Center of Excellence in Southeast Asian Linguistics
Pittayawat Pittayaporn

Selected Publications

A Preliminary Investigation of the Phonetic Characteristics of Moklen Tones

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.

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

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

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

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.