Pali and Sanskrit Loanwords: A Case Study of Sandhi in Thai Compound Words

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the characteristics of sandhi-based compound words in Thai derived from Pali and Sanskrit loanwords, with particular emphasis on determining whether these compounds primarily followed Pali or Sanskrit sandhi principles. The data consisted exclusively of compound words formed through sandhi processes, collected from the book Thai Words Derived from Pali and Sanskrit, and were analyzed according to the sandhi principles of Pali and Sanskrit. The findings revealed that sandhi-based Thai compounds could be classified into three types based on their components: 1) compounds whose components were derived from the same source language, 2) compounds in which one component was a Pali loanword and the other was a Sanskrit loanword, and 3) compounds in which one component was derived from both Pali and Sanskrit while the other was derived from either language. Most compound words conformed to vowel sandhi rules common to both Pali and Sanskrit. In addition, Sanskrit consonant sandhi was observed in cases where the first component ended in a consonant sound. Nevertheless, some compound words followed only Pali vowel sandhi rules. Overall, the results demonstrated how sandhi principles from the source languages were adapted within the Thai linguistic system and contributed to a more systematic understanding of sandhi-based compound formation in Thai.