AN ASSUMPTION ON WORDS “ตัว” [TUA] AND “ตน” [TON]

Abstract

The meanings of words “ตัว” [tua] and “ตน” [ton] resemble very much. The Royal Institute Dictionary B.E. 2493 identifies sources of the both as Thai Words. It is interested to seek that are both the original Thai words? As presumed, there may be the word [tua] used in Thai language before and the word [ton] may has afterwards been received from the word “ตนุ”[tanu] derived from Pali-Sanskrit. The writer collected data from Dictionaries in different periods including documents in Sukhothai period namely; inscriptions, Trai Phum Phra Ruang, Tai Dialects and other languages and finally the word [tua] and [ton] used since Sukhothai period have been found explicitly. The word [ton] have been used in Sukhothai period and it has obviously been found in many evidences due to the contents in inscriptions, excepting King Ramkhamhaeng’s inscription No.1 and Trai Phum Phra Ruang, dealt mainly with the religious essences. As studied other Dialects, the word [tua] has implicitly been found, but the word [ton] have not been found at all. Furthermore, the additional evidences are derived from Khmer that there is the word “ขฺลวน” [khluan] meaning body as well as the word [tanu] to use. Such the words are regarded as the evidences in order to support the word [ton] came from [tanu] and then there are sound changes in Thai language, which corresponded to the presumption as given by Khun Wijitramatra (Sa-Nga Kanchanapan) (2511:121-123) that the word [ton] derived from Pali-Sanskrit is recognized as the word “ดนู”[Danu].