THAI LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT,

FEATURES AND CULTURE

THAI STUDIES

ASSOC. PROF. DR. CHAMAIPAK TAYJASANANT

THE DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS

THE FACULATY OF HUMANITIES, KASETSART UNIVERSITY

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

1. 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.

2. LANGUAGE FAMILIES

CRITERIA:

GEOGRAPHY/ETHNICS

WORD STRUCTURE

WORD ORDER IN SENTENCES

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

The Indo-European Language Family

Source: 2 007http://www.slmc.uottawa.ca/content_images/ xx e.gi f

Source: http://taisea.org/images/TaiLingBranch.gif

The Thai Language Family

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

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 

IN NORTHERN VIETNAM:  NGƯỜI THỔ, NUNG,

LUNG CHAU , YǑNG CHŪN

IN CHINA: LONGZHOU, NINGMING, NONG

ZHUANG, DAI ZHUANG, MIN ZHUANG, YANG

ZHUANG, PYANG ZHUANG

2) THE CENTRAL TAI

IN CHINA: ZHUANG, BOUYEI  

IN LAO: TAI MÈNE

IN THAILAND: YOY

3) THE NORTHERN TAI

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

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

1) Inflectional languages

(English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Sanskit)

1) In these languages, a word may consist of more than one

morpheme (free or bound).

2) 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.)

1) Inflectional languages

(English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Greek, Sanskit)

1) In these languages, a word may consist of more than one

morpheme (free or bound).

2) 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.)

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 a bound morpheme usually has only one

meaningmeaning.

Example: Turkish: kitap ‘book’ – kitaplar –

‘books’

(The ‘lar’‘lar’ allomorph indicates pluralityplurality.)

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 a bound morpheme usually has only one

meaningmeaning.

Example: Turkish: kitap ‘book’ – kitaplar –

‘books’

(The ‘lar’‘lar’ allomorph indicates pluralityplurality.)

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 săam lêm - ‘three notebooks’

(notebook 3 ARTICLE)

(Examples adapted from Finegan 2004: 75)

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 săam lêm - ‘three notebooks’

(notebook 3 ARTICLE)

(Examples adapted from Finegan 2004: 75)

• SVO: : ENGLISH, THAI , FRENCH , KHMER , VIETNAMESE , CHINESE

• SOV: : JAPANESE , KOREAN

• VSO: WELSH

• VOS: : MALAGASY

• OVS: : MAKUSHI, APALAI

• OSV: : FASU, JAMAMADI

CRITERION 3: WORD ORDER IN SENTENCES

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.

3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF

THE THAI LANGUAGE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE THAI ALPHABET

HISTORY OF THE THAI LANGUAGE

CHANGES IN THE THAI LANGUAGE

• 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.

1) DEVELOPMENT OF THE THAI ALPHABET

• 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.

THE KING RAM KHAMHAENG INSCRIPTION

• 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.

THE THAI ALPHABET OF THE AYUTTHAYA PERIOD

THE THAI ALPHABET OF THE PRESENT TIME

Source: - -://../ //2013/03/ .

• GENERAL BACKGROUND

• THE SUKHOTHAI PERIOD

• THE AYUTTHAYA – EARLY RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD

• THE MID-RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD

• THE PRESENT DAYS

2) HISTORY OF THE THAI LANGUAGE

• 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.

GENERAL BACKGROUND

• 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).

• 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.

WHAT CAN BE SEEN IN THE KING RAM KHAMHAENG INSCRIPTION:

•SOME INFLUENCES FROM SCRIPTS OF THE FOLLOWING LANGUAGES:

• MON

• KHMER 

• PALLAVA (FROM SOUTHERN INDIA)

THE SUKHOTHAI PERIOD

The Mon Script

Source: http://orality-literacy-thailand-nui.blogspot.com/2004/12/thai-

script-and-its-past.html

The Khmer Script

Source: http://orality-literacy-thailand-nui.blogspot.com/2004/12/thai-

script-and-its-past.html

The Pallava Script

Source: http://www.skyknowledge.com/pallava.htm

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

3 groups of the 44 consonants

Source: -http://letstalkthai.com/wp content/uploads/2009/12/consonants.jpg

The first Thai textbook

THE MID-RATTANAKOSIN PERIOD

The first Thai Textbook in Mid-Rttanakosin :“Moonbot Banpakit”

by Praya Sri Sunthornvoharn 

• LOAN WORDS FROM ENGLISH, E.G.

•โฮเต็�ล (HOTEL)

•สยามกั มมาจล (SIAM COMMERCIAL)

•กั มปานี� (COMPANY)

•ต็ะแลปแกั�บ (TELEGRAM)

THE REIGNS OF KING RAMA 4 - KING RAMA 6

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

ฃ ฅ ฆ ฌ ฏ ฎ ฐ ฑ ฒ ณ ศ ษ ฬ • OMISSION OF THE FOLLOWING VOWELS

ใ ฤ ฤา ฦ ฦา THESE CHANGES WERE ABOLISHED IN 1943.

SOUNDS:

44 CONSONANTS 21 CONSONANT SOUNDS

26 VOWELS 21 VOWEL SOUNDS

4 TONAL MARKS 5 TONES (SOUNDS)

THE PRESENT PERIOD

THE THAI CONSONANT SOUNDS

THE THAI VOWEL SOUNDS

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commo

ns /4/40/Thai_vowel_chart_with_thai_alphabets.png

THE THAI TONAL MARKS

CLIPPING: หอ กั�อป โปร ABBREVIATION: รปภ . วี�เจ ส.บ.ม.ย.ห.

CONVERSION: โทรศ พท- (NV) ระเบ.ด (NV)

LOAN WORDS: เปเปอร- โลเกัชั่ 1นี WORD COINAGE : เละต็23มเป4ะ แหล�นี ONOMATOPOEIA: บ56ม ป78 ง แป4กั

SENTENCE STRUCTURE:

SIMPLE SENTENCES:

แม:ให3นีาฬิ.กัาฉั นีCOMPOUND SENTENCES:

ฉั นีอยากัไปเท�1ยวีแต็:ต็3องเฝ้?าบ3านีCOMPLEX SENTENCES:

ฉั นีคิ.ดวี:าเขาโกัหกั

3) CHANGES IN THE THAI LANGUAGE

THE SOUND LEVEL

THE WORD LEVEL

THE GRAMMATICAL LEVEL

THE MEANING LEVEL

SOUND CHANGES:

CHANGES OF VOWEL SOUNDS :

จาร.กั > จาร5กั / โนีนี > นีอนี

VOWEL SOUNDS BECOMING LONGER: เขBา > ข3าวี

CHANGES OF TONES :

ทงง (NO MARK) > ท 6ง (HIGH TONE)

กั: (LOW TONE) > กั� (FALLING TONE)

SOUND CHANGES:

NUMERATIVE CLASSIFIERS IN THE SUKHOTHAI PERIOD:

• ‘ดวีง’ WAS USED FOR ROUND OBJECTS.

• ‘ NOW THIS WORD IS USED FOR FORMLESS ITEMS, E.G. SOUL, FIRE, ETC.

CONVERSION TOOK PLACE (N V):

• โทรศ พท- (TELEPHONE)

• วี.ทย2(RADIO)

SOME WORDS NO LONGER EXIST:

• ฬอออ WAS USED, BUT IS NOW REPLACED BY ‘ล:อหลอกั’.

• ชั่ กัรCป WAS USED, BUT IS NOW REPLACED BY ‘ถ่:ายรCป’.

WORD CHANGES:

IN THE SUKHOTHAI PERIOD:

USE OF DOUBLE NEGATION

เขาไปEม.รC3จ กัวี:าผู้C3ม�บ2ญ (ไต็รภCม.พระร:วีง)

จ5ง + SUBJECT + VERB

จ5งข3าพเจ3าได3เลHอกัสรรจ ดแจงผู้C3ใหญ:คิวีรกั บราชั่กัารSOME INTRANSITIVE VERBS WERE THEN TRANSITIVE.

ถ่ล:ม

GRAMMATICAL CHANGES:

IN THE SUKHOTHAI PERIOD:

แพ3 (LOSE) MEANT ชั่นีะ (WIN).

แกัล3ง (PRETEN) MEANT จร.งใจ (SINCERE).

เมHองนีอกั (OUT OF TOWN) MEANT ต็:างประเทศ (ANOTHER

COUNTRY)

อาวี- (FATHER’S YOUNGER BROTHER) อา (FATHER’S YOUNGER

SIBLING)

ลCกัคิ3า (A MERCHANT’S EMPLOYEE) ผู้C3ซื้H6อ (A CUSTOMER)

ถ่Cกัต็� (BEATEN) ถ่Cกัเชั่.ญ (INVITED)

MEANING/ / SEMANTIC CHANGES:

4. THAI LANGUAGE VARIATION

LANGUAGE AND GENDER

LANGUAGE AND GEOGRAPHY

LANGUAGE AND AGE

LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL CLASSES

LANGUAGE AND ETHNICS

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.

Stockwell

(2007: 19-21)

Gender has become ‘a determinant of

linguistic usage,’ in the last 50 years.

Findings from research: 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 Women hypercorrect (conscious of being hypercorrect (conscious of being

judged)judged)

Men Men covert prestige (streetwise/ covert prestige (streetwise/

‘macho’)‘macho’)

FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH IN 1970: FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH IN 1970:

(BY ROBIN LAKOFF)

‘WOMEN’S 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)

FINDINGS FROM RECENT RESEARCH:FINDINGS FROM RECENT RESEARCH:

• THE PURPOSE OF CONVERSATION: THE PURPOSE OF CONVERSATION:

•MEN’S INFORMATION-GATHERING

•WOMEN’S SUPPORT-MECHANISM

• IN MIXED GROUPS: 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: VIEW OF FORCEFULNESS:

•MEN’S NORMAL ORGANIZATION

•WOMEN’S PERSONAL AGGRESSION

FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH IN THAILAND: FINDINGS FROM RESEARCH IN THAILAND:

SOMPITTAYA (1996):

MALE SPEAKERS AND FEMALES SPEAKERS USED DIFFERENT

PRONOUNS AND SENTENCE ENDINGS:

FEMALES SPEAKERS : หนีC ด.ฉั นี คิะ ขา

MALES SPEAKERS : ผู้ม คิร บHOMOSEXUAL MALE SPEAKERS USE ALL OF THE ABOVE.

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.

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

DIFFERENCES AMONG THAI DIALECTS ARE FOUND IN:

SOUNDS

CONSONANTS:

STANDARD THAI: ร กั NORTHEASTERN THAI: ฮ กั STANDARD THAI: ชั่3าง NORTHEASTERN THAI: ซื้:าง

VOWELS:

STANDARD THAI: เกัลHอ / เกัHอ NORTHEASTERN THAI: เกั�ย

TONES:

STANDARD THAI: คิ3า NORTHEASTERN THAI: คิ:า

VOCABULARY

STANDARD THAI: อร:อย NORTHEASTERN THAI: แซื้:บ STANDARD THAI: สนี2กั NORTHEASTERN THAI: ม:วีนี STANDARD THAI: มะละกัอ NORTHEASTERN THAI: หม 1กัฮ2:ง / บ กัฮ2:ง

GRAMMAR

STANDARD THAI:

ของนี�6ไม:แพงหรอกั ITEM THIS NOT EXPENSIVE

NORTHEASTERN THAI:

ของนี�6แพงไม:หรอกั ITEM THIS EXPENSIVE NOT

AGE (A SOCIAL FACTOR)

DIFFERENCES IN SOCIAL STATUS

DIFFERENT CULTURES

DIFFERENT AGE ROLES

LANGUAGE AND AGE

• 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: พ�1 นี3อง

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.

EXAMPLES OF LANGUAGE AND AGE IN THAI: SOUNDS

ADULT LANGUAGE: ใส: CHILD LANGUAGE: ใฉั: ใจ: ADULT LANGUAGE: สาม CHILD LANGUAGE: ฉัาม / จBาม ADULT LANGUAGE: เร�วี CHILD LANGUAGE: เย�วี

Note: [ s ] [ ch ] / [ c ]

[ r ] [ y ]

ADULT LANGUAGE: สนี2กั CHILD LANGUAGE: หนี2กั ADULT LANGUAGE: ขนีม CHILD LANGUAGE: หนีม ADULT LANGUAGE: วี.ทย2 CHILD LANGUAGE: วี.ด-ย2 ADULT LANGUAGE: หนี งสHอพ.มพ- CHILD LANGUAGE: ฉัHอ-พอมพ- / จHKอ-พ.มพ- ADULT LANGUAGE: อร:อย CHILD LANGUAGE: หย:อย

Note: ease of articulation

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.

PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT OCCUPATIONS

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE USE MAY REFLECT THE SPEAKER’S OCCUPATION,

E.G. DOCTORS, LAWYERS, POLITICIANS, BUSINESSMEN.

LANGUAGE AND OCCUPATIONS

SOCIAL STRATIFICATION

THE PROCESS OF CATEGORIZING PEOPLE INTO

DIFFERENT GROUPS

THESE GROUPS ARE CALLED ‘SOCIAL CLASSES’‘SOCIAL CLASSES’.

LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL CLASSES

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.

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

SOCIAL CLASSES CAN BE EXPRESSED THROUGH SUCH WORDS AS:

ท:านี (A PRESTIGIOUS FORM OF ‘YOU’)

ท:านีประธานี (MR PRESIDENT)

ผู้C3จ ดกัาร (MR MANAGER)

คิ2ณหมอ (DOCTOR – WITH RESPECT)

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.

TYPES OF LANGUAGE CHANGES CAUSED BY SOCIAL CLASSES:

BOTTOM-UP TYPE:

NATURAL, SLOW, AND HARDLY NOTICEABLE

TOP-DOWN TYPE:

DETERMINED BY PRESTIGIOUS PEOPLE

A LANGUAGE MAY BE SPOKEN DIFFERENTLY IN ALL

LINGUISTIC AREAS:

• SOUND SYSTEM

• VOCABULARY

• GRAMMAR

…DUE TO DIFFERENT ETHNICS OF ITS SPEAKERS.

LANGUAGE AND ETHNICS

CAUSES OF INTER-ETHNIC PROBLEMS ARE:

DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS

DIFFERENT LANGUAGES (LANGUAGES INDICATE

ETHNICS.)

EXAMPLES OF ETHNIC INFLUENCE ON THE THAI LANGUAGE: THE CHINESE PRONUNCIATION OF THAI SOUNDS:

• [ D ] เด�กัๆ กั�ได3 [ L ] เหล�กัๆ

กั�ไล:

• [ N ] เปNนี เส3นี [Ŋ] เปNง เส3ง• LONG VOWEL SHORT VOWEL

• SHORT VOWEL LONG VOWEL

‘Language is the principal means whereby we conduct

our social life. When it is used in context of

communication, it is bound up with cultureculture in multiple

and complex ways.’

(Kramsch 1998: 3)

5. THAI LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

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.

BENEFITS OF LEARNING ANOTHER LANGUAGE:

A TOOL FOR COMMUNICATION

A TOOL FOR CREATION AND TRANSFER OF

CULTURE AND KNOWLEDGE

If a language is a know-what, culture is the “know-how”“know-how” that a

person must possess to get through the task of daily living.

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:

6. THAI LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE

Issues to consider:

a) whether or not the language is an official language

b) whether or not it is used in the media, for religious

purposes, in education

c) 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

EARLY ATTEMPTS TO CREATE THE STANDARD VARIETY OF THAI :

THE REVOLUTION OF THE THAI WRITING SYSTEM DURING KING RAMA 6’S 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 PLAEK’S ERA

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaek_Phibunsongkhram# mediaviewer/File:Thai_culture_poster.PNG

APART FROM THE LANGUAGE,FIELD MARCHAL PLAEK ALSO MADE

OTHER ATTEMPTS TO MAKE THAILAND MORE CIVILISED COUNTRY.

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:

ภาษาไทยในีจอ (THAI ON THE SCREEN) ; ภาษาไทยวี นีละคิOา (A THAI WORD

A DAY)

ภาษาสโมสร (A LANGUAGE CLUB) ; เราร กัภาษา (WE LOVE OUR LANGUAGE.)

TEXTBOOKS, NEWSPAPER ARTICLES , THAI MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARY

Source: https://www.google.co.th/search?q=%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%9A%E0%B9% 80%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%A0%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A9%E0%B8%B2%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2&biw=1366&bih=653&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=S1flVKLTK5CdugSp_IH4BA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ

Textbooks for elementary/primary educations