LANGUAGE CHANGE: A CASE STUDY OF SUAI

Abstract

Suai (Kui-Kuai) native speakers in Sisaket province are likely to increasingly speak other languages in their daily lives due to the requirement to communicate to non-Suai speakers. This situation causes multilingualism and unavoidable code-mixing behavior. This report studies Suai basic kinship terms (BKTs) of speakers in different age groups in order to analyze both the meaning and system of BKTs, as well as understanding the influence of other languages upon the Suai BKT system.

The results reveal that the Suai BKT system differs between the two age groups. Even though, the system in both age groups consists of 5 dimensions of contrast: Generation, Age, Linearity, Sex, and Parental Link, it is found that the BKT usage among Suai native speakers is actually different in 6 ways. It is possible that the Suai BKT system of those speakers is influenced by other languages, such as, Standard Khmer, Surin Khmer, Standard Thai, Northeastern Thai, Suai, and also the compound words formed from Standard Thai and Suai.

This study also shows that the BKTs of the old age group speakers are mostly derived from Suai, while the younger age group speakers mostly adopt terms from Standard Thai instead. However, both age groups seldom adopt terms in Surin Khmer. In addition, it was found that terms used two generation below EGO to four generation below EGO, in old age group speakers, are likely to use terms from Standard Thai and Standard khmer. In contrast, the young age group speakers only use those from Standard Thai.