Lesson: Loanwords from Foreign Languages, Transliterations, and Coined Terms
Hello everyone! Have you ever wondered why the Thai language has such a rich and vast vocabulary to choose from? Words like bida (father), kuaitiao (noodles), computer, or technology—where did they all come from? In this lesson, we are going to explore words borrowed from foreign languages (loanwords), transliterations, and coined terms. These are essential topics under Strand 4: Principles of the Thai Language (aligned with the Grade 8 and Grade 9 curriculum indicators / M.2 and M.3). If it looks a bit tricky at first, don't worry! Read through step by step, pick up on the patterns and clues, and you will soon see that this topic is both fun and much closer to our daily lives than you might think!
1. Why Does the Thai Language Have Foreign Loanwords?
The Thai people have interacted with various foreign cultures for centuries through trade, diplomacy, religion, cultural exchange, and academic advancement. As a result, we have adopted words from other languages to use alongside native Thai words (true Thai words), until they naturally became part of our everyday vocabulary.
Did you know?
Most original true Thai words are "isolating words"—meaning they are typically single-syllable (monosyllabic) words with complete meanings in themselves, such as pho (father), mae (mother), nam (water), fai (fire), ma (dog), and maeo (cat). They are also spelled regularly according to their final consonant sound classes (orthographic tone and final rules). If you spot a word that has multiple syllables, irregular final spellings, or a cancellation mark (karan / thanthakhat), suspect right away that it is likely a loanword from another language!
2. Pali and Sanskrit Words
Pali and Sanskrit are the most common sources of loanwords in Thai. We encounter them everywhere: in daily life, in literature, and in royal court vocabulary (Rachasap). (For combining Pali and Sanskrit words through compounding and blending, you can explore more in the lesson on Word Formation.)
Let's look at simple clues to tell Pali and Sanskrit apart:
• Vowels:
- Pali has 8 vowels: a, ā, i, ī, u, ū, e, o (อะ, อา, อิ, อี, อุ, อู, เอ, โอ).
- Sanskrit has 14 vowels: the same 8 vowels as Pali plus 6 additional vowels: ai, au, ṛ, ṝ, ḷ, ḹ (ไอ, เอา, ฤ, ฤๅ, ฦ, ฦๅ). Therefore, any word containing ฤ, ฤๅ, ไอ, เอา—such as ruesi (ฤๅษี), phreuksa (พฤกษา), maitri (ไมตรี), and saowakhon (เสาวคนธ์)—is definitely Sanskrit!
• Consonants:
- Pali does not have ศ and ษ (it only uses ส), e.g., satcha (สัจจะ), sikkha (สิกขา), santi (สันติ).
- Sanskrit has ศ, ษ, and ส, e.g., sit (ศิษย์), kaset (เกษตร), sueksa (ศึกษา), akson (อักษร) (except for a few native Thai words that happen to use ศ, such as sok [elbow], suek [war], sao [sad]).
• Consonant Clusters:
- Sanskrit frequently uses consonant clusters and leading consonants, such as prat (ปราชญ์), chak (จักร), kasat (กษัตริย์), and chanthra (จันทรา).
• Use of ฬ and ฑ:
- Pali uses ฬ, e.g., kila (กีฬา), chula (จุฬา), kharun (ครุฬ).
- Sanskrit usually uses ฑ or กรฑ instead, e.g., kritha (กรีฑา), chutha (จุฑา), khrut (ครุฑ).
• Assimilation Rules (Final and Following Consonants in Pali):
- Pali has strict rules governing consonant clusters (final and following consonants / tua sakot - tua tam), organized across 5 consonant classes (varga) and unclassified consonants. For instance, if a consonant from Row 1 is the final consonant, it must be followed by a consonant from Row 1 or Row 2, such as thuk (ทุกข์ - ก followed by ข) or satcha (สัจจะ - จ followed by จ). If Row 3 closes the syllable, Row 3 or Row 4 must follow, such as akkhi (อัคคี) or phuttha (พุทธ). In contrast, Sanskrit does not follow these rigid assimilation rules, and it often uses รร (ro-han), such as tham (ธรรม), kam (กรรม), phanraya (ภรรยา), and phannana (พรรณนา).
3. Words Derived from Khmer
Cambodia is a close historical neighbour to Thailand. As a result, many Khmer loanwords entered the Thai language, especially in royal court vocabulary and classical literature.
• Key Characteristics of Khmer Words:
1. Often disyllabic words beginning with bang- (บัง), ban- (บัน), bam- (บำ), such as bangkhom (บังคม), bandan (บันดาล), and bamphen (บำเพ็ญ).
2. Often formed through morphological infixes/prefixes modifying sounds into kam- (กำ), kham- (ขำ), jam- (จำ), cham- (ชำ), dam- (ดำ), tam- (ตำ), tham- (ทำ), e.g., koet becomes kamnoet (กำเนิด), chai becomes chamnai (จำหน่าย), truat becomes tamruat (ตำรวจ).
3. Often end with the final consonants จ, ญ, ร, ล, ส, such as sadet (เสด็จ), phachoen (เผชิญ), khachon (ขจร), tambon (ตำบล), and trat (ตรัส).
4. Often feature consonant clusters and leading consonants, such as prap (ปราบ), pluk (ปลูก), khlok (โขลก), chalat (ฉลาด), chamuk (จมูก), and sawoei (เสวย).
5. Original Khmer words do not have tone marks (mai ek, mai tho, mai tri, mai chattawa).
4. Words Derived from Chinese
Chinese words entered Thai through trade, migration, and settlement. Most of these words relate to food, everyday items, and commerce.
• Key Characteristics of Chinese Words:
1. Usually monosyllabic or disyllabic words that are easy to pronounce and sound similar to Thai phonology. A notable clue is that they frequently take high tone marks (mai tri ◌๊ or mai chattawa ◌๋).
2. Examples related to food: kuaitiao (ก๋วยเตี๋ยว), bami (บะหมี่), chao-kuai (เฉาก๊วย), pha-lo (พะโล้), taohu (เต้าหู้), chok (โจ๊ก), kieo (เกี๊ยว).
3. Examples related to items/trade: kao-i (เก้าอี้ - chair), to (โต๊ะ - table), tuek (ตึก - building), hang (ห้าง - department store/shop), linchak (ลิ้นชัก - drawer), tua (ตั๋ว - ticket), kek-huai (เก๊กฮวย - chrysanthemum), cheng (เจ๊ง - bankrupt/ruined).
5. Words Derived from Javanese-Malay
These words entered Thai primarily through translated classical court literature (such as Dalang and Inao) as well as historical maritime trade with southern territories.
• Key Characteristics of Javanese-Malay Words:
1. Usually two-syllable (disyllabic) words and rarely carry tone marks.
2. Examples found in daily life and nature: noina (น้อยหน่า - custard apple), thurian (ทุเรียน - durian), mangkut (มังคุด - mangosteen), salatan (สลาตัน - storm wind), kadangga (กะดังงา - ylang-ylang), kapa (กะปะ - Malayan pit viper).
3. Examples found in literature: burong (บุหรง - bird), bulan (บุหลัน - moon), kusuma (กุสุมา - flower), tunahang-an (ตุนาหงัน - engaged/betrothed).
6. Words Derived from English: Transliterations and Coined Terms
With the influx of Western science, technology, and global communication, the English language plays a vital role. In Grade 9 (M.3), we need to be able to distinguish between and appropriately use transliterations (kham thapsap) and coined terms (sap banyat) depending on the register of language.
6.1 Transliterations (Kham Thapsap)
These are words where the sounds and letters of the original foreign word are transcribed into Thai script to mimic the original pronunciation as closely as possible. They are typically used when no coined term exists yet, or when the transliterated word is already universally recognized and understood.
• Examples of transliterated words:
- khomphiutoe (คอมพิวเตอร์) = computer
- thaeksi (แท็กซี่) = taxi
- aisakrim (ไอศกรีม) = ice cream
- krafik (กราฟิก) = graphic
- chokkolaet (ช็อกโกแลต) = chocolate
- intoenet (อินเทอร์เน็ต) = internet
6.2 Coined Terms (Sap Banyat)
These are official standard terms newly coined by the Royal Institute (presently the Office of the Royal Society) to replace foreign words. They are usually created by compounding native Thai words or combining Pali and Sanskrit roots to convey the exact meaning of the original English term.
• Examples of coined terms you should know:
- vision = วิสัยทัศน์ (wisaitat)
- network = เครือข่าย (khruea-khai)
- hardware = ส่วนเครื่อง (suan-khreuang) or ส่วนอุปกรณ์ (suan-upakon)
- software = ส่วนชุดคำสั่ง (suan chut khamsang)
- substance = สารัตถะ (saratthatha)
- passport = หนังสือเดินทาง (nangsue doen-thang)
- university = มหาวิทยาลัย (mahawitthayalai)
- pollution = มลพิษ (monlaphit) or ภาวะมลพิษ (phawa monlaphit)
- telephone = โทรศัพท์ (thorasap)
Usage in Real Life:
In formal writing, academic papers, and official communications, we should always prioritize using the coined term (sap banyat). However, if a transliteration has become the widely accepted standard (or if using the coined term would cause confusion because it is unfamiliar), it is completely acceptable to use the transliterated term as appropriate.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Spelling transliterations incorrectly based on casual habit: Many English loanwords have specific standard spellings determined by the official dictionary, for example:
- Common mistake: ไอติม (aitim) \(\implies\) Correct: ไอศกรีม (aisakrim - ice cream)
- Common mistake: เซ็นต์ชื่อ \(\implies\) Correct: เซ็นชื่อ (sign a signature - no ต์; note that เซนต์ meaning a cent coin, or เปอร์เซ็นต์ for percent, does use ต์)
- Common mistake: อินเตอร์เน็ต \(\implies\) Correct: อินเทอร์เน็ต (internet - uses ท, not ต)
- Common mistake: กราฟฟิก \(\implies\) Correct: กราฟิก (graphic - uses a single ฟ)
2. Confusing Pali and Sanskrit: An easy trick to remember: if you see ศ, ษ, ฤ, ฤๅ, or รร, you can confidently identify it as Sanskrit right away!
Quick Review of Key Takeaways
• True Thai Words: Mostly monosyllabic, regular final spellings, carry tone marks, rarely use cancellation marks (karan).
• Pali: 8 vowels, no ศ or ษ, uses ฬ, follows strict consonant assimilation rules (tua sakot - tua tam).
• Sanskrit: Additional vowels (ฤ, ฤๅ, ไอ, เอา), contains ศ and ษ, uses ฑ, employs ro-han (รร), and prefers consonant clusters.
• Khmer: Often begins with bang-, ban-, bam-, uses word derivations with kam-, kham-, jam-, cham-, dam-, tam-, tham-, and commonly ends with จ, ญ, ร, ล, ส.
• Chinese: Monosyllabic or disyllabic, frequently carries high tone marks (tri and chattawa), commonly related to food, tools, and commerce.
• Transliteration: Direct phonetic transcription of foreign sounds using Thai script.
• Coined Terms: Newly created words (often from Thai, Pali, or Sanskrit roots) to replace foreign concepts, especially for formal and academic registers.