SOUND SOURCES AND TONAL PHONETIC FEATURES OF ONOMATOPOEIA IN BASIC THAI LANGUAGE TEXTBOOKS

Abstract

This article aimed to study the sound sources and the phonetic features of tones in onomatopoeic words in reading the passages in the basic Thai Language textbook series, Phasa Phuea Chiwit: Phasa Pha Thi, for Grades 1–3. This study employed a descriptive research design. The sample of onomatopoeic words was selected through purposive sampling. The instrument used for data collection was a structured indirect observation form. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, specifically percentages.

The results showed that two sound sources of onomatopoeic words were identified: 1) the behavior of living things, which had the highest frequency of occurrence, and 2) the condition of objects, which had the lowest frequency of occurrence. Both sound sources were classified as direct onomatopoeia and as biological sound sources. They were onomatopoeic words related to living things or derived from living things.

The tonal features of onomatopoeic words had two characteristics: 1) level tonal phonemes, which had the highest frequency of occurrence and 2) contour tonal phonemes, which had the lowest frequency of occurrence. The absence of mid-level tonal phonemes, or the mid tone, in monosyllabic onomatopoeic words and the absence of a mixture of level tonal phonemes and contour tonal phonemes in onomatopoeic words with more than one syllable were due to phonetic reasons. That is, the consistent maintenance of tonal patterns conveys that the same thing occurs repeatedly.