Center of Excellence in Southeast Asian Linguistics
Pittayawat Pittayaporn

Selected Publications

Directionality of tone change

2007

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

Moken as a Mainland Southeast Asian language

2005

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