Thai Language development, features and culture

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Thai Language development, features and culture

• THAI STUDIES

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Chamaipak Tayjasanant The
Department of Linguistics The Faculaty of
Humanities, Kasetsart University
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Outline

1. The importance of language
2. Language families
3. The development of the Thai language
4. Thai Language variation
5. Thai Language and culture
6. Thai language maintenance

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THE IMPORTANCE OF LANGUAGE

• Language is an important part of human
  civilization.
• Humans use language as a communication tool
• Every society has at least one language in common.

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2. Language families

• Criteria
• Geography/ethnics
• Word structure
• Word order in sentences

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Criterion 1 Geography/ethnics

• Indo-european Latin, English, French, German,
  Sansakrit
• Tai thai, Laotian, black tai, red tai, white
  tai, tai lue
• Mon-Khmer Mon, Khmer, Khmu, lawa
• sino-tibetan mandarin, Cantonese, Burmese,
  tibetan
• Austronesian Malaysian, Indonesian, taglog
• Hamito-Semitic Arabic, Somali, Hebrew, hausa

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The Indo-European Language Family
Source http//www.slmc.uottawa.ca/content_images/
2xx007e.gif
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The Thai Language Family
Source http//taisea.org/images/TaiLingBranch.gif
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• Fang Kui Li (1959), a linguist at Washington
  University, has classified Tai languages into 3
  groups, based on the relationship between words
  and sounds
• The South Western Tai
• The Central Tai
• The Northern Tai

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1) The South Western Tai

• In Burma / Myanmar shan / tai yai, Red tai
• In Thailand Siamese (Standard THAI), TaakBai
  dialect
• In Lao Red tai, Black tai
• In Vietnem white tai, Black tai
• In China tai lue, tai ya
• In INDIA Ahom, Tai Phake, Khamti 

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2) The Central Tai

• In northern Vietnam  Ngu?i Th?, Nung, Lung
  Chau , yong chun
• In china Longzhou, Ningming, Nong Zhuang, Dai
  Zhuang, Min Zhuang, Yang Zhuang, Pyang Zhuang

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3) The Northern Tai

• In china zhuang, bouyei  
• In LAo Tai Mène
• In Thailand Yoy

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Criterion 2 word structure

• Finegan (2004) have stated that languages may
  belong to the following types based on how their
  words are structured.
• Inflectional languages
• Agglutinative languages
• Isolating languages

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• 1) Inflectional languages
• (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian,
  Greek, Sanskit)
• In these languages, a word may consist of more
  than one morpheme (free or bound).
• A bound morpheme can have more than one meaning.
• Example English talk - talks
• (The s allomorph marks a present simple form, a
  3rd-person subject, and a singular subject.)

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• 2) Agglutinative languages
• (Turkish, Japanese, Swahili, Korean, Malay,
  Eskimo)
• In these languages, a word can have more than one
  morpheme (free or bound).
• This feature is similar to that of inflectional
  languages.
• However, a bound morpheme usually has only one
  meaning.
• Example Turkish kitap book kitaplar
  books
• (The lar allomorph indicates plurality.)

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3) Isolating languages (Thai, Chinese,
Vietnamese) In these languages, a word is
generally a single morpheme. Singularity or
plurality, past or future actions, and so on are
indicated by adding more separate words to the
phrase or sentence. Contexts significantly help
with understanding. Example Thai sàmùt saam
lêm - three notebooks
(notebook 3 ARTICLE)
(Examples adapted from Finegan 2004 75)
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Criterion 3 word order in sentences

• SVO English, thai , French , khmer ,
  Vietnamese , Chinese
• SOV Japanese , Korean
• VSO welsh
• VOS Malagasy
• OVS Makushi, Apalai
• OSV Fasu, Jamamadi

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? Thai language features

• Isolating language
• No indicator/change of word or sentence structure
  for gender, number, tense
• Tonal language five tones
• There are numerative classifiers.

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3. The development of the Thai language

• Development of the thai alphabet
• History of the thai language
• Changes in the thai language

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1) development of the Thai alphabet

• King Ramkamhaeng created the first Thai alphabet
  in 1283 (The sukhothai period).
• The Thai alphabet uses 44 consonant and 15 basic
  vowel characters.
• These are horizontally placed, left to right,
  with no intervening space, to form syllables,
  words and sentences.

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• The vowel characters and consonants can be
  combined in various ways to produce numerous
  compound vowels (dipthongs and tripthongs).
• The writing system of the sukhothai period
  became the basis for writing and eventually
  developed to be the modern Thai alphabet.

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The king ram khamhaeng inscription
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• After the thai written language was introduced by
  King Ramkamhaeng, it has undergone some
  modifications.
• yet, it can still be read because it retains
  many similarities to modern Thai writings.
• The writing was based on Pali, Sanskrit and
  Indian concepts, and many Mon and Khmer words
  entered the Thai languages as well.

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The Thai Alphabet of the Ayutthaya period
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The Thai Alphabet of the Present time
Source http//www.thaialphabet.net/
wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Thai-consonants.jpg
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2) History of the Thai language

• General background
• The sukhothai period
• the Ayutthaya early Rattanakosin period
• the mid-Rattanakosin period
• The present days

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General background

• Thai, The national and official language of
  Thailand, is spoken by around twenty million
  residents of the Southeast Asian country.
• spoken Thai may have originated in the area
  around Vietnam and China.
• Thai is related to the languages spoken in
  eastern Myanmar, northern Vietnam, Yunnan and
  Laos.

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• Thai is a tonal language in the Tai group and the
  Tai-Kadai language family.
• Today, standard Thai is spoken nationwide with
  regional dialects differing widely from north to
  south and east to west, including
• Issan (Northeastern Thai)
• Passa Neua or Lanna (Northern Thai)
• Thai Tai (Southern Thai).

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• Early Thai settlers in the late Dvaravati period
  gradually enlarged their Chinese-influenced,
  tonal, monosyllabic language by borrowing certain
  Mon and Khmer words.
• Later, the language absorbed polysyllabic
  Sanskrit (the classical language of Hindu India)
  and Pali words as Brahmanism and Theraveda
  Buddhism were infused.
• Foreign traders and Chinese immigrants made minor
  additions in later centuries.

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The sukhothai period

• What can be seen in The king ram khamhaeng
  inscription
• Some Influences from scripts of the following
  languages
• Mon
• khmer 
• Pallava (from Southern India)

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The Mon Script
Source http//orality-literacy-thailand-nui.blogs
pot.com/2004/12/thai-script-and-its-past.html
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The Khmer Script
Source http//orality-literacy-thailand-nui.blogs
pot.com/2004/12/thai-script-and-its-past.html
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The Pallava Script
Source http//www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm
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The Ayutthaya early rattanakosin period

• What can be seen in literature, chronicles,
  historical anecdotes, archives, and the first
  thai textbook
• 44 consonants 3 groups
• 21 vowels
• 4 tonal marks

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3 groups of the 44 consonants
Source http//letstalkthai.com/wp-content/uploads
/2009/12/consonants.jpg
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The first Thai textbook
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The mid-rattanakosin period
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The first Thai Textbook in Mid-Rttanakosin
Moonbot Banpakit by Praya Sri Sunthornvoharn 
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The reigns of King Rama 4 - King Rama 6

• Loan words from English, e.g.
• ?????? (hotel)
• ??????????? (Siam commercial)
• ??????? (company)
• ????????? (telegram)

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The period of Field Marshal Plaek
phiboonsongkram (1938-1942)

• In 1942 Field Marshal Plaek phiboonsongkram
  announced some changes in the Thai language
• Omission of the following consonants
• ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
• Omission of the following vowels
• ? ? ?? ? ??
• These changes were abolished in 1943.

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The present period

• Sounds
• 44 consonants ? 21 consonant sounds
• 26 vowels ? 21 vowel sounds
• 4 tonal marks ? 5 tones (sounds)

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The Thai consonant sounds
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The Thai vowel sounds
Source http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm
ons /4/40/Thai_vowel_chart_with_thai_alphabets.png
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The Thai tonal marks
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• word formations processes
• compounding
• Type 1 ???? ???????? ?????? ???????
  ????????????????????
• Type 2 (from morphemes with related meanings)
• ?????? ??????????? ???????????????? ???????
  ??????
• affixation ?????? ???????? ????????
• Repetition ??? ????? ????? ?????

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• Clipping ?? ???? ???
• abbreviation ???. ???? ?.?.?.?.?.
• conversion ???????? (N?V) ?????? (N?V)
• Loan words ??????? ????????
• Word coinage ??????????? ?????
• Onomatopoeia ???? ???? ????

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• Sentence structure
• Simple sentences
• ???????????????
• Compound sentences
• ??????????????????????????????
• Complex sentences
• ????????????????

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3) Changes in the Thai language

• the sound level
• The word level
• The grammatical level
• The meaning level

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Sound changes

• Changes of vowel sounds
• ????? gt ?????/ ??? gt ???
• vowel sounds becoming longer ???? gt ????
• Changes of tones
• ??? (no mark) gt ???? (high tone)
• ?? (low tone) gt ?? (falling tone)

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Sound changes

• Current trends
• 1) Omission of ? (R) ? (L)
• in consonant clusters
• ???????? gt ??????
• ??????????? gt ?????????
• ?????? gt ?????
• ??? gt ??
• 2) Change of ? pronunciation
• ?????????????????
• 3) Change of vowel pronunciation
• ???? gt ?????

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Word changes

• numerative classifiers in the Sukhothai period
• ??? was used for round objects.
• Now this word is used for formless items, e.g.
  soul, fire, etc.
• conversion took place (n ? V)
• ???????? (telephone)
• ?????(radio)
• Some words no longer exist
• ???? was used, but is now replaced by ???????.
  
• ?????? was used, but is now replaced by
  ???????.

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Grammatical changes

• in the Sukhothai period
• use of double negation
• ????????????????????????? (??????????????)
• ??? subject verb
• ???????????????????????????????????????????????
• Some intransitive verbs were then transitive.
• ????

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meaning/ / semantic changes

• in the Sukhothai period
• ??? (lose) meant ??? (win).
• ????? (preten) meant ?????? (sincere).
• ???????? (out of town) meant ??????????
  (another country)
• ???? (fathers younger brother) ? ?? (fathers
  younger sibling)
• ?????? (a merchants employee) ? ??????? (a
  customer)
• ????? (beaten) ? ??????? (invited)

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4. Thai language variation

• Language and gender
• Language and geography
• Language and age
• Language and social classes
• Language and ethnics

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Language and gender

• Gender (a social factor) ? differences in social
  status
• It is generally understood that genetics and
  physical features indicate gender roles.
• Gender roles indicate male/female language use.
• The role of gender differs from culture to
  culture.
• It is understood through socialisation
  acculturation.

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Stockwell (2007 19-21) Gender has become a determinant of linguistic usage, in the last 50 years.

• Findings from research (by Peter Trudgill)
• Women claimed to use prestige features more than
  they really did.
• Men claimed to use fewer prestige features than
  they really did.
• ?Women ? hypercorrect (conscious of being judged)
• Men ? covert prestige (streetwise/
  macho)

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Findings from research in 1970 (by robin lakoff)

• Womens talk frequent use of
• particular colour terms (mauve)
• evaluative adjective (lovely, sweet)
• hesitant intonation
• high pitch for surprise and questions
• tag-phrases (you know, kind of, sort of)
• superpoliteness (euphemism, indirectness,
  hedging)

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Findings from recent research

• The purpose of conversation
• mens ? information-gathering
• womens ? support-mechanism
• In mixed groups
• Men controls the time and turn-taking.
• Women support and reply.
• Men explain things.
• Women ask more questions and use more backchannel
  noise (uh-huh, yeah, yes, hmm, hmm) and invite
  participant
• View of forcefulness
• mens ? normal organization
• womens ? personal aggression

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Findings from research in thailand

• Sompittaya (1996)
• Male speakers and females speakers used different
  pronouns and sentence endings
• females speakers ??? ????? ?? ??
• males speakers ?? ????
• Homosexual male speakers use all of the above.

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Language and geography

• Geography plays important roles in human
  behaviors as well as language use. ? regional
  dialects
• Speakers of different regional dialects speak use
  the same language differently in many aspects
• ? pronunciation, vocabulary, sentence
  formation, etc.
• Speakers from highly different regional dialects
  may not be able to understand each other.

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Thai dialects

• Each Thai dialect has its own identities.
• Thai dialects can be categorized into 4 main
  groups
• Northern Thai dialects
• Northeastern Thai dialects
• Central Thai dialects
• Southern Thai dialects

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• Differences among Thai dialects are found in
• Sounds
• consonants
• Standard thai ???
• Northeastern thai ???
• Standard thai ????
• Northeastern thai ????

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• Vowels
• Standard thai ????? / ????
• Northeastern thai ????
• Tones
• Standard thai ???
• Northeastern thai ???

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• vocabulary
• Standard thai ?????
• Northeastern thai ????
• Standard thai ????
• Northeastern thai ????
• Standard thai ??????
• Northeastern thai ????????? / ???????

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• grammar
• Standard thai
• ???????????????? item This not expensive
• Northeastern thai
• ???????????????? item This expensive not

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Language and age

• Age (a social factor)
• ? differences in social status
• Different cultures
• ? different age roles

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• The Chinese respect senior/elder people because
  they have power to make decision.
• The Americans give importance to younger
  generations due to their industrialized society,
  which highlights personal achievement.
• In The Thai society, older people have more power
  than younger ones, as can be seen in the Thai
  pronouns ??? ????

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• The age role of people can change as they get
  older.
• People of different age groups differ in their
  behavoural patterns, including language use
  patterns.

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• Examples of language and age in thai sounds
• Adult language ???
• Child language ??? ???
• Adult language ???
• Child language ??? / ????
• Adult language ????
• Child language ????

Note s ? ch / c r ? y
69

• Adult language ????
• Child language ????
• Adult language ???
• Child language ???
• Adult language ?????
• Child language ???-??
• Adult language ????????????
• Child language ???-????? / ????-?????
• Adult language ?????
• Child language ?????

Note ease of articulation
70

• Examples of language and age in thai slang
• Slang emerges and disappears very quickly.
• research in the past 30 years has shown
• younger thais tend to use new slang or pronounce
  existing words with new popular sounds, compared
  with older thais.
• The Language used by the young generation can be
  an indicator for language change.

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Language and occupations

• People from different occupations
• ? different varieties of language
• ?Language use may reflect the speakers
  occupation, e.g. doctors, lawyers, politicians,
  businessmen.

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Language and social classes

• Social stratification
• ? the process of categorizing people into
  different groups
• These groups are called social classes.

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• Types of social classes systems
• Open social-class system
• in this system, people can move from one class
  to another, depending on their achievement.
• Closed social-class system
• in this system, people cannot move from one class
  to another, e.g. the Indian class system.

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• Indicators of the Open social-class system are
• Wealth income , heritage, cash, purchases of
  services, e.g. health or entertainments
• Power physical strength, family background,
  position in the politics or workplaces
• Prestige power, wealth, achievement

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• Social classes can be expressed through such
  words as
• ???? (a prestigious form of you)
• ?????????? (Mr President)
• ????????? (Mr manager)
• ?????? (Doctor with respect)

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• Other Indicators of social classes salaries,
  education, occupations.
• Social classes may also influence language
  changes.
• New forms of language used by prestigious classes
  tend to be easily accepted.

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• types of language changes caused by social
  classes
• Bottom-up type
• natural, slow, and hardly noticeable
• Top-down type
• determined by prestigious people

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Language and ethnics

• A language may be spoken differently in all
  linguistic areas
• sound system
• vocabulary
• Grammar
• due to different ethnics of its speakers.

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• ethnics of speakers are indicated by
• Ethnics
• Skin colors
• Languages
• Costumes
• Food
• Religion
• customs

80

• Ethnic groups In Thailand are
• The Chinese
• Indians
• Muslims
• Hilltribers
• Mon
• Khmer
• Laotian groups

• Causes of inter-Ethnic problems are
• Different ethnic backgrounds
• Different languages (Languages indicate ethnics.)

81

• Examples of ethnic influence on the Thai
  language

• The Chinese pronunciation of Thai sounds
• d ????? ????? ? l ?????? ?????
• n ???? ???? ? ? ???? ????
• long vowel ? short vowel
• short vowel ? long vowel

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5. Thai Language and culture

• Language is the principal means whereby we
  conduct our social life. When it is used in
  context of communication, it is bound up with
  culture in multiple and complex ways.
• (Kramsch 1998 3)

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Through socialisation or acculturation, speakers
of the same society and culture acquire
appropriate language use, interaction and
interpretations, which include etiquette, polite
language, what to say, what not to say, the use
of written language, and so on.
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If a language is a know-what, culture is the
know-how that a person must possess to get
through the task of daily living.

• Benefits of learning another language
• A tool for communication
• A tool for creation and transfer of culture and
  knowledge

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6. Thai language maintenance
Richards Schmidt (2002 290) the degree to
which an individual or group continues to use
their language, particularly bilingual and
multilingual area or among immigrant groups
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• Issues to consider
• whether or not the language is an official
  language
• whether or not it is used in the media, for
  religious purposes, in education
• How many speakers of the language live in the
  same area.
• In some places where the use of certain languages
  has greatly decreased there have been efforts to
  revise languages in declining use, e.g. of Maori
  in New Zealand and Hawaiian in Hawaii

87
Early Attempts to create the standard variety of
Thai

• The revolution of the Thai writing system during
  King Rama 6s period.
• The establishment of  the Thai Royal Literary
  Club  in 1914 in charge of Certifying literary
  works (except historical writings) and Awarding
  outstanding literary works
• The establishment of The Royal Institute of
  Thailand in 1933 in charge of academic works of
  the government as well as planning and
  regulation of the Thai language.
• The spelling revolution (Omission of consonant
  and vowel characters) between 1942-1945Field
  Marshal Plaeks era

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• APART FROM THE LANGUAGE,FIELD MARCHAL PLAEK ALSO
  MADE OTHER ATTEMPTS TO MAKE THAILAND MORE
  CIVILISED COUNTRY.

Source http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaek_Phibuns
ongkhram mediaviewer/FileThai_culture_poster.
PNG
89
More Attempts to prevent Thai from changing too
quickly

• Conferences and seminars
• Thai language clubs / Thai culture clubs in
  schools, universities, and communities
• Television programs
• ??????????? (Thai on the screen) ??????????????
  (A Thai word a day)
• ????????? (A language club) ?????????? (We love
  our language.)
• Textbooks, newspaper Articles , Thai monolingual
  dictionary

90
Textbooks for elementary/primary educations
Source https//www.google.co.th/search?qE0B98
1E0B89AE0B89AE0B9 80E0B8A3E0B8B5E0
B8A2E0B899E0B8A0E0B8B2E0B8A9E0B8B
2E0B984E0B897E0B8A2biw1366bih653sour
celnmstbmischsaXeiS1flVKLTK5CdugSp_IH4BAve
d0CAYQ_AUoAQ