A GIS-Based Study of Spatial Patterns in the Changes in Lexical Usage at the Level of Individual Semantic Units in Northeastern Thailand: Integrating Geography and Linguistic Techniques
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Abstract
This study examines spatial patterns in the changes in lexical usage within Thai dialects, focusing on individual semantic units. A dataset of 42 semantic units collected between 1979 and 2002 in Thailand’s Northeastern region was used as the input for the study. The lexical items in each semantic unit were classified as either “Central Thai” or “Non-Central Thai.” The analysis integrated geographic knowledge and Geographic Information System (GIS) data with linguistic techniques to perform spatial comparisons across semantic units. Results of the study are presented in two formats: 1) 42 maps illustrating the changes in lexical usage between 1979 and 2002, each corresponding to a semantic unit, and 2) a table summarizing the percentage of changes for each unit. The main finding indicates that across all semantic units analyzed, “no change” was most commonly observed in the eastern part of the study area, highlighting the stable usage of Non-Central Thai in this region. Furthermore, in cases where “change” was detected, the concentration was found mostly in the southwestern region of the study site, where Nakhon Ratchasima and its neighboring provinces are located. According to the patterns of change observed, it can be summarized that 1) some semantic units show the diversity of spatial change patterns, and 2) some semantic units have similar geographic patterns while others exhibit unique ones. In this regard, the study confirms the advantages of combining GIS and linguistic techniques, providing researchers with the ability to observe the spatial patterns of change.
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