THE DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION STRUCTURE OF HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL ADULYADEJ THE GREAT SPEECHES ON THE OCCASION OF HIS MAJESTY THE KING'S BIRTHDAY

Abstract

This research article aimed to analyze the structure and frequency of major and minor topics in the royal addresses of the King Rama IX on His birthday. The study employed Halliday’s concept of main and supporting ideas, alongside the criteria for analyzing main and supporting ideas in Thai by Patama Phatthapong and Cholthicha Bamrungrak, to analyze the major topics and transitions to minor topics in the royal addresses. A qualitative research method was used, selecting text from the royal addresses compiled in the Collected Royal Addresses and Speeches book by the Information Center of the Bureau of the Royal Household. A systematic sampling method was employed to select 10 years’ worth of samples, specifically 1968, 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1989, covering a total of 109 paragraphs across 41 pages.

The research findings revealed that the linguistic forms used to express the main ideas were primarily nouns, adjectives, and conjunctions. The linguistic forms used for minor topics included words, phrases, and both simple and compound sentences, employing connective words for concession, contradiction, conditionality, and cause-effect relationships. A total of 18 major topics and 108 minor topics were identified. The three most frequently appearing major topics were: 1. birthday, well-wishing, and gratitude; 2. problems and solutions for Thailand; and 3. aging. The most frequently mentioned minor topic was water.