The Wisdom of ‘Jood Language’ in the Way of Occupational of Krajood Wicker at Thale Noi Community, Phatthalung Province

Abstract

This qualitative research aims to study the indigenous language known as jood used within the Thale Noi community, focusing on its semantic dimensions, including literal meanings and metaphorical meanings. Data were collected through observation, interviews, and focus group discussions, resulting in a corpus of 25 jood terms. The participants included 21 individuals engaged in jood weaving in Thale Noi Subdistrict and Phanang Tung Subdistrict, Khuan Khanun District, Phatthalung Province. The sample comprised three generations: seven elders, seven middle-aged adults, and seven youths.

Findings reveal that jood language terms are used to describe various stages in the weaving process, from material preparation to product formation. Fifteen terms convey literal meanings, including ton jood (jood plant), tat jood (cutting jood), kluk tom (mixing with mud), so jood (boiling jood), lang tom (washing mud), kling jood (rolling jood), khat tok (selecting splints), chat tok (arranging splints), khuen moom (starting the corner), moom (corner), chat song (shaping), men khwop (tightening joints), saem pak (decorating the edge), phap khop (folding edge), and muan khop (rolling edge). Additionally, ten terms carry metaphorical meanings, such as kam pa (wild grip), tak plai hae (drying fishnet ends), tak soom (drying under shade), tak chai (drying in the wind), tang ran (setting up a stall), tok (splint), ta phao (scorched look), phliu tok (flexible splint), look dib (raw product), and look ohng (jar-shaped product).

These findings highlight the significance of the jood language in preserving the local wisdom of jood weaving within the community. This linguistic tradition plays a vital role in the intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge and artisanal skills.