History and Prehistory of Kra-Dai languages

The Kra-Dai language family (also known as Tai-Kadai) consists of over 90 languages. They are spoken natively by approximately 81.67 million people who occupy a vast geographical area stretching from China’s Hunan Province in the north to Malaysia in the south, and from Hainan Island in the east to the Indian state of Assam to the west. With emphasis on Thai and other members of its Tai branch, we study the following aspects of the history and prehistory of Kra-Dai languages.
• Phonological history of Thai
• Prehistorical spread of the Tai languages into Southeast Asia
• Subgrouping of Tai languagess
• Historical and prehistorical contact between Kra-Dai and other language families
In addition to analyzing a wide range of comparative and philological data through the lens of historical linguistics and language contact, we also work in collaboration with archeologists and geneticists to arrive at a more concrete and nuanced picture of the history and prehistory of this fascinating language family.

Researchers: Pittayawat Pittayaporn

Alumni: Jinawat Kaenmuang, Nida Jampathip, Poppy Gogoi, Shinnakrit Tangsiriwattanakun, Sireemas Maspong

Collaborators: Wibhu Kutanun

Selected Publications

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

Srithawong, Suparat, Muisuk, Kanha, Srikummool, Metawee, Kampuansai, Jatupol, Pittayaporn, Pittayawat, Ruangchai, Sukhum, & Kutanan, Wibhu. (2021). Close genetic relationship between central Thai and Mon people in Thailand revealed by autosomal microsatellites. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 135.2: 445-448.

Kutanan, W., Liu, D., Kampuansai, J., Srikummool, M., Srithawong, S., Shoocongdej, R., ... & Stoneking, M. (2021). Reconstructing the human genetic history of mainland Southeast Asia: insights from genome-wide data from Thailand and Laos. Molecular biology and evolution, 38(8), 3459-3477.

Gogoi, Poppy, Stephen, Morey, & Pittayaporn, Pittayawat. (2020). The Tai Ahom sound system as reflected by the texts recorded in the Bark manuscripts. Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, 13.2: 14-42.

Maspong, Sireemas, and Pittayaporn, Pittayawat. (2019). Length contrast of high vowels in the Thai language of Sukhothai period: What do the inscription says? Cahiers de Linguistique Asie Orientale, 48: 30-60.

Pittayawat, Pittayaporn. (2018). Quantitative and qualitative restrictions on the distribution of lexical tones in Thai. In K. Nishiyama, H. Kishimoto, and E. Aldridge (eds.), Topics in Theoretical Asian Linguistics: Studies in honor of John B. Whitman, 371-386. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing.