초록 열기/닫기 버튼
In this research, I conducted a comparative analysis of some basic Thai directional verbs, in particular, the meaning of horizontal motional verbs, /paj/(‘go’) and /maa/(‘come’), and their functions in sentences. This analysis was conducted by examining historical sources for diachronic consideration of the aspects of grammaticalization. Thai verbs /paj/ and /maa/ are words with multiple meanings and functions that have a very broad meaning extension. As discussed in one of my previous studies, these two verbs have attained additional grammatical functions because they gained additional meanings through cognitive mechanisms such as decategoricalization. One of the typical examples of this grammaticalization is that they are used as auxiliary verbs with an aspectual meaning. In my previous studies, my research was limited to making an inference based on semantic similarities or the structural relatedness of /paj/ and /maa/ in explaining why there are situations where they have aspectual meaning. However, in distinguishing motivation from arbitrariness, one of the most definitive ways to verify the assertion that various meanings of words are derived from the same origin would be to verify systematic motivation; in other words, to analyze and explain based on diachronic language evidence. There upon I examined some of the representative historic sources that are available and examinable such as the inscriptions from the Sukhothai era(the very first kingdom recognized in Thai history). I analyzed the polysemic structure, meaning and functions of /paj/ and /maa/ as they appeared in those documents as well as the differences in the aspects of grammaticalization in the respective period. As a result, I found that the meaning and functions of the verbs have become more subdivided and the grammaticalization has become more active in modern times than it was in the past. This diachronic consideration can provide a good example for the uni-directionality of grammatization that is claimed in Cognitive Linguistics and can also be an interesting basis for future change and development in the Thai language.
키워드열기/닫기 버튼
Thai, directional verb, grammaticalization, diachronic study of language
