The Development of the Common Noun “Tha-nai” During the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin Periods

Abstract

This research aims to present an analysis of the development of the common noun “tha-nai”
during the Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin periods, as found in prose documents, including feature
articles and dictionaries. The results of the study showed that the sources presented six words with
the common noun “tha-nai”, which could be divided into two main features: word and meaning. At
the word level, “tha-nai” appeared in the Ayutthaya period in four different words: tha-nai (a
government official or an officer), tha-nai-khob (an officer in charge of the torch lighting), tha-naipeun (an escort with firearms) and tha-nai-leuak (the king’s royal guard, largely recruited from
potential boxers). There were two words found in the Rattanakosin period: tha-nai-reuoen (a
domestic worker) and tha-nai-khwam (a person who practices law and conducts cases in court).
When considering its meaning, “tha-nai” changed in the two periods. The word had been used with
its extended meaning over the Ayutthaya period to mention a public officer or an authority, as well
as a nobleman’s servant. At the end of the Ayutthaya period, it had a broader meaning that referred
to a representative of a lord. In the Rattanakosin period, the word was discovered to have with a
change in meaning. Its altered meaning then referred to an officer who represented a person in the
court, i.e., a lawyer.