A Comparison of Knowledge on Sexual Intercourse in Folk Song of Central Region and Sexology Textbooks

Abstract

The purposes of this paper were to select the knowledge on sexual intercourse from the “performance texts” of folk song of Central region which were oral data and field data collected during 2016 – 2017 in the central region area; and to compare the knowledge on sexual intercourse in Central-region folk song and that in 6 sexology textbooks which were compiled
and studied in a research project entitled “Central Thai Traditional Textbooks and Monographs on Sexology: Revealing the Secret to Knowledge” by using folklore and literary study methodologies. The result found that there were 35 issues regarding sexual intercourse in folk songs relevant to those in sexology textbooks. These issues could be categorized into 3 groups: 1) sexual beliefs, i.e. the belief on predicting the size of female genitalia and physiognomy; 2) sexual traditions, i.e. manners and behaviors implying sexual intercourse; and 3) sexual knowledges, i.e. copulation positions and sexual enhancement herbs. The presentation techniques of sexual knowledges in folk songs could be found in 2 ways: 1) allusion; 2) allegory which aimed to show off rhetorical proficiency and wit rather than directly focusing on knowledges. The result of this study obviously indicated that sexual knowledges had long existed in Thai society particularly among folk people. Such knowledges were passed on so pervasively that they were taken to use as a comic gag in the performance, which caused understanding and sense of humor among the audience.