The Status of Research on Language Styles in Thai from 1988 A.D. to 2022 A.D.

Abstract

The objective of this research study is to analyze the status of research on language styles in Thai texts from 1988 A.D. to 2022 A.D. The data from two Thai online research databases including https://scholar.google.com/ and https://tdc.thailis.or.th/tdc/basic.php were collected, resulting in 87 previous studies on language styles in Thai texts. It was found that 87 previous studies can be grouped into two major categories including studies focusing on an individual’s language style snd those focusing on a particular genre/register—each group with an emphasis on either fictional texts, non-fictional texts, or both fictional and non-fictional texts. The study also accounts for the tendency of research on language styles in Thai texts in five periods, from 1988 A.D. to 2022 A.D. It is noticeable that the group of studies focusing on a particular genre/register had gained more popularity than that focusing on an individual’s language style during the first three periods, but afterward, it gained less popularity. Although the group of studies focusing on an individual’s style had gained less popularity during the first three periods, it experienced a fluctuation between period 3 and period 6 until reaching its peak in period 7. Additionally, stylistic attributes and power—the aspects subsumed under the study from a particular genre/register—have been studied since 2015.