the differences between languages and the way in which they borrow words. However, tea is one of those words that has almost achieved this marvelous feat. This three-letter word of Chinese origin has spread not only into English, but also throughout Eurasia, and even Africa. In Chinese, the word tea is pronounced cha, but in another dialect, it is pronounced teh. From these two humble little words came many derivative forms, including chay, or chai as we know it in English, which mutated from cha when it reached Persia. Interestingly, this gives us an insight into where each country encountered tea for the first time. For example, if a country traded tea with the south of China, it would start to use the word teh, but if it traded elsewhere, such as Central Asia, then cha would be in vernacular use.
In addition, it is interesting to find that in the UK all three terms can be found, from the standard tea, to the colloquial char in South Eastern dialects, and the specific spiced masala chai tea as well!