An Analytical Study of the Orthography of Archaic Words in Ancient Thai Laws of Phitsanulok Province
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Abstract
This research aims to analyze the orthography of archaic words and the classification of words that appear in the original ancient legal documents from Phitsanulok province. This qualitative study employed a documentary research methodology to examine 46 original ancient legal manuscripts from the Office of Arts and Culture, Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University. These documents were transcribed into modern Thai by the researchers, applying the conceptual framework for the study of Phitsanulok ancient documents developed by Somkiat Tidchai. The findings revealed 130 ancient words, which were categorized into seven orthographic patterns: Pattern 1: Orthography similar to modern Thai, with 51 words (the most frequent). Pattern 2: Orthography both similar to and different from modern Thai, with 23 words. Pattern 3: Orthography different from modern Thai, with 22 words. Pattern 4: Orthography both similar to and exactly the same as modern Thai, with 15 words. Pattern 5: Orthography exactly the same as modern Thai, with 11 words. Pattern 6: Orthography similar to, exactly the same as, and different from modern Thai, with 7 words. Pattern 7: Orthography both exactly the same as and different from modern Thai, with 1 word.
The words were further classified into four types: Nouns: 105 words. Verbs: 21 words. Adverbs: 3 words. Verbs and Nouns: 1 word. This research serves as another guide for transcribing Phitsanulok ancient legal texts, helping those interested in ancient laws understand the context of various archaic words. It will also enable those who transcribe or read these laws to interpret the original manuscripts more accurately and precisely.
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