The Word /bon/ in Thai: The Development of its Word Classes The Development of its Word Classes

Main Article Content

Pakapot Thiamthan
Mingmit Sriprasit

Abstract

This paper aims at studying the development of the word classes of /bon/ in Thai from Sukhothai period (1238-1438 A.D.) to the reign of King Rama IX of Rattanakosin period (1946-2016 A.D.). The data were collected from published documents and electronic database. There were totally 2,441 tokens of the word /bon/ in Thai. The study reveals that the word /bon/ can be categorized into three word classes, i.e. a noun, an adjective, and a preposition. First, it has been found as a single lexical noun in front of a verb or a verb phrase, behind a verb or a verb phrase, behind a preposition, and at the beginning of a noun phrase from Sukhothai period (1238-1438 A.D.) to the reign of King Rama IX of Rattanakosin Period (1946-2016 A.D.). In this regard, it denotes a spatial orientation that is upper or above a reference level. Second, the adjective /bon/ occurs behind a noun or a noun phrase and conveys the space that is upper or above a reference level, hence linguistically realized into a single noun phrase. This word class has been found from Sukhothai period (1238-1438 A.D.) to the reign of King Rama IX of Rattanakosin period (1946-2016 A.D.). Last, the preposition /bon/ can occur between a verb or a verb phrase and a noun or a noun phrase, or it can occur between a noun or a noun phrase and a noun or a noun phrase. It refers to a position of an entity in relation to another. It has been found from Ayutthaya and Thonburi period (1350-1782 A.D.) to the reign of King Rama IX of Rattanakosin Period (1946-2016 A.D.). It is worth pointing out that the findings imply polyfunctionality and grammaticalization of the word /bon/ in Thai. Also, the preposition /bon/ as a function word is developed from the noun /bon/ or the adjective /bon/ which are the content words. The gradual change of the word /bon/ coincides with the universal phenomenon of grammaticalization.

Article Details

How to Cite
Thiamthan, P., & Sriprasit, M. (2019). The Word /bon/ in Thai: The Development of its Word Classes: The Development of its Word Classes. Chiang Mai University Journal of Humanities, 20(1), 86–118. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/JHUMANS/article/view/186538
Section
Research Articles