Center of Excellence in Southeast Asian Linguistics
Pittayawat Pittayaporn

Selected Publications

A Preliminary Investigation of the Phonetic Characteristics of Moklen Tones

2024

Moklen, an endangered Austronesian language in Southern Thailand, is important for studying tonogenesis. Previous research confirmed the presence of two lexical tones in Moklen, but their nature is unclear. This study analyzed the acoustic properties of Moklen tones. Eight native Moklen speakers participated, producing 93 mono- and disyllables with varied tones, onset voicing, vowel length, and coda classes. Acoustic measurements were obtained from the stressed final syllables, including f0, F1, F2, H1*-A3*, and CPP. Results showed that f0 is the primary phonetic cue for tonal contrast in Moklen, accompanied by the difference in vowel quality and phonation type. Specifically, Tone 1 is characterized by higher pitch and a lower and more front vowel with modal voice, while Tone 2 has a lower pitch and a higher, more back, and breathier vowel. These characteristics bear similarities to register distinctions observed in Austroasiatic languages of Southeast Asia, suggesting a possible transphonologization of laryngeal properties into prosodic ones in Moklen. However, the exact segmental sources of Moklen tones still remain an open question.

Revisiting “aberrant” features in Saek: Contact-induced changes and its position within Tai

2024

This study challenges the notion of Saek as an aberrant member of Tai by proposing that certain features previously considered archaic are, in fact, contact-induced innovations. Specifically, it argues that multiple correspondences involving /j-/ and the alleged split of the Proto-Tai *A1 tone can be traced back to Vietnamese and Lao or Thai influence. Additionally, this paper asserts that Saek is closely related to Fusui, a Northern Tai dialect spoken in southwestern Guangxi. This paper concludes that Saek is a Tai language with some unique retentions and traces of contact with neighboring languages.

On Becoming Mainland: Unraveling Malay Influence on Moklenic Languages

2024

This study examines the impact of Malay on Moklenic dialects spoken by Moklen and Moken communities to uncover the historical contact setting between Proto-Moklenic and Malay. It shows that a significant portion of Proto-Moklenic vocabulary was borrowed from Malay, while aspiration and three-way vowel height contrasts arose from Malay influence. Sociolinguistic dynamics resulting from contact between Moklenic and Malay, as reflected in the contact-induced changes, indicate a long-lasting and closely intertwined, though asymmetrical, relationship, which suggests widespread bilingualism and openness towards the influence of Malay.

An exploratory investigation of interactions between syllabic prominence, initial geminates, and phrasal boundaries in Pattani Malay

2024

This study investigates interactions among relative syllabic prominence, initial geminates (IGs), and prosodic boundaries in Pattani Malay (PM) against a background of previous analyses claiming that IGs are moraic and trigger a ‘stress shift’ or the linking of a pitch accent to the initial syllable. We conducted an acoustic study with 14 PM speakers, producing singleton–IG minimal pairs in naturalistic sentences. Our results show that the presence of IGs is not associated with the hypothesized phonological changes. Instead, it is associated with moderate increases in the duration of initial syllables, the intensity of the initial syllable vowels, and the f0 of the initial and final syllable vowels. On the other hand, the presence of a phrase-final prosodic boundary correlates with more drastic changes: in phrase-final position, final syllables exhibit final lengthening and falling contours of f0 and intensity, while, in the phrase-medial position, no lengthening is observed and f0 contours are rising. Furthermore, the effects of IGs are strongest in the phrase-final position, suggesting interactions between IGs and prosodic boundaries. Taken together, results cast doubts on the claim that IGs are moraic and associated with categorical differences in syllabic prominence profiles in PM and show that IGs effects are modulated by prosodic boundaries.

Reconstructing the Human Genetic History of Mainland Southeast Asia: Insights from Genome-Wide Data from Thailand and Laos

2021

Thailand and Laos, located in the center of Mainland Southeast Asia (MSEA), harbor diverse ethnolinguistic groups encompassing all five language families of MSEA: Tai-Kadai (TK), Austroasiatic (AA), Sino-Tibetan (ST), Hmong-Mien (HM), and Austronesian (AN). Previous genetic studies of Thai/Lao populations have focused almost exclusively on uniparental markers and there is

Documentation of Moklenic languages

2021

Moken and Moklen are languages spoken by two of Thailand’s three “Sea Peoples” groups, with speakers located along the coast of the southern Thai peninsula. As one of the few Austronesian subgroups of Mainland Southeast Asia, Moklenic languages serve as an additional example of the linguistic diversity of the region

Linguistic variation and social dynamics in languages of Southeast Asia

2021

Language is inextricably linked to daily human life as a social phenomenon. Therefore, social dynamics bring about ongoing linguistic variation. Using traditional and experimental methods, research here aims to look at how the linguistic variation of Southeast Asian languages relates to a dynamic ways of life, attitudes, and societal fluidity.