Journal of Humanities Naresuan University

A Study of the Problems of Existence and Conservation Guidelines and Development of Wisdom in Ubon-style Morlam Mu Sangwat of Ubon Ratchathani Province

2024-11-08T11:18:23+07:00

This research aimed to study the problems of the existence and the conservation and improvement guidelines of the wisdom of Ubon-style Morlam Mu Sangwat, including performance patterns, performance process, and Lam melody. Documentary research and field research were conducted through interviewing informants to explore the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and obstacles, and to observe the operation of Morlam Mu bands to acknowledge the problems. The results found that the problems of the existence included four issues: 1) The popularity of Look Thung Morlam music is increasing, 2) Ubon-style Lam Sangwat is difficult, 3) The management of a Morlam Mu band is complicated, and 4) Khon Kaen-style Morlam Sangwat is more popular. There were two conservation and improvement guidelines: 1) In terms of policy, conservation activities and artist employment should be promoted and artists should improve their performance to current trends and 2) In terms of the guidelines for educational institutions, Morlam Mu should be taught in schools, activities related to the conservation of Morlam Mu should be promoted, and knowledge and wisdom of Morlam Mu should be recorded. In this regard, four sets of video recording knowledge of Ubon-style Morlam Mu Sangwat were created: Lam of male melody, Lam of female melody, Lam Soke of male melody, and Lam Soke of female melody. The purposes were to preserve the valuable performing arts and publicize the correct melody of Ubon-style Morlam Sangwat.

These videos will be useful for academic purposes and for people who want to practice correct singing to develop into a professional artist. However, this study could not record all knowledge of Ubon-style Morlam Mu Sangwat as a video. In the future, there should be a video recording all knowledge of Ubon-style Morlam Mu Sangwat.

Situation of Research Related to Critical Discourse Analysis in Thai Academic Articles from 2008-2024

2024-11-26T09:49:39+07:00

This research aims to explore the state of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) research in Thailand, as recorded in the system of Thai Journals Online (ThaiJO) from 2008 to 2024. The study presents its findings across five key aspects: research topics, types of concept used in studies, textual materials analyzed, frameworks, and research formats. The results reveal both the pitfalls of CDA research in Thailand and the efforts of Thai scholars to advance CDA studies to align with the global academic community.

A Comparative Study of the Semantic Role of the Chinese Adverbial Marker “地” and the Thai Adverbial Marker “อย่าง”

2024-11-07T11:32:51+07:00

This research aims to compare the semantic roles of the Chinese adverbial marker “地” and the Thai adverbial marker “อย่าง” through a qualitative study. The research involved surveying Chinese and Thai sentences from selected sources as a basis for analysis and comparison of the two markers. The sample included modern Chinese literature and the Thai National Corpus (Third Edition) under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. The findings revealed three key points. Firstly, both “地” and “อย่าง” could combine with words or word groups that expressed manner or characteristics to function as adverbial markers. However, “地” could also combine with words or word groups that resemble nouns, a feature not seen with “อย่าง,” due to “地” having a higher degree of grammaticalization. Second, the roles of both markers are tied to sentence correctness, but the reasons behind incorrect sentences caused by their omission differ. For example, in Chinese, if the adverbial modifier omits “地,” it cannot be understood as the adverbial modifier or part of the serial verb construction, resulting in an ungrammatical sentence. In Thai, if the adverbial modifier omits “อย่าง,” it cannot be interpreted as the adverbial modifier, part of the serial verb construction, or object, which also leads to an incorrect sentence. Thirdly, the roles of “地” and “อย่าง” influence sentence comprehension, but their omission impacts meaning differently. For instance, in Chinese, even without “地,” the adverbial modifier may still be interpreted as a part of the serial verb construction. In contrast, in Thai, the omission of “อย่าง” allows for multiple interpretations, such as being a part of the serial verb construction, object, modifier of object, or even affecting the overall sentence meaning.

Xuan Shen’an: The Role and Value of Chinese Women in the Novel “Love Like the Galaxy”

2024-12-03T11:26:27+07:00

This research analyzes the roles and values of the female character Xuan Shen’an in her relationships with men, based on the concept of Three Obedience and Four Virtues, which reflects the women’s roles in Chinese feudal society, as portrayed in the novel Love Like the Galaxy. The study divides women’s roles into three aspects: a daughter, a wife, and a mother. The study finds that women’s value in the role of a niece-as-a-daughter is defined by the uncle, who determines the niece’s role to maintain family’s stability and interests. As a wife, women who follow the “Three Obedience and Four Virtues” are respected and honored by their husbands and society. In the role of a mother, women sacrifice their honor to protect and preserve the honor of their sons to ensure their safety from danger. These three groups of relationship reflect the fate of women in a patriarchal society, where men hold the power to define women’s roles and values to sustain family’s interests and stability.

Conceptual Metaphors of the Word “Family” in the Thai Social Context

2025-01-08T09:09:41+07:00

This research aims to analyze the conceptual metaphor of the word “family” in the context of Thai society using the conceptual metaphor framework proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980). Data were collected from the Thai National Corpus of the Department of Linguistics, Chulalongkorn University. The texts containing the word “family” were sourced from 4,263 newspaper headlines and semi-academic writings. The conceptual metaphors were analyzed and interpreted descriptively and analytically. The findings revealed 1,304 instances of metaphors associated with the word “family,” reflecting four conceptual metaphors from the perspective of Thai language users: [family is space], [family is human], [family is objects], and [family is buildings]. These results highlight the conceptual system of Thai speakers regarding the word “family” from both positive and negative perspectives. From a positive perspective, the ideal family is perceived as warm and stable. Conversely, the negative perspective views the family as fragile, requiring care, support, and assistance.

Phra That Ya Khu Worship Ceremony: Its Functions of Sema Village Nong Paen Sub-District, Kamalasai District, Kalasin Province

2024-11-25T13:40:36+07:00

This research aims to examine the functions of the Phra That Ya Khu Worship Ceremony in Sema Village, Nong Paen Sub-District, Kamalasai District, Kalasin Province. Data were gathered through document analysis, prior research, and field surveys conducted in May 2023. Qualitative research methods were employed, including interviews with villagers and the leader of the ceremony along with participatory observations. The collected data were analyzed using folklore methods and the results were presented using a descriptive analytic approach. The study found that the Phra That Ya Khu Worship Ceremony serves four significant functions in Sema Village: fostering for agricultural abundance, providing a channel for villagers to express grievances and distress, acting as cultural capital for tourism, and promoting unity within the community.

Thai University Non-English Majors’ Attitudes towards Explicit Grammar Instruction in a Basic Writing Class

2025-01-08T09:23:04+07:00

The present study aims to examine non-English major students’ attitudes towards explicit grammar instruction in a basic writing class. It also compares and studies the students’ attitudes toward explicit grammar instruction among high, mid-and low writing ability groups. The participants were 81 Thai university students from different language-major backgrounds. The research instruments included a questionnaire, focus-group semi-structured interview questions, and a reflective diary. The questionnaire data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, paired sample t-test, and ANOVA. The interview and diary data were analyzed thematically. The main findings revealed that the mean attitude scores of the students significantly decreased after the instruction in several items, but they were at the highly positive and positive levels. The qualitative results provided evidence for the students’ positive and negative attitudes towards explicit grammar instruction.

A Study of the Translation Strategies for Cultural Terms in the Novel Khiao Suea Fai from Thai into English

2025-01-03T17:20:49+07:00

The purposes of this research were 1) to analyze micro translation strategies applied when translating Thai cultural terms into English across the 15 chapters of the novel Khiao Suea Fai (or The Fang of the Fire Tiger) and 2) to examine the two translators’ macro translation strategies in transferring these cultural terms. To achieve these goals, Aixelá’s (1996) and Venuti’s (1995) frameworks were applied to investigate 454 cultural terms. The findings displayed the use of 10 micro-level translation strategies: 1) linguistic (non-cultural) translation, 2) synonymy, 3) absolute universalization, 4) orthographic adaptation, 5) deletion, 6) intratextual gloss, 7) limited universalization, 8) naturalization, 9) combined strategies, and 10) extratextual gloss. However, repetition and autonomous creation were not used in the research. At the macro level, it was found that both translators predominantly favored domestication as reflected in the micro translation strategies employed. This suggests that the translators prioritized the target readers, aiming to make Thai cultural terms more familiar and accessible to the target culture.

The Discourse Structure of Miss Universe Thailand Contestants’ Impromptu Speeches

2025-02-19T09:56:44+07:00

An impromptu speech is a type of speech that shows the speaker's wit, knowledge, and experience related to various issues. This study aimed to analyze and compare the impromptu speech texts of selected and non-selected contestants of the Miss Universe Thailand competition in three aspects: (1) the discourse structure of impromptu speech, (2) the patterns of discourse use in impromptu speech texts, and (3) discourse relations within the impromptu speech texts. This study applies Longacre’s (1983) framework of Information Structure and Bamroongraks’ (1996) classification of discourse according to the purpose of communication to analyze 60 impromptu speech texts of Miss Universe Thailand contestants from 2020 to 2022. The findings revealed that the discourse structure of impromptu speech consisted of three parts: (1) introduction, (2) body, and (3) conclusion. Regarding the patterns of discourse, the most frequently used pattern in the impromptu speeches of selected contestants was expository discourse^introduction, expository discourse^body, hortatory discourse-expository discourse^conclusion (E, E, H-E). In contrast, the most frequently used pattern in the speeches of non-selected contestants was expository discourse^introduction, expository discourse^body, expository discourse^conclusion (E, E, E). However, expository discourse (E) was the most prevalent in all three sections—introduction, body, and conclusion—and no procedural discourse (P) was observed in the impromptu speech texts.

Meanings and Roles of Fish Patterns in Chinese Culture

2025-01-24T10:31:46+07:00

This academic article aimed to study meanings and roles of fish patterns in Chinese culture in brief. There are 3 issues presented: 1) meanings and history of fish patterns 2) fish patterns in the prehistoric–historical periods of China and 3) roles of fish patterns on utensils or places, which of them were obvious archeological evidence such as the Tang Dynasty’s fish symbol or the Song Dynasty’s ink stone and so on. Fish patterns and appearances have changed over time, depending on different factors. However, the positive meaning of fish has still remained in terms of auspiciousness. Fish has reflected the Chinese ways of life and the relationship between Chinese people and fish which has existed since the past. Fish has been applied as images and patterns for a long period of time by Chinese people. There are so various patterns that they can be developed into unique ones and have become part of the modern Chinese culture.