Meaning of the Word 'น้ำ' (N̂ả) in Thai

Abstract

Background and Aims: Compared to other societies, water is the most obvious symbol in Thai society. Water is present in a wide range of artistic mediums, including painting, sculpture, architecture, dance, rituals, and even urban planning. The Thai people's way of life and means of subsistence are influenced by water. Because of this, the word "water" has acquired significance in Thai culture and language. Thus, The research article on the meaning of the Word 'น้ำ' in the Thai Language aims to study the characteristics of appearance and meaning of the word 'น้ำ' in the Thai language.

Methodology: The researcher collected and compiled data related to the theory and research on semantics, gathering information on the word "น้ำ" (water) from the National Thai Language Corpus, totaling 500 instances. Subsequently, the data was analyzed to explore the meaning of the word "น้ำ" by examining its co-occurrences with various types of words, analyzing users' mental representations of its form and characteristics, as well as the semantic extensions of the word "น้ำ". Finally, the research findings were summarized using a phenomenological analysis method.

Results: From the study, it is found that the extension of the meaning of the word 'water' as the base word in compounds can be achieved in 4 ways: 1) by extending with a noun, 2) by extending with a verb, 3) by extending with a compound word, and 4) by extending with an equative compound word. As for the extension of the meaning of 'water' functioning as a phrase, it uses the metaphorical extension. The metaphor 'water' signifies valuable property and wealth. The conceptual system of water is that water is a valuable asset."

Conclusion: The semantic extension of the word 'น้ำ' (water) occurs through four methods, with its metaphorical extensions employing the metaphorical method. The conceptual system of water is that it is a valuable asset.