Southwestern Tai (SWT) is the best studied among the three main branches of the Tai language family according to Li (1960)’s classification. Because discrepancies among earlier proposals (Brown 1985; Jonsson 1991; Li 1977; and Sarawit 1973) are major obstacles both in subgrouping SWT varieties and in reconstructing PT, this paper
In this paper, I present a theory of tonal change focusing on the directionality of tone change. Drawing on studies on phonetic variation in tones, I propose three main mechanisms that govern the directions in which tones change: 1) segment-tone interaction, 2) contextual variation, and 4) perceptual maximization. The predictions
The Moken language shows phonological characteristics strikingly similar to other mainland SEA languages but absent from insular AN. While previous researchers (particularly Larish 1999) have recognized the importance of Mainland SEA languages, especially Mon-Khmer influence in the diachronic development of Moken, in many cases the exact processes by which these
