Publications - Center of Excellence in Southeast Asian Linguistics

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.

Leveraging deep learning to shed light on tones of an endangered language: A case study of Moklen

2024

Moklen, a tonal Austronesian language spoken in Thailand, exhibits two tones with unbalanced distributions. We employed machine learning techniques for time-series classification to investigate its acoustic properties. Our analysis reveals that a synergy between pitch and vowel quality is crucial for tone distinction, as the model trained with these features achieved the highest accuracy.

The embodiment of modern Thai masculinity in skincare advertisements

2024

As male endorsement in advertising continues to expand, and alternative forms of masculinity emerge in Asia and elsewhere, this article asks how skincare advertisements in Bangkok participate in these worldwide trends and how dif- ferent forms of masculinity are represented and embodied in such advertising. The article analyses skincare advertising signs – banal sexed signs that form a significant part of Bangkok’s linguistic landscape – through the lens of social semiotics. The analysis reveals the use of both a more stereotypical form of mas- culinity associated with male heterosexuality and the ‘new man’, a masculinity associated with a ‘softer’ personality and Asian beauty trends. Important com- ponents contributing to the latter image include depictions of ‘feminine touch’ and multilingual texts. The findings illustrate how the new man serves as an important marketing tool, promoting not only a particular masculinity but also a modern, middle-class lifestyle.

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.

GIS Technique as an indispensable tool in the real time study of dialect change: a case of the northeastern region of Thailand

2024

For linguists, mapping a clear visual display of spatial change of dialects has been a challenging
task. This article aims to present an alternative solution by which GIS and linguistics are incorporated to
help improve quality of spatial analysis and map display in the study of dialect geography. Applied
methodological flow with the exemplified application to the northeastern region of Thailand is
illustrated. GIS’s spatial analysis functions are demonstrated to create and compare the dialect maps of
1979 and 2002. Result of the study exhibits as change-quantification maps showing the real time spatial
change patterns of Thai dialects. The benefit of GIS is obvious as an indispensable tool for assisting
linguists to better interpret and understand the spatial pattern of change with more confidence.