The Use of Dialects and the Expression of Identity: A Case Study on the Use of the Tai -Tat Language in Ban Phueng Sub-district, Mueang district, Nakhon Phanom Province

Abstract

              This article aims to explore the role of the use of the Tai Tad local language in expressing identity and reducing social inequality, drawing on the theoretical perspectives of Pierre Bourdieu and Paulo Freire. The article argues that education should not adhere to a single standardized model but should instead be adapted to the linguistic and cultural diversity of learners. Bourdieu’s concept of habitus explains that individuals’ internal structures are shaped through everyday learning, with education functioning as a mechanism that drives systems of production. He emphasizes the importance of a “sense of dignity” and “subjectivity.” In contrast, Paulo Freire criticizes the “banking model” of education, in which teachers deposit knowledge into passive learners, and proposes that authentic education should aim to awaken “critical consciousness” among the oppressed. Freire views language as a site of struggle and asserts that reclaiming the language of the oppressed is essential, as it serves as a tool for reflection in the pursuit of truth. Both Bourdieu and Freire agree that transformative education emerges from practices that creatively connect individuals with the external world, drawing upon accumulated knowledge over time. In the Thai context, language policy has designated Standard Thai as the national language since 1918, resulting in the marginalization of other local languages and the neglect of the indigenous knowledge embedded within them. Nevertheless, local languages play a crucial role in preserving community “selfhood” and “identity.” A case study of the Tai Tad community in Nakhon Phanom Province demonstrates that the Tai Tad language is vital for identity expression and for generating knowledge rooted in the community’s own local wisdom.