Loanwords from Northern Thai and Standard Thai in The Shan Language of Speakers in Ban Wiangwai, Monpin Sub-District, Fang District, Chiangmai Province

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the types of loanwords borrowed from Northern Thai and Standard Thai in the Shan language spoken by the community in Ban Wiangwai, Monpin Sub-district, Fang District, Chiangmai Province. Data was collected from a total of 15 Shan speakers. The results show that Shan speakers in Ban Wiangwai borrowed words from Northern Thai and Standard Thai. These words fall into 10 categories: nouns, classifiers, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, final particles, interjections, and negatives. A total of 1,871 words were analyzed, consisting of 836 Shan words, 733 Northern Thai loanwords, and 302 Standard Thai loanwords. The loanwords in the Shan language are primarily derived from both Northern Thai and Standard Thai, sharing similar characteristics. Among the loanwords, nouns are the most frequently borrowed, followed by verbs, adjectives and adverbs. These categories constitute core vocabulary. Grammatical words - including pronouns, classifiers, prepositions, conjunctions, final particles, interjections, and negatives - were also borrowed from Northern Thai and Standard Thai, though in smaller numbers. These loanwords effectively illustrate the linguistic changes occurring in the Shan language within this community.