An Analytical Study of the Historical Linguistics of the Tai-Chinese Language Family: The Relationship between the /h/ Sound in the Thai Isaan Vernacular and the /h/ Sound in the Chinese Language

Abstract

            The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between the Thai Isaan vernacular and the Chinese language as they both belong to the Tai-Chinese language family by focusing on analyzing and explaining the relationship between the /h/ sounds in both languages.  The research methodology in this research was selecting words with the /h/ initial consonant in the Thai Isaan vernacular and comparing  them with words with the /h,k/ initial consonant in the Chinese language.  As for the research result, the selected Thai Isaan words in the list are actually vocabulary shared by the Chinese language.  The /h/ sound in the Isaan vernacular is a cognate sound of the Chinese language, whereas when compared to the Thai language the relationship is less strong.  That is, it is merely a sound correspondent to the /r/ sound in the Thai language.  This research result is another piece of evidence that supports that the Thai-Lao people or the Isaan people are the group closely related to the ethnic group that speak the language of the Tai language family living in the south of China.  This shows that the Isaan language is related to the Chinese language, which corresponds with the fact that the ascendants of the Isaan people who in the past were scattered through the south of China have expanded their habitation territory down to the north of Laos and into the Isaan region of Thailand.