“Compounding the words”: definition of words and some observations from the study of compound words in the Thai language through the formation of the Thai words.

Abstract

          The academic paper focuses on 2 topics as follows: 1) Definition of words according to the principle of Thai language and linguistics 2) Various perspectives and some observations from the study of compound words in the Thai language through the formation of the Thai words. The result of the study indicates that the “word” is defined according to the principle of Thai language and linguistics as the smallest element of language that carries meaning and can stand alone. However, the terminology of “word” is defined differently. In addition, in the Thai language, the words can be multiplied through word formation. As a result, the formation of words from the original Thai words is obvious in the Thai language, which can be divided into two methods: The foreign and Thai methods. The author has observed 7 different methods as follows: 1) The example of the Thai words “ดำ ๆ แดง ๆ เร็ว ๆ ช้า ๆ” and “ถ้อยคำ ดูแล ว่ากล่าว”. By comparing the word formation according to Thai methods, the characteristics of the preceding examples are reduplicative and synonymous compound words, which are not the same as compound words as defined in the present. 2) The compound words which are placed in front of other words, such as “ชาว- นัก- ผู้-”. Those words always were necessarily compounded with other words. 3) According to the current word-formation methods, the Thai method of compounding words has not been as widely used as the foreign one. 4) Compound words, according to the word formation principle, will mainly consider the function of words. 5) By comparing the word formation according to the foreign method, the word “มหาสมุทร” is compounded between the words “มหา-” and “-สมุทร” Therefore, the word “มหาสมุทร” is the compound word. 6) With regard to the derivation according to the principle of Thai language, the morpheme which is placed in front of or in the back of the word will be a morpheme with synonyms (homographs) to meaningful independent morphemes. Nevertheless, if keywords and adverbs compound the words, it will not be able to define the function of the word. and 7) Compound words, according to the Thai method, are formed by compounding two or more independent morphemes in order to form a larger word structure and the functions of the words are merged into the same kind of words.