JOURNAL ARTICLE

Place names in Tai.

  • Published In: Asian Languages & Linguistics, 2025, v. 6, n. 1. P. 161 1 of 3

  • Database: Humanities Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Han, Jianghua; Luo, Yongxian 3 of 3

Abstract

Place names form a significant part of proper names in Tai, the largest member of the Kra-Dai family of languages that spread across national boundaries in mainland Southeast Asia which includes Thai, Lao, Shan, Tai Lue, Zhuang, Nung, Buyi, among others. This paper looks at the semantic and morphosyntactic features of place names in the Tai languages. They exhibit a number of typological features that are common in languages in this vast linguistic area. A set of geographic terms offer elaborate topographical information about the referents, such as 'mountain/hill', 'stream/brook', 'river', 'spring', 'valley', 'plain', '(rice) field', 'upland field', among others. These are frequently found to combine with spatial terms to provide specific reference. A number of place names carrying social-cultural nuances are found in certain geographic locations, indicating the genesis of early social organizations of the Tai people, with implications for dialect subgrouping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Additional Information

  • Source:Asian Languages & Linguistics. 2025/01, Vol. 6, Issue 1, p161
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Ethnic and Cultural Studies
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:26659336
  • DOI:10.1075/alal.25014.han
  • Accession Number:187431353
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Asian Languages & Linguistics is the property of John Benjamins Publishing Co. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

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