This study deals with Nonthaburi Malay, an obsolescent subdialect of Patani Malay spoken in the province of Nonthaburi, central Thailand. The speakers of Nonthaburi Malay are the descendants of war ...captives, carried away from Patani and other northern Malay sultanates in the wake of uprisings against Thai suzerainty in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Nonthaburi Malay is of special linguistic interest because it exhibits heavy structural interference from Thai, despite the great typological distance between the two languages: while Malay is predominantly polysyllabic and has a fairly complex affixation morphology, Thai is historically monosyllabic, and knows no true affixation, and is moreover a tonal language. In providing an analysis of linguistic interference in Nonthaburi Malay, the dissertation endeavors to contribute to the study of language contact by exploring various theoretical issues. An important distinction is drawn between structural and lexical interference, and the notions of linguistic dominance and control are discussed as being of crucial importance in determining the type and direction of the interference. In addition, the study offers some insights into the sociocultural context of language contact, in particular the role of social variables in patterns of language use, and the place of language shift within the broader phenomenon of acculturation.
Book and media reviews Tadmor, Uri
Contemporary Pacific,
2007, Volume:
19, Issue:
2
Book Review
Peer reviewed
Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
This book introduces students to the people and country of Thailand. This ancient and historic land is filled with beauty, diversity, and wonder. This book provides background information and ...suggested topics for an intensive study of the country. The seven chapters are entitled: (1) "The Land"; (2) "The People"; (3) "Early History"; (4) "Ayutthaya"; (5) "Thonburi and the Early Bangkok Period"; (6) "The Emergence of Modern Thailand"; (7) "The Post-War Period"; (8) "Arts and Crafts"; (9) "Aspects of Thai Culture"; (10) "Religion"; (11) "The Economy"; (12) "The Government"; and (13) "Thai Teenagers." Tables, diagrams, graphs, and maps illustrate the text. A 67-item glossary, bibliography, resource list, and answer key conclude the book. (BT)
